The Science Cheerleaders – professional cheerleaders pursuing science and technology careers – often are asked, “What’s it like to be a cheerleader AND a scientist?” or “When did you first know you wanted to be an engineer?”

During our live events, fans and youngsters have the opportunity to ask questions and get them answered by the Science Cheerleaders on the spot. Now, we’re extending this opportunity to you, too!

The 2011-2012 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders, six of whom are pursuing science and engineering careers, have offered to answer the most popular questions submitted through Tuesday August 23rd. Questions with the most votes from the public will be answered by the cheerleaders during a videotaped interview at their Tempe, AZ, training facility.

You can submit your questions to these Science Cheerleaders by tweeting to @SciCheer or commenting on this blog post, the YouTube video, or our Facebook Page. Extra points to anyone who leaves a YouTube video response. If you like someone else’s question, retweet it, up vote it, like it — whatever you have to do to let them know you’d like that question answered.

Below, each of the Arizona Cardinals Science Cheerleaders has shared a little about themselves. Take a look and then ask ‘em anything by August 23rd.

Hi, I’m Samantha, and I’m not just you’re average cheerleader; I’m studying Engineering Management with a focus in Mechanical Engineering at Arizona State University. I am also a national member of the Society of Women Engineers and currently interning at Microchip Technology. This is my rookie year as an Arizona Cardinals Cheerleader, but I have been dancing my whole life and even won the national pom championship my senior year of high school.

Hi, my name is Kristi, and I work professionally in the two best professions anyone could ask for: cheerleading and science! I started cheerleading when I was very young, continued throughout high school and college,and now I am a proud second year member of the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders. Outside of cheerleading, I obtained a Bachelors of Science in Nursing degree and am blessed to currently work in my third year as a Registered Nurse with emphasis on Women and Infant services.

My name is Emily, and I am studying Biomedical Engineering at Arizona State University. I am currently an intern at Intel and love it, but hope one day to work on research and development in medical technology after receiving a Masters degree. This is my first year on the Arizona Cardinals cheer team, but I was Captain of my varsity high school team, part of the dance company and cheer for all four years, and was a part of the Arizona State University Spirit Squad for one year.

Hi, my name is Maria, and I am a rookie member of the 2011 Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders. I graduated from Rice University with a degree in political science and earned my J.D. from the University of Arizona in 2010. When it’s not gameday, you can find me at work as an Advocacy Specialist for the Girl Scouts, where I collaborate with local lawmakers on policies to provide increased exposure to the national STEM initiative. Helping to promote the next generation of female scientists, engineers, IT professionals, and mathematicians is one of the most rewarding aspects of my job!

Hi, I’m Nicole, and I am a fourth year member and line captain for the Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders. I studied kinesiology and earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Arizona State University. When I am not on the field, you can find me at a local physical therapy clinic working hands on with the science and physiology behind body movement.

My name is Jacque, and I am a Licensed Professional Civil Engineer who received my B.S.E. in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University. I have been cheerleading since the age of five, and I am proud and honored to now be a professional cheerleader and a rookie member of the amazing Arizona Cardinals Cheerleaders.

Last week, the Captain of the Male Science Cheerleaders, Dr. John Ohab, was named “Leader of the Apps” by the White House for his contributions to Data.gov! He’s pictured here with White House CIO Vivek Kundra! Dr. John was singled out for having the largest number of apps submitted and accessed on Data.gov. Read more about this remarkable accomplishment, here.
Congratulations, Dr. John! We’re so proud of you!

Dr. John here…

Last week, I introduced you to my friend and colleague, Kiki, a marine conservation scientist at the University of Washington and a lifelong dancer. Kiki has managed to pursue a successful career in science — she’ll be an assistant professor at the University of Washington later this year — while mastering approximately 6.022 x 10^23 styles of dance.

How did she do it ? I had the opportunity to ask Kiki a few questions, and I’ve shared her responses below. Kiki, thanks for the taking the time to tell us about your experiences on Science Cheeerleader. Off we go!

Kiki, as we saw in the last week’s video, you’re quite the dancer. What kind of dance training do you have?

Kiki: I began my dance career as an undergraduate in 1993 at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. There as a dance minor, I regularly performed in modern, jazz, and african dance pieces as well as choreographing my own work. Throughout graduate school, I taught and performed with the Dance Arts Studio in Morehead City from 1999-2006. After finishing my PhD, I moved to California in the Bay Area, where I danced for Bonner Odell and was also recruited and joined a local professional dance company.

So what originally got you interested in science?

Kiki: In 4th grade, my teacher told us about the school science fair, which was voluntary. I was immediately fascinated by the idea of using experiments to answer questions about how the world works. My first project was a pitiful cardboard box display with a limp lemon and an unfurled paper clip that was supposed to create electricity. Despite that initial sad showing, every year after that I participated in the science fair and by middle school, I was researching background information at the Johns Hopkins University Library and winning awards.

You’ve managed to follow one dream associated with beauty and physique (dancing) and still pursue a science career usually associated with, well, geeks. Any advice for youngsters who might torn between the two?

Kiki: People do their best work when they are passionate about what they do, so follow your passion. But also keep in mind that it is becoming the norm to have more than one career in one’s life time. For example, the Olympic skater Debbie Gibson won an Olympic silver medal and then left the ice to obtain a medical degree.

Another thing to keep in mind is the freeing power of the “mash-up.” Look for opportunities where you can do science and engage in your physical pursuit. If you don’t see that opportunity, then be an entrepreneur and create it.

There was an excellent story in Science Magazine about a marathon runner who did just this. In order to get permission to be absent from an exam in order to run the Boston Marathon, a student asked his professor if he could do a presentation on the physiology of endurance running. That presentation grew into a research project and eventually an article in PLOS Computational Biology that was summarized by Science.

Did you find that stereotypes about dancers helped or hindered your professional experiences? Do you think people took you seriously?

Kiki: Unfortunately, I had a number of hindering experiences. The first time I realized that other scientists judged me negatively for dancing was when I was applying to graduate school. I asked my biochemistry teacher for a reference, and she wrote a glowing one with the exception of the introduction, which began “When I learned that Kiki was a dancer, I didn’t think that she would do well in my biochemistry class…” This sentiment that a dancer could not be a good scientist arose repeatedly throughout my career, especially from fellow graduate students and even an interviewer for a fellowship (which I successfully obtained).

But despite these stereotypes, I also had amazing champions like my PhD co-advisor, Larry Crowder. When the other Duke graduate students were rushing off to prove themselves with their first summer field season, I called Larry and said, “Duke is the home of the American Dance Festival. I HAVE to participate. Is it okay if I don’t do a field season this summer.” Being a former drummer, Larry sees the link between creative art and scientific innovation and firmly believes that feeding ones creativity makes one a better scientist. Notably, my audition piece for the Festival was entitled “Experiments in Texture”, which systemically explored and presented a thesis on movement over three dimensional surfaces.

What about your fellow dancers? How did they respond to your interest in science?

Kiki: In general, dancers were more supportive of my science career. Some thought I over-intellectualized my choreography (which might be true). Others saw my passion for dance and asked if I would be happier making it my primary career pursuit. But they were all accepting of my choices, especially once I explained that my science is how I see myself contributing to a better world, while my dancing is a means to express my physical presence and connection to my local community.

Describe the typical reaction you get when people learn about your dancing days?

Kiki: People are typically very interested and impressed. They always ask what forms of dance I take part in, to which I respond, “I’ve never met a dance I didn’t like, although some didn’t quite like me” and then give them the laundry list of dance forms I’ve trained. These include ballet, pointe, modern, jazz, african, tap, east coast swing, lindy, waltz, contra, contract improv, salsa, bachata, and capoeira.

With hindsight and a flux capacitor, is there any advice you would give to your former 10-year-old self?

Kiki: Yes, open your mouth and tell you parents you want to start taking dance lessons. I would be a lot more flexible now and probably a better turner if I had started dancing earlier.

What was your secret to balancing your high school and college education with dancing?

Kiki: Planning, plotting, and calculated over-scheduling. I made sure that as many of my dance classes as possible counted towards electives for my degree. I even petitioned to do a special project so that my dance history course could count towards my honors college requirements. I made dancing count for a much as possible, taking an overload of credits every semester so I could fit in multiple dance classes, which were a nice bluster to my GPA. I also took academic classes during the winter break, so I had more time for dancing during the semester. I decided that dancing was my spare-time and spare-time was my dancing. My fellow dancers became my friends and social time was stretching between dance classes.

The more difficult balance at times were the seductive unexpected opportunities that often appeared at transitions in my life. For instance, when in graduate school–for just the experience of it–I auditioned for a dance company and nailed the audition. Suddenly, a professional dance career was a real possibility, but the company was based out of state and would mean leaving the graduate program at Duke.

In moments like those I have to look dreams in the face and ask myself: How fulfilling will it be to pursue this? Is there a way to have equal or near equal fulfillment while maintaining my science career? Needless to say, I told the company director that I was serious about graduate school and would not consider leaving. I look back and know without a doubt that was the right choice, and I also have a sense of pride knowing that dream could have been mine if I wanted it.

What is a marine conservation scientist’s typical day at work?

Kiki: That is the great thing about my career, there is no typical day. Every day is very different, but some of the things I do regularly include waking up and reading a scientific article while still in bed (it’s my equivalent of a morning cup of coffee). Next, I answer email and read the latest science and environmental news, often still from bed. Then, I get out into the world.

I may have meetings or conference calls with colleagues. I try to spend a few hours each day moving my current research project forward. Right now, that involves piloting a new sampling method I have devised and teaching myself to use a couple of new analytic software programs. I end the afternoon by spending two hours writing up some of my previous research for publication in a journal.

Science technology, engineering, and math are awesome. How can we encourage more people to get involved?

Kiki: I recommend that people who are interested in science as a career get some hands on experience through an internship or volunteering. Whenever, possible I help facilitate them finding such a position. I also give career advice to anyone that asks. To encourage a general interest in science, I happily serve as my friends’ and family’s personal science-decoder ring. When they hear something interesting or confusing about science on TV or read something in the paper, they’ll call me to explain and discuss it with them.

I also occasionally just butt into other people’s conversation, if they are talking about a subject I know about. It’s amazing how many people find it interesting to talk to a scientist about what they do.

How big of role can citizens without formal scientific training playin real scientific research?

Kiki: In marine conservation, there are a number of citizen science projects that have been on-going for decades. People volunteer to walk beaches and record data on dead and dying sea turtles and marine mammals that wash ashore. In other research, volunteers survey populations of sea birds. The data generated by these efforts has been fundamental to monitoring the progress of efforts to conserve protected species. At the International Sea Turtle Symposium, citizen scientists regularly give scientific presentations on their efforts and these presentations are as well received as those from degreed-scientists.

How can we start to demystify science and the scientist?

Kiki: By being open and talkative about what we do in language that people can understand. By bringing our friends and family into our labs and field sites to see what we do. By taking a few minutes to respond to that email that has been circulating around the department with a question from a secondary school teacher or student.

Other than basic research, what are some interesting ways that people can apply science in their professional life?

Kiki: Science olympiad is an excellent example for students. I’ve also seen a number of performing art pieces from plays to dances about science. And of course, there are the applications of basic research; for example, helping to inform new regulations or non-profit initiatives.

So far, so good. What are your plans for the future?

Kiki: In September 2011, I will begin a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, School of Marine Affairs. I plan to continue my research in marine conservation, specifically exploring how technology can be used to protect imperiled species (e.g., turtles) from human activities (e.g., fishing), while allowing those activities to still occur.

Time for the rapid fire round. Favorite athlete and why?

Kiki: My favorite athlete is the Olympian, specifically the nameless Olympian in the sport you never see on TV except during the Olympics. People who know me well, know that I’m obsessed with the Olympics. For those two weeks every two years, work comes to a halt, and I get very little sleep. I’m mesmerized by the stories of these unknown yet high achieving athletes, the ones without big endorsement deals and the support of a team. I’m fascinated by the woman who puts her life on hold to train for just the chance of being an Olympian and by the man who trains long lonely hours in the most basic of facilities. They inspire me, but oddly they inspire the scientist in me more than the dancer.

The life of a scientist can be much like that dedicated athlete training in cold early morning hours day after day. The daily reality is not glamorous.  Scientists work years for the opportunity to do something great, but the passion keeps them in diligent pursuit. At the end it is enough to have walked in the opening ceremony representing their country, regardless of whether they win a medal.

For me, at the end, it will have been enough to have worked in the field of conservation, doing science that moves us closer to a sustainable world, regardless of whether I first author a paper in Science , have an experiment lauded as “elegant”, or am elected to the National Academy of Science (my personal science equivalents of olympic medals).

Craziest dancing experience?

Kiki: For my birthday one year, my friends and I attended a performance art show. After a particular dance company performed, one friend leaned over and told me I should try that style of dance because I would be great at it. With that statement she rang the bell of one of my secret performance desires. Later, that evening, completely unprompted, the director of that particular dance company walked up to me, asked if I danced and whether I would consider auditioning for her company. Talk about serendipity!

As part of the audition I had to choreograph a brief piece. After agonizing about it for days, I was looking at one of my birthday presents, a “geek” patch. Suddenly, it was perfectly clear. The piece was supposed to display who I was as a dancer, so I selected the song “Weird Science”, made the geek patch part of my costume, and choreographed a quirky science dance. The best part is that I got into the company!

More exhilarating: positive experimental results or nailing a dance move?

Kiki: My most exhilarating dance experience occurred while dancing at the American Dance Festival. I took a class that went into the community (summer camps, the county jail, a drug rehab center) and taught people how to express themselves through dance.

One day, we were at the Veterans Hospital in Durham. Many of the patients were amputees and stroke victims, so their movement was extremely limited. Thus, some patients would not actively participate. So we would make up movements for them. This particular day I led an exercise on hopes and dreams that began by focusing on people’s hobbies.

When we came to a gentlemen who had never participated before, we waited briefly and were about to create a movement for him when realized that he was slowly moving. With great effort, the man raised his hands and made a rough circle and whispered a word… “stars.” The man’s hobby was astronomy. We had found one thing that meant so much to him that it was worth the pain of movement!

That silent moment, pregnant with awe, made tears well in my eyes and the memory still gives me shivers. Later, his physical therapist said that was the most movement she had ever seen him do. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of something as a dancer more meaningful than that moment.

Dr. John here… If you’re anything like me, your dancing skills can be summed up by a poorly executed routine performed to Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean at about two weddings per year.

The same cannot be said for my friend, Dr. Kiki Jenkins, a marine conservation scientist who was once recruited to be a professional dancer.

Kiki began dancing as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. There as a dance minor, she regularly performed in modern, jazz, and African dance pieces as well as choreographing her own work. Throughout graduate school, Kiki taught and performed with the Dance Arts Studio in Morehead City from 1999-2006. After finishing her PhD, she moved to California in the Bay Area, where she danced for Bonner Odell and was also recruited and joined a local professional dance company.

You can see one of her performances in the video above. “Can’t Give Up Now” was choreographed and performed by Kiki as a farewell to the Dance Arts Studio, where she taught dance throughout graduate school.

As Kiki describes it, “The dance depicts the struggles of pursuing a PhD., the final push to finish writing my thesis, and the sustaining grace of God that carried me through it all.”

I had the opportunity get to know Kiki when we were both Science and Technology Policy Fellows with the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 2007-2009. I had a chance to ask Kiki a few questions about what motivated her to pursue a career in science and how she was able to integrate both dancing and science into her life. Stay tuned for more…

Over the past few years, we’ve met superstar scientists and engineers, champion track stars, Pro Bowl Cheerleaders, celebrieties and more. Apparently our very own Dr. John is a different kind of champion — a world record holder at Super Mario Kart!

In January, John was invited to the gaming and music conference known as MagFest, so attendees could challenge him to a video game duel. As an added bonus, the conference staff agreed to give a free t-shirt to anyone who could beat him. In over four hours, he went an amazing 75-2!

None of that is depicted in the above video. However, you will get to see John (wearing his good luck Science Cheerleader t-shirt!) attempt and fail to beat his current Twin Galaxies world record on Mario Circuit 1.

After the event, John said, “It was a strange experience. Upon losing/winning, I felt the same smorgasbord of emotions that Bobby Fischer must have experienced after playing himself in chess. Yes, I am comparing the two.”

As record levels of snow blanket much of the United States this year, SciCheer’s sister site, Science For Citizens, is collaborating with an important climate research project at the University of Waterloo called Snow Tweets. We’re pleased that this is the first of many scientific projects that you’ll be able to do on Science for Citizens.

To help researchers track climate change, we’re requesting that you find a ruler, put on a warm coat, go outside, and measure the depth of snow wherever you happen to be. And then report the depth to us right here. That’s all there is to it! Your simple action will help the planet. Your data will advance climate science, and you’ll get to see your depth report appear on our world map of snow tweets.

To help you get started, Dr. John put together the above “How To” video complete with some empirical evidence from your fellow citizen scientists. Enjoy, and please share wildly on your social network of choice.

This project is part of the Changing Planet series on NBC: a collaboration between the National Science Foundation, NBC News, Discover Magazine and ScienceforCitizens.net.

Learn more about Changing Planet!

Dr. John here…

In addition to miming historical figures, watching movies, long walks on the beach, and two-handed windmill dunking over an opponent during a pick-up basketball game, one of my favorite things to do is create lists that highlight notable items from the past.

Thus, I’ve posted below my favorite Science Cheerleader videos in no particular order other than from top to bottom. Make sure to check out the Science Cheerleader YouTube page for all of our videos.

Which one is your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!

Science Cheerleaders Perform at the USA Science and Engineering Festival

If you were trapped under a piece of timber during recent months or don’t like science, cheerleaders, nice people, civic activities, fun stuff, watching things, or the Internets, you may not have heard about the Science Cheerleader performance at this year’s USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C. Their debut was featured on CNN, NPR, the Washington Post, Science, Discover, the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Newsweek and more. It launched emerging partnerships with some major institutions (more on that later).

Produced by filmmaker Dr. Randy Olson, our most popular 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 125,000 times, which is about 124, 900 more times than any video I’ve ever posted on YouTube.

Science Cheerleader vs. Status Quo (with Penn and Teller)

Penn and Teller helped Darlene kick off Science Cheerleader with this fun video. Watch as the Science Cheerleader takes on the status quo and, in the process, nails three goals: 1) help increase adult science literacy [Check!]; 2) raise the ranks of citizen scientists [Check!]; and open doors to public participation in science policy [Check!]. Goooooo this video!

Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders-Turned-Scientists

Darlene heads to the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders practice to chat with four cheerleaders who are pursuing careers in science and math.

Science Cheerleader: The Debate

Before the Presidential Debates in 2008,  Darlene and a group known as Science Debate worked with leading organizations to craft 14 questions for the candidates to answer. To help spread the word and motivate the candidates to break from traditional rhetoric, Science Cheerleader put together this whacky video of a Presidential debate like you’ve never seen before. Stay tuned for new news from the Science Debate team!

Science Cheerleader 2010 Holiday Greeting

Our user-generated holiday greeting is truly a gift that keeps on giving. The video stars a variety of professional cheerleaders turned scientists and engineers, the Science Cheerleader team, a Nobel Prize winner, a bunch of happy school kids, and more! Most importantly, it reaffirms just how much on-screen attention I command when wearing a Santa costume.

Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Love Science

While attending the South by Southwest conference this year, I happened to run into Tia and Jordan, two science-loving Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. This video was the only logical next step.

Items worth noting: 1) Those are indeed my lab goggles, and, yes, I did bring them to the conference; 2) That is not my cowboy hat, but, yes, I too am impressed by how natural and comfortable I look wearing it; 3) I guarantee you that the Arizona Cardinals win the Super Bowl in 2011; and 4) I am also guaranteeing that guarantee.

Dr. John here… You know, from time time, I’ll craft a blog post or produce a video adventure that I consider to be truly groundbreaking, only to learn from Google Analytics that the world did not agree. Other times, I simply aggregate previously generated content into a list, and it gets picked up by the Washington Post. Go figure.

Check out this nice piece written by The Washington Post’s Rachel Saslow after she happened upon our Top Science Cheerleader Posts of 2010:

Cheerleaders blog about careers in science, technology, engineering and math

Give me an S-C-I-E-N-C-E! ScienceCheerleader.com is a blog about professional cheerleaders who are pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The founder of the blog is Darlene Cavalier, a former Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader who worked at Discover magazine for 10 years and advocates for citizen science, encouraging people to learn about and participate in science through recreational activities and formal research. One of the blog’s top 10 posts of 2010 featured Rachel, a former Redskins cheerleader who enlisted in the Navy and is studying to become an anesthetist. She tried to keep her previous life under wraps, but her Navy co-workers let it slip and it proved to be “a great morale booster in the end” for her patients. They loved talking football with her and finding out what it was like to be an NFL cheerleader.

Thanks Rachel!

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
	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

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

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
	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

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
	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

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

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

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

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!

Dr. John here… If you’ve been reading my Science Cheerleader contributions during the past year, you know that I absolutely love science. What you may not know is that I love many other things, including but not limited to: free money. Hence, I’m pleased to share a few interesting funding opportunities for women in science and technology.

1. The L’Oréal USA Fellowships for Women in Science program is a national awards program that annually recognizes and rewards five U.S.-based women researchers at the beginning of their scientific careers. Recipients receive up to $60,000 each that they must put towards their postdoctoral research. The fellowship program aims to raise awareness of the contribution of women to the sciences and identify exceptional female researchers in the U.S. to serve as role models for younger generations.

This hyperlink will take you to the application. Please note that the deadline is December 13, 2010, so interested applicants will have to move fast.

2. Dr. Anita Borg devoted her life to revolutionizing the way we think about technology and dismantling the barriers that keep women and minorities from entering the computing and technology fields. In honor of Anita’s vision, Google established the Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, awarding scholarships to women who share her passion for technology.

Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship recipients will each receive a $10,000 award for the 2011-2012 academic year. A group of female undergraduate and graduate students will be chosen from the applicant pool, and scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of each candidate’s academic background and demonstrated leadership. All scholarship recipients and finalists will be invited to attend the Annual Google Scholars’ Retreat in Mountain View, California in 2011. The scholarship is also offered in Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand, the United States.

3. The Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship for First Years is open to current female high school seniors who are intending to enroll as full-time students at a university in the U.S. for the 2011-2012 academic year. Applicants should have a record of strong academic performance and plan to pursue a degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a closely related technical program. The winning scholars will be invited to attend the Google FUSE networking retreat in 2012.

Good luck!