Women’s History and Awareness Month at Eastern got a head start on Friday from a world-renowned female astronomer.

Heidi Hammel, a professor of physics and astronomy at the Space Science Institute, presented her lecture “Cosmic Collisions” at an astronomy colloquium on Thursday afternoon and later joined female students for “Missions, Myths, and Free Advice,” a discussion about science and mathematics and the roles women play in the fields.

Hammel discussed a range of topics, from her difficulties with physics classes in college to her work on the James Webb Space Telescope, the partial successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Hammel also shared her hopes for the next generation of scientists, saying that the groundwork for new missions must be laid decades in advance in order to further discoveries in the field.

“That’s your job, you young women out there,” Hammel said, regarding the huge portion of unknown material in the universe. “Solve this for us, please.”

Hammel also dispelled a few myths about science, saying that one does not have to be brilliant to become a scientist, math is just a language like any other, and scientists can and do have lives.

Besides, being a scientist is far from the most difficult job one can choose, Hammel said.

“Being a mom is much harder than being a scientist,” she said.

Hammel told young women in the audience to be brave, even when they are scared, intimidated, unsure or ill prepared, and cited another young woman’s difficulties she had heard about at a conference as an example.

The woman, who was failing physics and went back to her dorm room to cry every night, told a professor about her problems. The professor, who was sympathetic to the woman’s situation, gave her some advice.

“She said, ‘Honey, I cry. We all cry. It’s what you do after you finish crying that makes the difference,'” Hammel said.

Amanda Tavenner, a senior physics major, said she enjoyed hearing Hammel’s viewpoints and advice.

“It was really interesting,” Tavenner said. “I’m sure a lot of women here got a lot out of it.”

Hammel’s visit was just a prelude to the upcoming events of Women’s History and Awareness Month. This year’s theme is “Women, Poverty and Economic Justice.”

Jeannie Ludlow, the director of women’s studies, said this month offers a chance to consider how poverty affects not only American women, but women worldwide.

“We could draw attention to the conditions of women in other countries,” Ludlow said.

Sace Elder, a history professor and head of the WHAM committee, said it is important to have a month dedicated to highlighting and examining the accomplishments of women worldwide.

“It serves to make women’s issues prominent and spark interest,” Elder said.

Mary Gray, a communication and culture professor at Indiana University Bloomington who will be on campus Thursday, quoted the poet George Santayana to signify the importance of WHAM.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Gray, who will speak about her work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth in rural America, said WHAM gives everyone-not just women-an opportunity to reflect on the status of gender in society.

“Where does it matter? When is gender, as a category, used to hold people down or lift them up? Why does gender persist as a social category at all?” Gray asked. “To even begin to address those questions, we have to look at how the meaning and texture of women’s lives have shifted over time.”

For Gray, the month is more than just a reminder of women’s history.

“We celebrate women’s history to remember not just how far we’ve come but to consider the fights we’ve lost,” Gray said. “For example, remembering what life was like for young women before they had legal and healthy options to control their own reproduction reminds us that that fight is far from over for women who do not have the economic or social means to access those rights.”

The celebration of women’s history in the United States has evolved over the years starting with Women’s History Week, a celebration that began in California in 1978 to coincide with International Women’s Day. The weeklong celebration became a nationwide movement, and Congress passed a resolution establishing an entire month for National Women’s History Month.

Elder said Eastern has celebrated women’s history since the 1980s and, as members of what was once the EIU Women’s Studies Council found that one week was not enough for all of the activities to honor women’s history and draw attention to women’s issues, the members expanded the celebration to a month long event.

International Women’s Day, March 8, is a global event dating back to 1911 that celebrates the economic, social and political achievements of women, according to internationalwomensday.com. In some countries, such as China and Russia, it is a national holiday.

Emily Reid can be reached at 581-7942 or ejreid2@eiu.edu.