9 ms·

Kiera Wilmot is going to Space Camp

170 points by narag 13y ago

raverbashing 13y ago
That's great! Just let's hope this doesn't happen: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
- rbanffy 13y ago
  Right now, there is very little chance of launching a shuttle by accident ;-)
- DevMonkey 13y ago
  Ha Ha... That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline. SPACE CAMP!
- matt_brushlabs 13y ago
  Since none of us really need to be productive today... this youtube user was kind enough to upload the entire film. Enjoy Lea Thompson at her finest. http://www.youtube.com/user/lopm2435?feature=watch http://www.youtube.com/user/lopm2435?feature=watch
fmstephe 13y ago
Thank god. That was a heart breaking affair. I just hope she is able to progress through the rest of her life now.
homosaur 13y ago
That's nice of Space Camp to reach out to her like that. I don't know if Kiera Wilmot is going to be the next brilliant scientist or not but I do know she seemed like a bright, interested student who was unfairly targeted by our schools' protofascist zero tolerance policies. I could imagine it would put a distaste for involvement in science in your mouth if you were persecuted for what's an obvious nothing story, so I hope Space Camp's nice gesture does something to counteract that. Also Space Camp is sweet, I spent a week there as a kid. I didn't go through the official program but I saw and experienced a lot of it and it's one of the most unique and fun youth programs in the world.
- smky80 13y ago
  I did Space Camp a couple years after the movie came out. I'm still mad about getting stuck with being the Public Relations Officer in Ground Control on the shuttle mission at the end.
  - ejreynolds 13y ago
    I went with my cousin about 10 years ago. I was a Mission Specialist and got to do the EVA. He was stuck in ground control. It was a tense plane ride home :-)
- yoshamano 13y ago
  It just blew my mind to think that it was 20 years ago in March that I went to Space Camp o_0 Fun fact, we ended up driving through this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Storm_of_the_Century#Blizzard_and_snowstorm_impact https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Storm_of_the_Century#Bliz... from Michigan. It made for a very interesting couple of days sleeping in a courthouse in the northern part of Tennessee and then a Methodist church in the southern part of Tennessee.
dopamean 13y ago
As a black guy raised by his mother and who has a sister who works in tech this whole ordeal really bugged me. I like to hear stories of girls getting involved in science and technology and Kiera's story was the exact opposite. Like another commenter here said, I dont know if she will be the next brilliant scientist. However, I do know that she is a curious kid and her curiosity should be encouraged and developed even if she makes some minor mistakes along the way. Hopefully more people in a position to do something will reach out to more girls to get them involved in science. They shouldn't have to be wronged horribly by the adults in the community to deserve some attention.
- hkmurakami 13y ago
  Like Kiera Wilmot, like Zach Sobiech [1], like Aaron Swartz, we collectively tend to "wait until it's too late" before recognizing and appreciating special things about people around us. I think we can do better to recognize, encourage, and support those around us who go beyond what they're told to do or what may seem prudent. I'll be doing my best to combat that urge to scoff at things at first glance -- that bad habit that gets even the best of us at times. [1] This has been making the rounds on SNS sites but in case you haven't seen it: http://www.upworthy.com/this-kid-just-died-what-he-left-behind-is-wondtacular-rip http://www.upworthy.com/this-kid-just-died-what-he-left-behi...
ck2 13y ago
I thought what happened to her was outrageous when it first came to light. Now I am not so sure. If she purposely made a drano bomb (google it) it's not exactly a "science experiment". Still, she had good grades supposedly and had never been in trouble before, so expulsion was extreme until proven otherwise I guess. So maybe she can make something good happen from this offer.
- logical42 13y ago
  Why doesn't being curious about a Drano bomb count as a valid intellectual or scientific curiosity? I personally think its a rather easy topic to be scientifically curious about.
  - nsxwolf 13y ago
    You can be curious about a Drano bomb while simultaneously not building and detonating one on school property. We should value things besides curiosity in our scientists. Responsibility and safety matter too.
    - logical42 13y ago
      Yeah but for chrissakes she's just a kid.
      - munchbunny 13y ago
        Kids will do stupid things, but you have to instruct them on not doing stupid things, which is going to include negative consequences for doing stupid things. That's part of growing up.
        marssaxman 13y ago
        An appropriate negative consequence for this particular stupid thing might have been, for example, a stern admonishment not to do that again, with some explanation of the protocols involved in getting permission for such an experiment. Felony charges are ludicrous, a mindless reaction.
nsxwolf 13y ago
I'm glad the charges were dropped. No one was hurt and that fact needs to be considered before ruining a kid's life. But in all likelihood she built a Drano bomb, probably after watching one of the millions of YouTube videos on the subject, and blew it up on school property. She's not a martyr for science, nor a role model for girls in STEM, and frankly it is a little offensive that's the line people are sticking with.
- dmix 13y ago
  > No one was hurt and that fact needs to be considered before ruining a kid's life. Victimless crimes are 86% of the federal prison population. There is a bigger problem of what types of crimes the state is spending it's time enforcing. http://www.policymic.com/articles/8558/why-we-need-prison-reform-victimless-crimes-are-86-of-the-federal-prison-population http://www.policymic.com/articles/8558/why-we-need-prison-re...
  - dfc 13y ago
    Victimless crimes including drunk driving, weapons charges, immigration and liquor law violations. Moreover the statistics are listed for the most serious offense that the individual was incarcerated for. So it is very likely that the someone is serving time under a draconian drug law that also committed a lesser violent crime. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p11.pdf http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p11.pdf
- maaku 13y ago
  Charges weren't exactly dropped. She plead guilty in order to get into a diversion program and have her record sealed.
  - rz2k 13y ago
    I kind of wonder why having her record sealed would matter at all. I suppose it helps keep her off of inconvenient watch lists, but the extensive coverage has almost made her a public figure.
peteretep 13y ago
What kind of example does this set? Now we're encouraging more kids to blow stuff up at school, great! </sarcasm>
- kstenerud 13y ago
  If only we really were... Blowing up stuff is one of the best introductions to science a kid can get! If a kid today were to do now what I did as a kid, they'd have a criminal record a mile long, destined to be nothing more than a drain on society since they'd be permanently branded and unemployable in most places. That's not a good way to build up your future economy and industry, not to mention international competitiveness! Punishing a child by permanently destroying their hopes and dreams shows some badly misplaced priorities.
  - ruswick 13y ago
    People argue as though there is some sort of dichotomy; that either she ought to be prosecuted or exonerated entirely. Both are absurd. What she did was dangerous and clearly impermissible, and the school should take action. I don't think that this warranted legal action, but I've learned not to assert things about the law, which is a complex and unintuitive beast. There is a possibility of reasonable middle ground in which we don't permanently impede someone's ability to live their life while also deterring them from detonating explosives in school.
walshemj 13y ago
I hope some one has sent her a copy of rocket boys Homer Hickam :-)
- septerr 13y ago
  Yea :D I read Rocket Boys recently so it was kind of cool finding Homer Hickam in news.
ajaymehta 13y ago
Because it wasn't linked in the article, here's the fundraiser Homer Hickam started for Kiera and Kayla's Space Camp trip: https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/kayla-wilmot-space-academy-scholarship https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/kayla-wilmot-space-acade...
IvyMike 13y ago
I want to comment on these threads, but I always wonder "What's the statute of limitations on these things, anyways?"
bane 13y ago
This is the scientific community making sure to say "we want you in Science, don't give up!"
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
Diamons 13y ago
Have any of the rumors that she used this to attack someone been confirmed or denied? Source: http://www.reddit.com/r/JusticePorn/comments/1ewpyc/kiera_wilmot_the_16yearold_florida_student/ca4nn8g http://www.reddit.com/r/JusticePorn/comments/1ewpyc/kiera_wi...
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]
ruswick 13y ago
The issues is that, for every Kiera Wilmot, there are a dozen kids, many of them with substantial potential, who adhere to the rules and elect not to detonate draino bombs in the school bathroom, but no one makes an effort to aid them. This story is just indicative of the perverse nature of publicity: those that break the rules are the ones who reap the rewards and publicity.
- aptwebapps 13y ago
  The publicity came from the draconian treatment of her, not from the explosion.
cstavish 13y ago
"I'd like to be careful with the science I do, always remember to follow directions, and be aware of peer pressure." - Kiera How uncomfortably scripted is that?! It's a really bizarre nod to the allegations that she was being reckless.
deleted 13y ago
[deleted]

170 points by narag 13y ago

That's great! Just let's hope this doesn't happen: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

rbanffy 13y ago
Right now, there is very little chance of launching a shuttle by accident ;-)
DevMonkey 13y ago
Ha Ha... That's the first thing I thought of when I saw the headline. SPACE CAMP!
matt_brushlabs 13y ago
Since none of us really need to be productive today... this youtube user was kind enough to upload the entire film. Enjoy Lea Thompson at her finest. http://www.youtube.com/user/lopm2435?feature=watch http://www.youtube.com/user/lopm2435?feature=watch

fmstephe 13y ago

Thank god. That was a heart breaking affair. I just hope she is able to progress through the rest of her life now.

homosaur 13y ago

That's nice of Space Camp to reach out to her like that. I don't know if Kiera Wilmot is going to be the next brilliant scientist or not but I do know she seemed like a bright, interested student who was unfairly targeted by our schools' protofascist zero tolerance policies. I could imagine it would put a distaste for involvement in science in your mouth if you were persecuted for what's an obvious nothing story, so I hope Space Camp's nice gesture does something to counteract that. Also Space Camp is sweet, I spent a week there as a kid. I didn't go through the official program but I saw and experienced a lot of it and it's one of the most unique and fun youth programs in the world.

smky80 13y ago
I did Space Camp a couple years after the movie came out. I'm still mad about getting stuck with being the Public Relations Officer in Ground Control on the shuttle mission at the end.
- ejreynolds 13y ago
  I went with my cousin about 10 years ago. I was a Mission Specialist and got to do the EVA. He was stuck in ground control. It was a tense plane ride home :-)
yoshamano 13y ago
It just blew my mind to think that it was 20 years ago in March that I went to Space Camp o_0 Fun fact, we ended up driving through this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Storm_of_the_Century#Blizzard_and_snowstorm_impact https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_Storm_of_the_Century#Bliz... from Michigan. It made for a very interesting couple of days sleeping in a courthouse in the northern part of Tennessee and then a Methodist church in the southern part of Tennessee.

dopamean 13y ago

As a black guy raised by his mother and who has a sister who works in tech this whole ordeal really bugged me. I like to hear stories of girls getting involved in science and technology and Kiera's story was the exact opposite. Like another commenter here said, I dont know if she will be the next brilliant scientist. However, I do know that she is a curious kid and her curiosity should be encouraged and developed even if she makes some minor mistakes along the way. Hopefully more people in a position to do something will reach out to more girls to get them involved in science. They shouldn't have to be wronged horribly by the adults in the community to deserve some attention.

hkmurakami 13y ago
Like Kiera Wilmot, like Zach Sobiech [1], like Aaron Swartz, we collectively tend to "wait until it's too late" before recognizing and appreciating special things about people around us. I think we can do better to recognize, encourage, and support those around us who go beyond what they're told to do or what may seem prudent. I'll be doing my best to combat that urge to scoff at things at first glance -- that bad habit that gets even the best of us at times. [1] This has been making the rounds on SNS sites but in case you haven't seen it: http://www.upworthy.com/this-kid-just-died-what-he-left-behind-is-wondtacular-rip http://www.upworthy.com/this-kid-just-died-what-he-left-behi...

ck2 13y ago

I thought what happened to her was outrageous when it first came to light. Now I am not so sure. If she purposely made a drano bomb (google it) it's not exactly a "science experiment". Still, she had good grades supposedly and had never been in trouble before, so expulsion was extreme until proven otherwise I guess. So maybe she can make something good happen from this offer.

logical42 13y ago
Why doesn't being curious about a Drano bomb count as a valid intellectual or scientific curiosity? I personally think its a rather easy topic to be scientifically curious about.
- nsxwolf 13y ago
  You can be curious about a Drano bomb while simultaneously not building and detonating one on school property. We should value things besides curiosity in our scientists. Responsibility and safety matter too.
  - logical42 13y ago
    Yeah but for chrissakes she's just a kid.
    - munchbunny 13y ago
      Kids will do stupid things, but you have to instruct them on not doing stupid things, which is going to include negative consequences for doing stupid things. That's part of growing up.
      - marssaxman 13y ago
        An appropriate negative consequence for this particular stupid thing might have been, for example, a stern admonishment not to do that again, with some explanation of the protocols involved in getting permission for such an experiment. Felony charges are ludicrous, a mindless reaction.

nsxwolf 13y ago

I'm glad the charges were dropped. No one was hurt and that fact needs to be considered before ruining a kid's life. But in all likelihood she built a Drano bomb, probably after watching one of the millions of YouTube videos on the subject, and blew it up on school property. She's not a martyr for science, nor a role model for girls in STEM, and frankly it is a little offensive that's the line people are sticking with.

dmix 13y ago
> No one was hurt and that fact needs to be considered before ruining a kid's life. Victimless crimes are 86% of the federal prison population. There is a bigger problem of what types of crimes the state is spending it's time enforcing. http://www.policymic.com/articles/8558/why-we-need-prison-reform-victimless-crimes-are-86-of-the-federal-prison-population http://www.policymic.com/articles/8558/why-we-need-prison-re...
- dfc 13y ago
  Victimless crimes including drunk driving, weapons charges, immigration and liquor law violations. Moreover the statistics are listed for the most serious offense that the individual was incarcerated for. So it is very likely that the someone is serving time under a draconian drug law that also committed a lesser violent crime. http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p11.pdf http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/p11.pdf
maaku 13y ago
Charges weren't exactly dropped. She plead guilty in order to get into a diversion program and have her record sealed.
- rz2k 13y ago
  I kind of wonder why having her record sealed would matter at all. I suppose it helps keep her off of inconvenient watch lists, but the extensive coverage has almost made her a public figure.

peteretep 13y ago

What kind of example does this set? Now we're encouraging more kids to blow stuff up at school, great! </sarcasm>

kstenerud 13y ago
If only we really were... Blowing up stuff is one of the best introductions to science a kid can get! If a kid today were to do now what I did as a kid, they'd have a criminal record a mile long, destined to be nothing more than a drain on society since they'd be permanently branded and unemployable in most places. That's not a good way to build up your future economy and industry, not to mention international competitiveness! Punishing a child by permanently destroying their hopes and dreams shows some badly misplaced priorities.
- ruswick 13y ago
  People argue as though there is some sort of dichotomy; that either she ought to be prosecuted or exonerated entirely. Both are absurd. What she did was dangerous and clearly impermissible, and the school should take action. I don't think that this warranted legal action, but I've learned not to assert things about the law, which is a complex and unintuitive beast. There is a possibility of reasonable middle ground in which we don't permanently impede someone's ability to live their life while also deterring them from detonating explosives in school.

walshemj 13y ago

I hope some one has sent her a copy of rocket boys Homer Hickam :-)

septerr 13y ago
Yea :D I read Rocket Boys recently so it was kind of cool finding Homer Hickam in news.

ajaymehta 13y ago

Because it wasn't linked in the article, here's the fundraiser Homer Hickam started for Kiera and Kayla's Space Camp trip: https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/kayla-wilmot-space-academy-scholarship https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/kayla-wilmot-space-acade...

IvyMike 13y ago

I want to comment on these threads, but I always wonder "What's the statute of limitations on these things, anyways?"

bane 13y ago

This is the scientific community making sure to say "we want you in Science, don't give up!"

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

Diamons 13y ago

Have any of the rumors that she used this to attack someone been confirmed or denied? Source: http://www.reddit.com/r/JusticePorn/comments/1ewpyc/kiera_wilmot_the_16yearold_florida_student/ca4nn8g http://www.reddit.com/r/JusticePorn/comments/1ewpyc/kiera_wi...

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]

ruswick 13y ago

The issues is that, for every Kiera Wilmot, there are a dozen kids, many of them with substantial potential, who adhere to the rules and elect not to detonate draino bombs in the school bathroom, but no one makes an effort to aid them. This story is just indicative of the perverse nature of publicity: those that break the rules are the ones who reap the rewards and publicity.

aptwebapps 13y ago
The publicity came from the draconian treatment of her, not from the explosion.

cstavish 13y ago

"I'd like to be careful with the science I do, always remember to follow directions, and be aware of peer pressure." - Kiera How uncomfortably scripted is that?! It's a really bizarre nod to the allegations that she was being reckless.

deleted 13y ago

[deleted]