Curiosity Rewarded: Florida Teen Heading to Space Camp, Not Jail 241
Kiera Wilmot, the Florida high school student who was expelled from her school after an unauthorized science experiment was misperceived as a weapon (at least for purposes of arrest and charging), won't be going to jail. She will, though, be going to Space Camp, thanks to a crowdfunding campaign started by author and former NASA engineer Homer Hickham. All charges against her have been dropped.
Should have been punished, but not charged (Score:5, Informative)
What she made wasn't really a science experiment; it was a "bottle bomb" consisting of mixing tinfoil and Drano in a Coke bottle. These explosives are well-known among schoolyard pranksters and can cause serious injury (chemical burns, loss of fingers, etc.)
It's not politically correct to say, but if she was cooking one of these up on school property with her friends without teacher oversight, she should have been punished. As long as she didn't actually hurt anyone, though, it should have amounted into a few days' detention at worst.
That said, I'm happy she's going to space camp and that this sort of mischief might develop into a real interest in science.
Re:I Think This Is A Bad Thing (Score:5, Informative)
He performed countless experiments throughout his high school days most of which were dangerous but he never gave up.
He eventually graduated high school and went on to Virgina Tech and got a BS in Industrial engineering.
He then went into the military and got into NASA and I'm sure I'm missing things in between.
The point is, after seeing who elected to send her to space camp, the reasons become clear and make sense.
Homer Hickam [wikipedia.org]
Re:Good to see intelligence rewarded for once. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:I Think This Is A Bad Thing (Score:4, Informative)