Chanda Prescod-Weinstein facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
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Prescod-Weinstein at "Becoming Interplanetary" talk at the Library of Congress, 2018
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El Sereno, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Known for | Political activism, cosmology |
| Relatives | Margaret Prescod (mother), Selma James (grandmother) |
| Awards | Phi Beta Kappa Award for Science |
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Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (born around 1982) is an American scientist. She studies the universe as a cosmologist and tiny particles as a particle physicist. She works at the University of New Hampshire. Chanda also works hard to make science more welcoming for everyone.
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Early Life and School
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein was born in Los Angeles, California. She grew up in the El Sereno neighborhood. Her family background is from Barbados on her mother's side. On her father's side, her family came from Russia and Ukraine.
She went to Harvard College and earned a degree in physics and astronomy in 2003. Later, she earned a master's degree in astronomy from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2005. In 2010, she earned her PhD from the University of Waterloo. Her PhD research was about how the universe is expanding.
Exploring the Universe
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein's research looks at big questions about the universe. She studies cosmology, which is the study of the universe's origin and development. She also works on theoretical physics, which uses math to understand how the universe works.
One of her research areas is the axion. This is a tiny particle that might be a type of dark matter. Dark matter is a mysterious substance that scientists think makes up a large part of the universe. She also studies inflation, which is about the universe's very fast growth right after the Big Bang.
After getting her PhD, she worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. She also worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). From 2016 to 2017, she was a researcher at the University of Washington.
Since 2019, she has been a professor at the University of New Hampshire. She teaches physics, astronomy, and women's and gender studies. She became a tenured professor in 2023.
Awards and Recognition
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein has received many awards for her work. In 2013, she won the "Infinite Kilometer Award" from MIT. In 2017, she received an award for her efforts to make physics more welcoming. This award recognized her work in helping all people feel included in science.
Essence Magazine named her one of 15 Black Women who are leaders in STEM. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Her ideas have been shared in many places, like Huffington Post and Gizmodo.
In 2021, she received the Edward A. Bouchet Award. This award recognized her important work in cosmology and particle physics. It also honored her tireless efforts to make physics more inclusive.
Her 2021 book, The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred, won an award. It received the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in the Science & Technology category.
Making Science Fair for Everyone
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a strong supporter of making science more diverse. She believes that science should include people from all backgrounds. She works to celebrate the contributions of groups who have not always been recognized in science.
She has written many articles for popular science magazines. These include Scientific American, Slate, and Nature Astronomy. She also writes a regular column for New Scientist.
In 2018, she was one of many scientists who spoke out against unfair comments. These comments suggested that male scientists were being discriminated against. She helped organize a public letter signed by thousands of academics.
In June 2020, she helped organize a global "Strike for Black Lives." This event encouraged academics to take a day to support racial justice. Many universities and science organizations supported this strike.
In 2021, she and other scientists suggested renaming the James Webb Space Telescope. They raised concerns about the person the telescope was named after. They argued that leaders should be responsible for policies made under their watch.
Chanda also helped create a list of all professional publications by Black women with PhDs in physics. This list was released in December 2022. She hopes it will help recognize their important work.
Personal Life
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is married to a lawyer. Her mother is author and activist Margaret Prescod. Her grandmother is feminist Selma James.
She is part of the Reconstructionist Judaism community. She sees Jewish texts as an important guide for how to live ethically.
See also
In Spanish: Chanda Prescod-Weinstein para niños
