When she was a child growing up on Whidbey Island, Joey Shapiro Key was full of questions about her environment and loved to play games and solve puzzles. She loved math but didn’t develop an interest in science, and especially astronomy, until she was in high school studying calculus and physics under Mark Racicot.
Key will share her joy of math and share strategies to make math and science engaging for students as the keynote speaker at the South Whidbey Schools Foundation Gala Fundraiser on May 21.
Key, daughter of South Whidbey residents and founding members of the foundation Steve Shapiro and Debra Valis, earned a bachelor’s degree in astrophysics from Williams College, where she also studied literature and art. She earned both a master’s degree and doctorate in physics from Montana State University.
“Physics has always been challenging for me, but the challenge is also fun,” Key said. “My interest in physics is mainly rooted in my love for astronomy and space. I also like math and solving problems, both big parts of physics.”
The foundation fundraiser begins with an open bar social at 5, with dinner beginning at 6:30 p.m. The gala will feature a silent auction of outstanding art works produced by South Whidbey students as well as local artists; music accompaniment will be provided by DB Jazz, featuring Don Wodjenski on saxophone, Bob Wagner on piano, Dale Stirling on bass, and Dan Germano on drums. A fundraising teacher/student “support the dreams” auction will be led by local personality Michael McInerney.
Key is currently an educational specialist with the Montana Space Grant Consortium and spent five years as the manager and a presenter with the Space Public Outreach Team, sponsored by NASA. One of NASA’s main goals is to gain the interest of students in space related fields such as technology, engineering, math, and physics and the Montana Consortium introduces students to current research at NASA and let them know that there are opportunities for them to study space and science in the Northwest.
Key’s research attempts to address some of the biggest questions that humans ask: How big is our universe? What is our place in the universe? How old in the universe? How did the universe come to be as it is and what will it be like in the future?
In addition to physics and astronomy, Key also works in the area of astrobiology, which also addresses some big questions: How did we get here? Is there life anywhere else in the universe? What are the conditions needed for life to form and to thrive?
“Since science as a whole strives to answer such philosophical and important questions, it is a team effort,” Key said. “Scientists have to work together to solve difficult problems and build complicated experiments so we can continue to learn about our universe. NASA’s quest to explore space is one of those
huge projects that involves many scientists, engineers, administrators and educators.”
In addition to her work with NASA, Key has been an instructor at astronomy-related educational events and conferences across the country and in Europe, and was a Presidential Scholar and named Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant while at Montana State. Her scholarly articles have been published in American Scientist and a variety of university research reviews.
Tickets for the gala are available at SWSF, PO Box 24, Freeland, WA 98249 or www.southwhidbeyschoolsfoundation.org and cost $70 per person. Business sponsorships are available at different levels; e-mail Charlene Arnold at carnold@whidbey.com for more information. Funds raised at the gala will support innovative educational grants to South Whidbey teachers as well as programs to honor local teachers.
The South Whidbey Schools Foundation has supported excellence in education on the South End since its inception in 1994, and the nonprofit has granted more than $100,000 to schools in the district.
