2 May 2013
Kiera Wilmot- You are MY Hero! (UPDATED) (Update Two)
Posted by Dan Satterfield
Update Two:
Homer Hickam the real person behind October Sky has joined us in supporting Kiera: Hat tip to Astronomer Pamela Gay for the tip:
http://spaceref.com/nasa-hack-space/homer-hickam-supports-high-school-student-whose-science-project-got-her-expelled-and-arrested.html
UPDATE:
I had a very nice email from Marie Wilmot (Kiera’s Mom) today. It seems that the school board has relented, and Keiera will be allowed back to High School next year. The State’s Attorney has offered a deal but their attorney Larry Hardaway has rejected it because it still contains felony charges. There is a legal defense fund set up and the details from Marie are as follows:
We have set up an account at Fifth Third Bank, named, “Kiera Wilmot Defense Fund”. Kiera’s attorney, Mr. Larry Hardaway, has confirmed one legitimate online account, I don’t remember the website, but it wasn’t indiegogo. I started setting up an indiegogo account, as I was in the process, I noticed two others, the attorney was unaware of those two, I will contact the creators and see what their intentions are with the funds raised from these accounts. The indiegogo account created by me, Marie Wilmot is ready for use.
I made a mistake with chemicals in High School chemistry and started a small fire in a trash can. Fortunately, I wasn’t kicked out of school and threatened with a police record for life because my teacher had common sense. He knew that accidents happen, and true learning can sometimes bring surprises. All Kiera did was accidentally make the top of a bottle pop off.
Hang in there Kiera, a lot of science geeks have your back!
I’ve written about the failing of our educational system several times here, especially in regard to math and science. Todays news illustrates this failure better than anything. The only good news out of this is that a bright, inquisitive student whose science experiment went pop when she was not expecting it, will not have to be in that school system. Truly disgusting what happened to this poor girl, but I cannot fathom a jury convicting her.
In case you have not heard about it, check out The Physics Mill. Just know Kiera, that a lot of scientists (who are a whole lot smarter than those who expelled you) are on your side.
Update: Spotted this on Google Plus courtesy Jonah Miller, hopefully those who love science will let their voices be heard:
An Update On the Kiera Wilmot Case
I recently posted (http://www.thephysicsmill.com/2013/05/01/social-activism-time/) about the plight of a teenager in Florida, Kiera Wilmot, who performed a science experiment which went badly. No one was hurt and no property was damaged, but she’s been expelled and she’s facing felony charges.
The case has been getting a lot of media attention, which is a really good thing, I think. Here’s some more reading material if you’re interested.
DNLee has posted twice on the issue on her Scientific American blog. Both posts are eloquent, enraged, and worth reading:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/05/01/florida-teen-charged-with-felony-for-trying-science/
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/05/03/scientists-support-for-kiera-wilmot-solidarity4wilmot/
There’s also some discussion about what caused the expulsion.
Some cite zero-tolerance policies (http://madamenoire.com/275238/is-our-zero-tolerance-culture-behind-kiera-wilmots-heavy-handed-charges/) and some cite racism (http://newsone.com/2430066/kiera-wilmot-florida-science-experiment/). Both are probably factors.
What You Can Do
I’ve been trying to figure out what we can do to help Wilmot. Here are the suggestions I’ve seen around. I got all of these from DNLee’s article.
Tweet
If you’re a scientist, tweet about the things you’ve blown up or broken in the name of progress using the, #ScienceIsNotCrime, #KieraWilmot or#Solidarity4Wilmot hashtags.
Personally contact the local authorities.
Here’s the information:
Polk County Superintendent, Dr John Stewart.
Phone: 863-534-0521 Fax: 863-519-8231
Bartow High School Principal, Mr Ronald Pritchard.
Phone: 863-534-7400
Contact the Bartow Police Department
Phone: 863 534-5034 Fax: 863-534-5030
Email: lbryan.pd@cityofbartow
Sign the petition to drop charges, if you haven’t already.
http://www.change.org/petitions/state-attorney-jerry-hill-drop-charges-against-kiera-wilmot
Offer more
There’s not much else to do at the moment. But you can sign offer to help by filling out this form, organized by DNLee. As soon as she knows more about the situation, like how to contact the family, she’ll use the names here to figure out who to ask for help.
Here’s the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UQ-CQ8G5UlRrxbn5pxPzgm44EQstz25WGWICMQHuKAY/viewform
Permalink to this post on the physics mill:http://www.thephysicsmill.com/2013/05/03/an-update-on-kiera-wilmot/
Thanks for all you’re doing to help!
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
If she is truly your hero then I hope that you and your colleagues will take the time to let the principal of her school, the superintendent of schools for Polk County and the Florida State Attorney know about your support for Kiera Wilmot. She needs to know that adults around the country are rooting for her. But sending emails, faxes and even hand written letters will make even more of an impact. I have done so myself. As a lover of science and an educator that has overseen a few science projects gone wrong I adore what seems to be inquisitiveness as well. And I let the authorities know as well.
I appreciate your support for this poor young girl, can u plz do something for her, plz dnt let them arrest her….
Thank u
Here is a petition urging the Polk County School District to not expel Kiera Wilmot, and to support their science students instead:
http://www.change.org/petitions/polk-county-school-district-don-t-expel-kiera-wilmot
Dan, I will only respond to this post because it has touched my view of what is occurring. Our country’s movement toward STEM education is slightly being harmed here. Our young people who have bright minds and who are inquisitive, may have this urge to discover chilled if simple examinations of nature’s substances are prohibited by this excessive sensitivity. Kiera was not out to harm anyone. I KNOW HER.
Larry- How can we support her and her family? Legal defense fund? Other? Please let us know. Money talks, after all!
Their email service is currently overloaded … can’t imagine why:
http://www.bartowhighschool.com/Contact%20Us.html
Thanks for sharing this, Dan. The more people who know about this injustice, the better!
Absolutely!
Can anybody direct me to a legal defense fund for Kiera? I’d like to donate. If not, can AGU consider setting one up?
Someone should set one up. Not something proper for the AGU to do, but hopefully some group will.
Hmm. I think AGU could do that, or serve as a conduit, in the interest of science. But, understanding your limits, please post any information on a legal defense fund that you receive. Thanks!
DNLee at the Scientific American blog (http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/urban-scientist/2013/05/03/scientists-support-for-kiera-wilmot-solidarity4wilmot/) has set up a form for you to fill out if you want to help directly. When she knows more, she’ll contact the people who fill out the form.
Here’s the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UQ-CQ8G5UlRrxbn5pxPzgm44EQstz25WGWICMQHuKAY/viewform
Who do you trust?
Donate money to help with the Kiera Wilmot defense fund at: https://www.crowdtilt.com/campaigns/help-keira-with-her-legal-bills-she-was-expelled-and-charged-with-felony-after-a-harmless-science-mistake/description
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/kiera-wilmot-scholarship-defense-fund
http://www.gofundme.com/2sdz9w
What an asinine move on the part of the Florida authorities, even compared to other idiotic pronouncements by Florida judges and politicians. There are consequences for what she did (like maybe a verbal reprimand if they want to be really strict), but an arrest record??!! That’ll follow you and shape your entire life.
We used to set off smoke bombs in the parking lot–coke can, icing sugar, potassium nitrate, a sparkler for a fuse, duct tape, etc. We didn’t put sulphur in because we weren’t interested in making a smell, but interested in how slightly different mixtures would react (when we got it right, the whole can would turn cherry red hot and melt/burn away in an impressive flare). Now we’d be arrested if we were in Florida.
We also built a cannon using soup cans duct-taped together, each end of the can half open and staggered. With lighter fluid we’d launch a tennis ball to great heights. It made a nice “whompf” sound. It worked best if we heated the cannon first on a radiator—we hypothesized we’d get more launch if the fluid was vaporized more efficiently). Guess we’d be arrested for that bit of hypothesis-experiment too if we were going to school in Florida.
These antics were well before the internet was available so we were experimenting because we had heard rumours of such things being possible and we set out to see if we could do it ourselves. We weren’t even taking any science courses either–we were like Kiera;. just plain curious and wanting to do cool things.
Science fair experiment or personal experiment, it simply doesn’t warrant this kind of punishment. It’s just bizarre, counterintuitive, and out of this world to expel and then arrest this student for an obviously non-malicious misstep. They should be punishing her in an evenhanded way, one which makes it clear that she violated a code of conduct and one which teaches her to avoid such mistakes again. Not one that criminalizes her, terrorizes her, and makes an example of her to other students at the clear expense of–and this is so strange–one of their own students! Thank you for providing many ways to help this young lady, I just can’t believe this ridiculous nonsense.