By Bette Harris
Special To Brentwood News
Lily Collins, actress and ‘03 St. Martin of Tours School alumna, gave her alma mater a message of appreciation during the 2016 Breakthrough Prize live show Nov. 8 on the National Geographic Channel. The award, given to the most prominent scientists and mathematicians, comes with a $3 million prize. The show was held in Silicon Valley. Serving as master of ceremonies was “Family Guy” creator, Seth MacFarlane, who introduced Collins as “one of the hottest stars in Hollywood.”
In her opening remarks, presenter Collins reminisced about her own appreciation for science and credited her “remarkable teacher, Ms. Debbie Margulis, who first fired my imagination for science when I was attending St. Martin of Tours School in Los Angeles.” She also recognized Margulis as her “inspiring coach” when she participated in both the Los Angeles County and California State Science Fairs. She said that up until that evening, those experiences “represented the most memorable and mind-expanding moments of my scientific life.” Collins then presented the 2016 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics with Jan Koum, creator of the highly successful social media portal “WhatsApp” to five team leaders.
Also the school’s Vice Principal, Margulis is highly regarded in the St. Martin of Tours School community and known for her love of the students and passion for teaching.
“I just want our kids to have a great time doing science,” she said. “There are so many opportunities for people, particularly young women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, although women fill almost half of all jobs in the U.S., they hold less than 25 percent of STEM jobs. Yet, women with STEM jobs earned 33 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs.”
Collins will be delighted to know that her alma mater has ramped up its academic programs admirably to keep pace with the rapid advances in science and technology while remaining strong in liberal arts. The curriculum now includes robotics, computer programming, and computer-aided design (CAD) software. Students are having fun using popular 3D design tools like Tinkercad, participating in design challenges with engineering systems such as Rokenbok STEM labs, and developing creations using 3-D printers. They most assuredly will be well prepared for new career opportunities that come with major technological innovation. In the meantime, the school continues to produce a sizeable pool of outstanding students like Collins, who compete each year at the County and State Science Fairs. Some have even gone on to achieve at the national level.
As Margulis sees it, “STEM isn’t just for ‘nerds.’ If students can leave St. Martin of Tours loving science, the world is wide open to them. The ability to innovate, solve problems, think out-of-the-box, and create new possibilities is what life is all about.”
