As I read Bryan Kelly’s Cass Freeman: Decision Trees, I was reminded of the timeless words of Khalil Gibran in The Prophet:
These lines beautifully reflect the journey of young Cass Freeman, whose story reminds us that our greatest gift to the next generation is to nurture their curiosity and independence. Through determination and a spark of scientific discovery, Cass takes her first steps into a future shaped by her vision and power.
Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you, yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts.
Growing up in Shadyside, Maryland, with my grandparents, it was my aunt who first introduced me to the wonder of numbers, teaching me to count to 100—a small milestone that set me on the path to a lifelong career. In mathematics, I found a quiet language that spoke to me, offering clarity and precision in a complex world. This early foundation helped me see that mathematics wasn’t just numbers; it was a key to understanding the world and unlocking the mysteries of science. This story fills me with hope. Bryan Kelly captures the magic of that first spark, when a young mind discovers that science, technology, engineering, and mathematics offer
unique lenses through which to view and shape our world. He reflects the importance of mentorship, something I experienced first-hand during my 34-year career at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Encouraged by a teacher who believed in my potential, I joined Goddard in 1960 as one of five Black female mathematicians. While others had arrived before me, I was the youngest of the group. During my time there, I worked on significant projects including the International Ultraviolet Explorer, contributing to discoveries that transformed our understanding of space. When young readers see themselves in characters like Cass, they will recognize their own potential in any field of science and innovation. This book, like my journey, shows what unfolds when natural curiosity meets opportunity and determination. Mathematics, with its patterns and logic, provides the foundation that connects all STEM disciplines - whether you’re coding algorithms, designing bridges, studying ecosystems, or exploring space. Whatever your personality, background, or circumstances, there is a place for you in these fields. Each perspective brings unique insights that enrich our collective understanding and drive innovation forward. The tools of science and technology have evolved dramatically since my early days at
NASA, from slide rules to supercomputers to cloud computing and AI, but the fundamental process remains unchanged: observe, question, analyse, discover. In Cass’s world of decision trees and data science, I see echoes of the same analytical thinking that guided our early space exploration work, now applied to new frontiers. In Cass Freeman’s story, we see how analytical thinking combines with imagination to solve complex problems. Through her experiences, we’re reminded that scientific pursuit, in all its forms, helps us better understand the world and our place in it. Bryan Kelly has crafted a narrative that honours both the rigor of scientific thinking and the quiet
determination it takes to pursue one's path in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
Elva Hicks Glover
1995 Retired Mathematician, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Elva Geraldine Hicks Glover
Elva Geraldine Hicks Glover received her early education in the public schools of Annapolis, Maryland, namely Stanton and Parole Elementary and Wiley H. Bates Junior, Senior High School. She matriculated at Morgan State College, now Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, and in June 1960 graduated with honors receiving her BS Degree in Mathematics. Because of her Civil Service rating and taking Astronomy as an elective course, she was employed in July 1960 by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as a mathematician and assigned
to the Mathematics and Computing Branch of the Theoretical Division in the Office of Space Science Satellite Application being the youngest of five African American female mathematicians at the time within the agency.
Mrs. Glover collaborated with and advised staff scientists and engineers on numerical analysis techniques and developed computer programs for theoretical studies, playing an essential role in multiple science projects and activities of the space agency during her 34 years of service to NASA and the Federal Government. She was part of expanding many computer-based scientific systems in the space program's early days. During her career, she helped to develop algorithmically complex programs to study a wide range of solar physics and astrophysics problems, including spectral analysis, the scattering of electrons from atoms, excitation of ions by electron impact, the analysis of variable stars, and the analysis of the geochemical structure of meteorites. Many of the standard numerical techniques used during that time resulted from her pioneering efforts.
Among her accomplishments was the creation of one of the first online networked science archives- the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectral archive, which ushered in a whole new era in how science data was stored and distributed. It became the computing facility's most requested archive. She also wrote specifications for the IUE Scientific Imaging Processing System and developed graphic applications for IUE, helping to make it one of the most productive scientific satellites ever launched. Some of her awards received were the NASA Apollo Achievement Award for support of the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission, the IUE Group Achievement Award, and the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite project Group Achievement Award. She retired from Goddard Space Flight Center after 34 years and eight months of service in March 1995.