The first woman to ever serve on the U.S. Supreme Court recently passed away in Arizona. On March 26, 1930, this American icon was born in El Paso, Texas. She grew up riding horses and helping on cattle roundups on her parents’ ranch in Arizona. Although she was a good student, no one suspected that she would one day change the world. Her name was Sandra Day O’Connor. She would grow up to be the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court!

Picture this: A huge shark is hoisted onto a research boat. Three people rush to secure her—to stop her from thrashing around and getting hurt. Who are these people? Why have they brought a shark on deck? Are they… sitting on her?

Two of the participants in this crazy scene are Brooke Anderson and Beckah Campbell. These brave scientists conduct research at the Sulikowski Shark and Fish Research Lab at ASU in Glendale. Wait. People research sharks in the desert? Yes!

Did you know that some of your favorite things came about by accident? A special kind of spring in a battleship engine became the Slinky. Play-Doh, created to clean wallpaper, evolved into a toy. Another famous but accidental invention is the popsicle!

 The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants the wishes of children with severe illnesses. World Wish Day is April 29. It is the anniversary of the first wish ever granted.

 The Wildlife World Zoo is open after almost five months of being closed because of COVID-19. To celebrate this event, I interviewed Mickey Ollson, the founder of Wildlife World Zoo.

Ollson wanted a zoo from the time he was very young. When he was 10, he drew a map of his zoo. He had always loved animals, since he grew up on a farm with all sorts of farm animals, birds, and the family’s dogs. He even once had a pet alligator!

 Think you know everything there is to know about light rail? Think again! Late last year, I went on a tour of the Valley Metro Operations and Maintenance Center, guided by Debby Thacker, assistant manager of Rail Operations. My first glimpse of the OMC was from a conference room with a huge glass window looking down on a giant mechanics shop. I was so amazed to see a whole train inside the building, along with a lot of fascinating machinery that does many incredible jobs.

 Do you recognize yourself in a mirror? Does your dog? Scientists have determined that most children recognized themselves in a mirror by the age of 2, but what about animals?

In 1970, a scientist named Gordon Gallup Jr. created the Mirror Test or MSR Test to see if animals had self-awareness. It works like this: a mark is painted on an animal in a place they cannot see, like their face, and then they are placed in front of a mirror. If the animal recognizes the mark as being something that shouldn’t be there and attempts to remove it, then they have self-awareness.

Milkweed bugs are my favorite bugs. Maybe you have seen them in your yard. They are red and gray with a black circle on their backs. The circle has two white dots, side by side in its center. They are oval shaped, with short antennae, and small, round eyes. Did you know milkweed bugs have wings, and are able to fly? The first time I saw a milkweed bug fly, I didn’t know what it was, and it scared me a little.

 I recently toured the Valley Metro Mobility Center. Parked inside the building is a real bus along with a bus stop. The bus was driven in when the office was being built, and the center was built around it! The Valley Metro Mobility Center is dedicated to helping the elderly and those with impairments regain their independence—it helps them to ride Valley Metro transportation, such as buses and light rail. Between 430 and 530 people come to the Mobility Center each month, which means that many people are gaining the ability to use public transportation.

In the 1990s, a farmer accidentally ran over a coyote den, leaving only one pup alive. There were no vets that treated wild animals, but fate brought him to Linda Searles. She realized that a rehabilitation center for orphaned animals was a necessity. Searles bought ten acres of land in 1994 and founded The Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center or SWCC.