Linda Rosen is the chief executive officer of Change the Equation, an organization that promotes STEM literacy. She has also worked as a senior advisor to U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley at the U.S. Department of Education. Before participating in a panel on what other countries can teach us about teaching STEM, she sat down in the Zócalo green room to talk about playing Scrabble in the kitchen, the most important scientific discovery of the last century, and the best place to work out a math problem.
What was your worst subject in school?
I didn’t have very many worst subjects in school to be perfectly honest. Sorry, but that’s the truth.
What salad dressing best describes you?
Balsamic vinaigrette. Tart, a little bit zingy—but full of taste.
What’s on your nightstand right now?
Several books, lamp, phone, clock, and some assorted papers I’ve been meaning to sort but haven’t gotten to.
What’s the last board game you played, and where did you play it?
Scrabble in my kitchen.
What, in your view, is the most important scientific discovery of the past century?
Our ability to get into space. And the Salk vaccine. It’s hard to pick one.
What’s the strangest place where you’ve ever come up with a great idea—and what was the idea?
In the stacks of the library at Columbia University. I was solving a math problem.
Carl Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson?
Neil deGrasse Tyson.
What’s your least favorite household chore?
Washing the kitchen floor.
What’s the best thing about no longer working in government?
You have more autonomy to say what’s true and what’s real.
What surprises you most about your life right now?
That I’ve had an incredible set of opportunities and experiences that I never would have imagined.