Alaina Gassler receiving the 2019 Samueli Foundation Prize presented at the Broadcom Masters Competition for her project, Improving Automobile Safety by Removing Blind Spots.
I am happy that today’s guest in Episode 79 is our youngest guest by far. She is Alaina Gassler, and she is the 14 year old inventor and winner of the 2019 Samueli Foundation Prize presented at the Broadcom MASTERS competition. We were able to do our interview from her principal’s office before her Christmas vacation, and I know you will enjoy her enthusiasms and her accomplishments.
I’m in the studio for the first time in 2020. And it feels …. just like 2019. Same coffee table, same curtains, same high chairs. It’s all the same, but I feel different.
You know the saying that “life is not a dress rehearsal”? Of course it’s true, but in a way I’ve felt that 2019 was a dress rehearsal for this year, or at least a time of great preparation. If you’re an American citizen, 2020 is a big year: we have a hugely consequential election in November, but first we will witness a rarity in the public square: the impeachment trial of a sitting first term president in an atmosphere of broken checks and balances. We have Harvey Weinstein’s first criminal trials in New York, with a subsequent trial discussed in Los Angeles. We may have a burgeoning world war. We have a continent burning in the South Pacific. W Many of us are starting the year with new medical insurance. And of course, there are new hair colors for the fascinating Kardashian family. Oh what a glorious moment to be alive!
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Here are the five things that make life better.
1. Life goes on. The calendar makes for some interesting evaluations and aha! moments, but we are continuing our work, our journeys on the shoulders of those who came before. And hopefully our exhibits ™ will do the same.
2. As I poured myself a cup of coffee in a go cup today, I thought about how nice and convenient it is to walk down the street or sit in a car and drink coffee, tea, or tote a bottle of water. The first Starbucks opened in Manhattan in 1994. (I focus on this one because that is where I live.). I was ordering coffee to go from coffee shops with paper cups festooned with Greek ruins on a blue background before that, but it wasn’t a “thing” to walk around with a cup of joe. Now no one thinks twice about walking around with a thermos or water bottle, but it sure makes my life better.
Lisa with her brother Jon.
3. Spending time with my brother Jon while marching against hatred and fear. The march was organized over the weekend to protest the rise in hate crimes, particularly those based in anti-Semitism. We were but two of more than 25,000 people of all religions who met downtown near City Hall, and marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in a show of numbers. Also I enjoyed spending the time with my brother. (We were both tired and on the cusp of bailing, but ultimately went together.). There were many powerful moments of looking around and seeing people as far as the eye could see. I’m glad we spoke up.
4. I’m late to the party here, but I finally got around to reading the novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh. The story of a young woman of privilege who wants to withdraw from the world through strong mixtures of sleeping pills, opiates, cough syrup, and other dangerous substances, it’s a compliment to Moshfegh how much we care about this damaged heroine. She is unkind to others, self- destructive, mean, competitive, and in untold amount of pain. And yet the book is howlingly funny.
5. A great checkup this week. What more do I need?
Here are the 5 Things that make Alaina Gassler’s life better (in her own words).
1. My School Community- Throughout my triumphs and defeats, my friends, teachers, and administrators have always been there for me. They teach me new life skills every day, and always support me. They are what make me want to continue working hard for my goals.
2. Mentors- Mentors are what motivate me, inspire me, and teach me to be a better person. My main mentors are my parents, who shaped me into who I am today. They encourage me to keep working, and help me understand what steps I must take in order to be successful. I wouldn’t have ever gotten near to achieving anything if it wasn’t for them.
3. Creativity- Even though most people see me as a more science-oriented person, I have a huge creative side. I love baking and crafting, which is evident through my family’s messy kitchen and craft room! Doing those things relieves all my stress and makes me really proud when I see the result of the piece I make.
4. Clubs and extracurricular activities- A big part of my life right now is clubs and extracurricular activities. I am currently in Girl Scouts, Academic competition, Distributed Educational Clubs of America (DECA), Yearbook, school musical/ plays, and Business Club (a student run club at my school). I have learned so much from each and every one of these clubs/EA’s that will keep me going in the future. I love voluntarily being part of something that makes people’s lives better. I would love to point out that I have been a Girl Scout for a while now, and I just earned my silver award, which is the highest honor a cadette girl scout can receive. I am now working towards my gold award, which is going to be such an accomplishment for me. I’m also currently partnering with a club from another school so I can participate in Dressember, which is an event where I wear a dress everyday in December to raise awareness of modern day slavery. It is really important to me and participating in something like this definitely makes life better because knowing that I am helping people and making a difference means more than anything.
5. Friends- My friends are always so supportive in what I do, but in a different way than other people are. They aren’t afraid to speak their mind, which I really value because their feedback makes me a better person. They are some of the most unproblematic people ever, and I don’t do anything but smile and laugh when I am around them, which makes my life so much better. Whether we are competing or collaborating, they are always there for me, and they add so much to my life as a whole.
More about Alaina and her award:
Alaina Gassler, 14-years-old, from West Grove, PA, has won the top place overall in the nation in the Broadcom MASTERS competition, the premier middle school competition. Alaina has won the $25,000 Samueli Foundation Prize, a gift of Susan and Henry Samueli, Co-Founder of Broadcom Corporation and who demonstrated mastery of all STEM fields, and exemplifies how research, innovation and teamwork come together to impact our everyday lives. Alaina won for her project titled Improving Automobile Safety by Removing Blind Spots. Alaina built a prototype to reduce blind spots in a safe and efficient way. The solution she came up with uses a webcam mounted outside the passenger side A-pillar. The camera images are then displayed on the inside of the pillar so the driver can see them. Alaina used 3-D printing to make a special part so the projector’s image would focus properly at close range.
About the Broadcom MASTERS: The Broadcom MASTERS encourages middle school students to translate their personal interests into a passion for STEM by participation in science fairs, which inspires them to continue their studies throughout high school and college and enter STEM careers. In addition to being judged on their projects, the top 30 finalists competed in hands-on challenges that tested their abilities in STEM, critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration.
Society for Science & the Public. - Inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders.
This podcast was recorded and produced in New York City by The Field TV