Dr. John here…
It is time.
Below, you’ll find a list of our 10 most viewed posts of 2010! I sure do hope you’re into professional cheerleaders who are pursing careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Take a look, and leave your thoughts in the comment section. Surprised? Inspired? Confused? Hey, this isn’t the BCS! You voted every single time you visited the site or shared our stories with your friends and family.
I personally learned a lot this year, and I would like to extend a special thanks to Darlene and everyone who contributed to making Science Cheerleader a huge success in 2010.
10. Marcie: Pro Bowl Cardinals Cheerleader and Electrical Engineer |
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As one of the few lifelong Arizona Cardinals fans, I was honored to interview Marcie, Pro Bowl Cardinals Cheerleader and electrical engineer at Intel®. Though the Arizona football Cardinals may not be having their greatest year ever, Marcie continues to be one of the organization’s genuine superstars. And, her feature was our 10th most trafficked post of the year! Go Cardinals! |
9. Meet Nicole: Broncos cheerleader, pharmacist |
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In between cheering for the Denver Broncos and finishing her PharmD from the University of Colorado Denver School of Pharmacy, Nicole managed to find some to time to chat with Darlene about how she became interested in science. How did her fellow cheerleaders accept her interests? What would people be surprised to find out about Pharmacy school? Did being a cheerleader help or hinder her career? You have to read to find out! |
8. Rachel: Redskins cheerleader-turned-Naval Officer-turned-Anesthetist |
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In March, Darlene introduced us to Rachel, a former Washington Redskins Cheerleader who enlisted in the Navy and is now en route to a career as an anesthesiologist. While deployed to Afghanistan, Rachel worked with a Forward Surgical Team operating alongside Army Special Forces, and this experience solidified her passion for the field of anesthesiology. Read the full interview to see what everyone is talking about! |
7. New Orleans Saints have chemistry |
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The title of Darlene’s interview with Michelle, an analytical chemist at DuPont and former New Orleans Saints cheerleader, turned out to be more than just a clever pun. Just a two weeks later, the New Orleans Saints would go on to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. Coincidence? I think not. |
6. Melissa: Titans cheerleader, Vanderbilt medical researcher |
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Both Melissa and I earned undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and look fabulous in powder blue. But that’s pretty much where the comparisons end. Melissa is currently in her third year as a Tennessee Titans cheerleader and was previously captain of her team at Vanderbilt University. She was also one of the 13 Science Cheerleaders that performed live and signed autographs for youngsters at the U.S.A. Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., Oct 23-24. |
5. Story Musgrave: straight talk on the current space program |
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Darlene knows a lot of ridiculously cool people. Sometimes, these ridiculously cool people talk to us and then allow us to transform these conversations into Science Cheerleader posts. In this, our 5th most popular post, former NASA astronaut Story Musgrave shares his thoughts on the current space program. |
4. Christine: 49ers cheerleader and biomedical engineer |
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My interview with Christine, a biomedical engineer and a first-year member of the San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush, is the first of two 49ers Cheerleaders to appear in our Top 10 list. And for good reason: Christine is thrashing stereotypes en route to a career designing new, minimally invasive therapies for cancer patients. She also offers some great advice for youngsters who might feel torn between following one dream associated with beauty or physique (like cheerleading) and pursuing a science and engineering career usually associated with, well, geeks. Have a read! |
3. Watch the Science Cheerleaders Perform |
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Produced by filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson, our #1 video of the year features several Science Cheerleaders — current and former professional NBA and NFL cheerleaders who are also scientists and engineers — and their interactions with thousands of people who attended the festival. As of this sentence, the video has been viewed over 120,000 times, which is about 119, 900 more times than any video I’ve ever posted on YouTube. |
2. Summer: Pro cheerleader-turned-NASA aerospace engineer |
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Darlene’s interview with Summer, former Houston Texans Cheerleader and current aerospace engineer at NASA, was totally out of this world. (See what I did there with the NASA/out of this world reference?) Summer’s work has been launched into space and used at the International Space Station, and she’s made various appearances on ESPN and NFL Presents. She was also one of the 13 Science Cheerleaders that performed live and signed autographs for youngsters at the U.S.A. Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., Oct 23-24. |
1. Erica: 49ers cheerleader and a software engineer |
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Our most popular post of the year featured Erica, a San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleader and a software engineer with a masters in Instructional Technology. Erica currently works as an Instructional Designer for online classes for graduate students. I had a chance to ask Erica a few questions about her passion for engineering and the challenges of balancing these two different worlds. The result was an inside look at Erica’s life and over 30 comments from the Science Cheerleader audience! Gooooooooo #1 Post of the Year! |