Tam O'Shaughnessy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tam O'Shaughnessy
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Tam O'Shaughnessy in 2013
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Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy
January 27, 1952 San Andreas, California, U.S.
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| Education | Georgia State University (BS, MS) University of California, Riverside (PhD) |
| Partner(s) | Sally Ride (1985– died 2012) |
Tam Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy, born on January 27, 1952, is an American writer who creates science books for children. She used to be a professional tennis player. She also worked as a professor of school psychology.
Tam O'Shaughnessy helped start a science education company called Sally Ride Science. She created this company with her close partner, astronaut Sally Ride. Sally Ride was the first American woman to travel into outer space. Sally Ride Science became a nonprofit organization on October 1, 2015, and is now part of UC San Diego. Tam O'Shaughnessy is currently its executive director.
Contents
Early Life and Tennis Career
Tam O'Shaughnessy was born in San Andreas, California. She went to Troy High School in Fullerton, California. She was very active in tennis during her school years. A famous tennis player, Billie Jean King, even coached her when she was a young player.
Playing Professional Tennis
From 1971 to 1974, Tam O'Shaughnessy played tennis professionally. She competed in the U.S. National Championships (now called the U.S. Open) in 1966, 1970, and 1972.
Dr. Robert Walter Johnson was one of her coaches. He was a doctor who helped many tennis players, including Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe. Dr. Johnson was part of the American Tennis Association (ATA). This group helped promote tennis for African Americans but welcomed all players. In 1966, Tam O'Shaughnessy played in ATA tournaments. She won the ATA national championship for players 18 and under. This win allowed her to enter the U.S. National Championship.
Tam O'Shaughnessy also played in the 1972 Wimbledon Championships. During her tennis career, she was ranked as high as 52nd in the world for women's singles. The Women's Tennis Association gave her this ranking. She was also ranked 6th in the U.S. for women's doubles with her partner, Ann Lebedeff. Tam O'Shaughnessy won national doubles titles in both junior and women's divisions.
After she stopped playing tennis, O'Shaughnessy helped start the Women's Tennis Association newsletter. She worked there for several years before going to college to study biology.
Becoming a Science Educator
Tam O'Shaughnessy earned her college degrees in biology from Georgia State University. She later earned a Ph.D. in school psychology from the University of California, Riverside. She taught school psychology at Georgia State University and then at San Diego State University. Her research focused on helping children who had trouble with reading. She received funding from the U.S. Department of Education for her work. She decided to retire early from teaching to focus on Sally Ride Science.
O'Shaughnessy has a lot of experience helping kids get excited about reading, math, and science. She used to be a science teacher. She has also written 12 science books for children. Six of these books were written with Sally Ride. In 1995, they won an award for their book, The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth From Space. In October 2015, O'Shaughnessy published a children's biography about Sally Ride. It was called Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space. This book shares stories from Ride's family and friends, along with many personal photos.
As a scientist and educator, Tam O'Shaughnessy noticed that fewer women were choosing careers in science and technology. Research shows that young girls like science just as much as boys. However, as they get older, girls sometimes lose interest. This can happen because of subtle gender stereotypes and not seeing enough role models in science. In 2001, Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy, and three friends (Karen Flammer, Terry McEntee, and Alann Lopes) started Sally Ride Science. Their goal was to encourage more girls to get involved in science.
From 2001 to 2015, O'Shaughnessy was the Chief Creative Officer for the company. She was in charge of all the content, including books, websites, and training for teachers. She helped create programs like Cool Careers in STEM. These programs offered professional development for teachers and special books for students. She also held other leadership roles at Sally Ride Science, including Chief Operating Officer and CEO.
In October 2015, the University of California, San Diego, took over Sally Ride Science. Tam O'Shaughnessy now serves as the executive director of this nonprofit organization, called Sally Ride Science at UC San Diego.
Personal Life
Tam O'Shaughnessy was the life partner of NASA astronaut Sally Ride. They were together from 1985 until Sally Ride passed away in 2012.
Books by Tam O'Shaughnessy
- Tam O'Shaughnessy (2015). Sally Ride: A Photobiography of America's Pioneering Woman in Space. Roaring Brook Press, ISBN: 9781596439948
- Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy (2009). Mission: Planet Earth: Our World and Its Climate—And How Humans Are Changing Them. Random House Children's Books, ISBN: 1596433108
- Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy (2009). Mission: Save the Planet: Things YOU Can Do to Help Fight Global Warming! Random House Children's Books, ISBN: 1596433795
- Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy (2003). Exploring Our Solar System. Random House Children's Books, ISBN: 0375812040
- Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy (1999, 2006). The Mystery of Mars. Random House Children's Books, ISBN: 0517709716
- Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy (1994, 2004). The Third Planet: Exploring the Earth from Space. Random House Children's Books, ISBN: 0517593610
- Sally Ride, Tam O'Shaughnessy (1992, 2005). Voyager: An Adventure to the Edge of the Solar System. Random House Children's Books, ISBN: 0517581574
- Tam O'Shaughnessy (2010). Cool Careers in Engineering. Sally Ride Science. ISBN: 978-1933798-32-5
- Tam O'Shaughnessy (2008). Cool Careers in Earth Sciences, Sally Ride Science, ISBN: 978-1933798028
- Tam O'Shaughnessy (2008). Ecosystems. Sally Ride Science, ISBN: 978-1933798165
- Tam O'Shaughnessy (2006). The Inside Story of Earth. Sally Ride Science, ISBN: 978-1933798097
See also
In Spanish: Tam O'Shaughnessy para niños
