It's time for the weekly #FFF and this week I want to share with you one of my all time favorite videos of female musicianship.  This video displays the power and emotion of two of the greatest women musicians to grace the planet: Melissa Etheridge and Janis Joplin.  When you watch this performance, you will feel the intention behind every word, every syllable, and every pause. You cannot watch Melissa Etheridge perform this Janis Joplin song and not feel it.  Many people have covered the music of the illustrious Janis but few, if any, have ever captured the feeling behind the lyrics like Melissa does here.

This performance took place at the 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony where Melissa Etheridge had the honor of inducting Janis Joplin. I read her speech and it was really touching how influential Janis was to young up-and-coming artists of the day.  I copied an excerpt from her speech to share with you here. The reason I wanted to share it because it has meaning to us as women scientists also. Just like the way many of us talk about how to inspire young women to be scientists, so was the way for women in music not so long ago.  Janis, despite her imperfections, through her ability to stand out in the crowd and not be afraid to be her true self, encouraged other women to do the same. She set the example for young women to pursue their dreams in music.  Read on...

When I was 19, I discovered her other work, and it grabbed me. I wanted to explode like that, I wanted to feel like that, and I wanted to sing like that. Yes, Janis Joplin was a junkie, yes, she was an alcoholic, yes, she was promiscuous - men, women, she made no excuse for it. In 1967, Janis Joplin was strange and freakish, but I think today she would be pretty hip. She would be alternative. I think so; she would do quite well. And because of what she did, I feel like what she did in her life at that time enabled me, when I was a young girl, in 1976, growing up, not to feel so strange about wanting to do the things I wanted to do. She gave me power in my life. We didn't need to be secretaries or housewives: we could be rock stars. I never knew Janis, I never saw her or heard her voice live, I never witnessed the fireball of fury that she unleashed onstage, but I think I understand. When a soul can look on the world, and see and feel the pain and loneliness, and can reach deep down inside, and find a voice to sing of it, a soul can heal. I wish the dose of heroin she had injected that night had not been accidentally ten times stronger than what her usual hit was. I wish she was here with us. I wish she was making a comeback now and doing an MTV unplugged, and getting her tribute album together, and standing up for women's rights, standing up for gay rights, standing up for intolerance everywhere, against fur or Republicans or whatever - I think she would be doing that, I absolutely do. I wish she would have survived; then maybe I could tell her thank you. Thank you for traveling that road, for carrying that ball and chain, for giving a piece of her heart. I wish I could congratulate her personally - tell her she will always be a part of rock and roll history; that she helped create it, lived by it, and died by it. I wish I could say to her now, welcome. Welcome to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - a place you so definitely deserve to be.

What does this tell us, women of science? What can we learn from Melissa? That all it takes to be a role model to young girls is to be yourself.  Kids learn by example so setting the example is all we need to do. Each one of us is a role model. All we need to do is get out there and talk about it. Show kids and young women how much YOU love science, and how excited you are at getting to figure things out every day, things that will make the world a better place.  And, it doesn't matter if your method to reach kids is through sports, dance, art, or cooking with your kids. There are numerous opportunities to share science with youngsters and get them to view discovery from a completely different side.  They only know their options if we tell them what they are. So give a little piece of your heart out to a kid today! And enjoy this...