NASA Glenn Research Center is just one of Cleveland’s science elements that Kirsten Ellenbogen geeks out over.
“If you want to go to Mars, you have to go through Cleveland. Everything gets tested here,” she said, adding her pride over their partnership.
Great Lakes Science Center's President and CEO just started year three. The Detroit native is now living across Lake Erie, the latest stop on her cross-country career as a champion of science education in and out of the classroom.
“I never have to remind myself of why I'm here,” said Ellenbogen.“To really feel like, 'I can understand science.' Maybe that affects you as an adult the next time you go into a voting booth, or the next time you're in a grocery store…if the science center just plays a little bit of a role in that, I'm very happy.”
“I grew up loving science. My mother loved chemistry. She kind-of liked to blow things up. And we tinkered around in my house a lot,” she said.
But Ellenbogen’s mother, a native Clevelander, didn't have the career options Kirsten did. Options for girls in science are still improving.
“I'm really hoping that girls understand that they can do what they want. They can do what they are passionate about. And that they are going to create careers that I never even dreamed of, right? Some of the extraordinary things that are going to be happening for my daughter, who is 11 now, it's a whole different kind of future.”
And 11-year-old Zoe’s focus: “She now really loves robotics.”
We're starting a new series Thursdays on Channel 3 News at 6 about the women in Northeast Ohio's communities who make things happen. These are women who see the possible, women you'd like to have in your group, women we’re bringing into Sara’s Circle.
Her fascination with Cleveland as a kid when visiting her grandmother:
“The funny thing I remember about Cleveland, this is going to sound so naïve, we used to drive in and see all the factories and the extraordinary green and multicolored flames shooting up. I thought it was like Oz. I thought it was wonderful.”
On her mom’s opportunities, starting at Lourdes Academy in Cleveland:
“She always complements that school as really infusing a terrific love of science in her. Honestly, she just never finished her college degree. She had this amazing college scholarship, and this is one of those things, where you look at the things that we can achieve that were a lot harder for our parents.
When my mother and father became pregnant with my oldest brother, the school didn’t kick her out, but the university said you can’t have your full scholarship to study chemistry anymore. So she stayed home with my oldest brother. And certainly infused a love of science in us, but didn’t go back to school until I was in probably junior high. And then we graduated from college the same year together.”
Everyone's parenting is different!
“I have the interesting experience of being a parent who’s actually studied families and parenting…One of the great things about studying many different families is to realize that everyone does it differently. And that’s perfectly okay. And people get to some of the same wonderful outcomes of having happy, healthy children, through many, many different paths. And it gave me a lot of confidence to say there’s not necessarily one right way to do this.”
On her husband, Charles, a teacher in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District:
“He teaches English. So Charles teaches English, it’s a perfect combination of course. Opposites attract and if I can’t help the kids with the homework than surely Charles can…We debate things, it’s a large part of us as a couple, is really thinking about what learning is, what it is to be an educator in different ways…Certainly being married to someone who teaches in the [CMSD], I know there are extraordinary things going on here in Cleveland, and schools are a very powerful part of really making sure that kids can achieve everything that’s available to them.”
How she gets things done:
“So I will say, I’m one of these people that compartmentalizes things, and says you know what, I’m not going to think about that right now. I need to move forward, or I need to sleep, so I tend to say there’s not really a lot that keeps me up at night…Compartmentalizing is pretty darn powerful…if I’ve had a tough day just getting myself out of the house, (which now that the children are both over 6 is so much easier,) then you come to work, my mood affects the people that I work with, right? I’m not perfect, but I try all the time to remind myself. I’m coming to work. I’m with great people. I’m working with an amazing organization. Let’s focus on that while I’m here…I find that it works very very well for me, certainly.”
On her staff at GLSC:
“I work with the most amazing people. Everyone comes with their own purpose and interest and reason why they love the science center. So you might have an accountant that was told years and years ago in college, ‘Look, girls don’t do science. Why don’t you major in something safe? You can be an accountant or a teacher.’ And now at the science center, she really gets to really exercise their love of both. So we’re kind of an island of misfit toys here. We find each other because we all love science, and we love really serving the community.”
Why she loves her job:
“It’s never hard to remind myself of why I’m here. I can hop down here to spark space, walk through one of the exhibit galleries. I have constant reminders around me of what wonderful things we do at the science center and that keeps me extremely energized. I love seeing families together. I love seeing the students here. That’s really a great feeling.”
On lakefront development:
“I think we’ve only begun to discover how we can really tap in to being on the lakefront, being part of the lakefront development will make all sorts of opportunities open up…There’s some extraordinary synergy now around our multiple waterfronts, and that’s very powerful…I’m going to be very happy if I pack my kids off to college someday, and Charles and I move to a lakefront condo down here, we love Cleveland. We just love it here.”