What is your specific area of STEM?
Civil Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I design and inspect bridges and culverts. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Interest in building things and/or how things work and "fit" together. I had a big interest in Legos when I was little. Not just building sets from plans, but also coming up with my own ideas / ways of constructing other items. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew very little about STEM fields until high school. My father noticed engineering traits in me and encouraged me to learn more about civil engineering. He helped me find an opportunity to job shadow our town's civil engineer. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I always enjoyed building things. I think creating something useful is very fulfilling for me. After a couple engineering internships, I realized that I really enjoyed the design aspect as well. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Personally, I have worked both in construction management and design. I've helped estimate, schedule, manage budgets, materials and crews for bridge and roadway projects. This includes trouble shooting design or construction flaws in order to keep projects moving. I've worked projects that were completely new - going through woods, empty fields and demolishing houses to put in new interstate and a new airport. As well as widening interstate and demolishing and reconstructing bridges and roads in a city. Some civil engineers help design and build skyscrapers and sports stadiums. Others might work utilities, water or roadways. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Engineering is an exciting and fulfilling career. If you are interested, you should look for more opportunities to experience it - ask other women to shadow them at work and about their careers. Engineers love to share what they do! Thank you for contributing, Erin!
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Samantha Lie-Tjauw earned her Master’s in Public Health from Emory University and her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Georgia. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Biology and Public Health How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Public Health is understanding the important role each of us play in keeping ourselves and each other happy and healthy. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Interest in puzzles, numbers, putting things together and taking them apart, the natural world around them, always asking questions, etc. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I did not know anything about my STEM field until college. However in regards to biology - I thought it was the study of the natural world around and all parts of it. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I had a formative experience in Guatemala that opened my eyes to the importance of community health and the opportunity that preventative care could play in wellness and joy. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? We get to meet all different types of people and build relationship with them. We get to do ANYTHING because public health is everywhere - teach, work in a lab, travel the world, speak different languages, help people AND animals, etc. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Any STEM field allows you to explore and exploring is one of the greatest joys in life. Get out there and get to know the world around you! Thank you for contributing, Samantha! Paula Gomez earned her Master’s degree in Architecture, Design Computing from Georgia Tech, and her Architect Degree from Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Chile). She is also a Fulbright Scholar and Ph.D. Candidate. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Architecture, Design Computing How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Pushing the world forward. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Questioning the world, trying to understand how something works, play by implementing mechanisms. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Nothing. I just explored and tried to learn myself. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Just curiosity and movies. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? I am from Chile, and working for NASA has been a dream come true. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Be always open minded and creative to approach every problem, and you will see that the limits are not where people tell you. Thank you for contributing, Paula! Lisa Brezee earned her Electrical Engineering degree from Southern Polytechnic State University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it.
What is your specific area of STEM? Electronics Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? My field is involved in every aspect of your life from cell phones to refrigerators. We improve the quality of people's lives by making items used in daily life faster and less likely to break two months after you paid a gazillion dollars for it. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Curiosity on how things work. Lego mindstorm. Desire to beat any video game. Any activity that involves teamwork -- sports, Girl Scouts, science clubs. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? My mom taught me the Ramblin' Wreck song (Georgia Tech) when I was in elementary school. And I took everything apart; much to my mother's dismay. But she supported it even though I could not always put everything back together. I liked everything that involved electricity. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? My brother went into electrical engineering via the military so I followed along. It looked like fun..and it was. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on?
What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? STEM takes smarts, drive, guts and dreams. All qualities that at which girls excel. Thank you for contributing, Lisa! Hilarie Warren earned her Master’s in Public Health from Emory University and her BS in Biology from the University of New Hampshire. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Biology/Industrial Hygiene How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? My job is to use my knowledge about the human body to help people protect themselves at work from things that might make them sick. I use special equipment to measure things (particles in the air or the loudness of a noise) and then compare my results to numbers established by other scientists to make sure people who are working with chemicals or loud machinery aren't at risk for illness or injury. If my measurements show there is a danger to an employee, I use engineering methods to find a way to change the equipment or process so it better protects the person doing the job. We don't want anyone getting sick just from doing their job! What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Interest in taking things apart and putting them back together (puzzles, models); interest in how things work or are made; problem-solving ability; ability to see the whole/big picture – a systems approach. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew nothing about the field of industrial hygiene as a child. I was given lots of opportunities to build and create (taking apart old telephones, for example, to see their inner workings) and emphasis on imaginative play, creativity and the arts were fostered and exemplified by both parents and teachers. I spent a lot of time outdoors, which instilled both a love of science and biology. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I always knew I would work in science (it was my favorite subject in school from the beginning), but the idea to pursue something other than medical school came much later. I was lucky to have 2 opportunities to travel abroad and see working conditions in different parts of the world, and after those experiences I couldn't quite get them out of my mind. But I didn't know what to do with that information yet. The opportunity to work in occupational health/industrial hygiene came when a graduate school academic advisor suggested an internship opportunity in this field. She knew my interest in protecting the health of the most vulnerable people, and suggested this field might be a good fit. She was right. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? I get to see how things are made - every day! I go to companies that make everything from sugar to bicycles to apple orchards to airplanes to chocolate candy to sweatshirts! I get to stomp around on big construction projects and see buildings and roads designed and put together even before anyone else ever gets to use or drive on them! I get to meet lots of different people and hear about how they do their work - so every day is a little bit different. One of my favorite places I ever got to work was at an aquarium - I got to go behind the scenes and see parts of the facility (and animals!) that only people who worked there could usual go. If you like to see how things are made - and like to get a little dirty! - this is a great field to explore. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? If you are excited and interested by a topic or a field - THAT's what matters the most. Don't be afraid to explore, ask questions, get your hands dirty - the world needs more people who are excited about the possibilities and potential of things, not just those who can "do" the job. STEM work is the best because it's never dull, it's fun, it's challenging, and it's rewarding. Thank you for contributing, Hilarie! Nicole Kosoris earned her Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Southern Polytechnic State University and her BA in Mathematics from Thomas Edison State University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I make games that help doctors diagnose medical conditions. I also make tools that use your thoughts to control things, like quad copters. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Determination! Problem solving ability. A desire to build, with or without instructions, or design/plan. An interest in science fiction or fantasy. Creative play with toys where they overcome challenges or build things. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew nothing about my field as a child. I had some exposure to computers, but didn't regularly use one until High School. I was strongly discouraged (often) from pursuing interests or careers in computing. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Because I loved books about magic, and programming is basically real-world magic spells. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? My projects are pretty cool. I build virtual reality games to help doctors diagnose medical problems like concussions or Alzheimer's. I also get to fly quad copters with my brain. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? If you're passionate enough about anything, you can make a career out of it. Find what makes you happy to do, and then do it. Thank you for contributing, Nicole! Elizabeth Benitez earned her Master’s Degree from Georgia Tech and her Bachelor’s Degree from MIT, both in Aerospace Engineering. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Aerospace Engineering, specifically aerodynamics How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I'm interested in how we can design shapes that will fly the best at hypersonic speeds (really, really fast). Since air behaves differently once you start moving so fast, we have to be careful to design a plane that can withstand the new challenges it will experience and still be under control of the pilot. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Definitely an interest in math and a curiosity about how things work. My early interest in space also helped point me towards my current career. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I actually didn't know that aerospace engineering was a thing until I was a senior in high school. I always wanted to be an astronaut when I was young, but after watching the Columbia explode I changed my mind. I thought I wanted to become a mechanical engineer who specifically worked on planes and rockets, but it turned out that was in fact its own field (aerospace). Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I attended an all-girls summer program at MIT in mechanical engineering when I was a junior in high school. I was introduced to all sorts of subfields in it from robotics to fluid mechanics, and got to talk to professors and professionals in the field, all while learning some of the math behind it. It really helped me decide what I wanted to study. I highly recommend it (it's called the Women's Technology Program). What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? A lot of aerospace engineers get to work with wind tunnels, where they build small models of the planes they are interested in studying and put them in a tube that can create wind equivalent to anywhere from a passing breeze to faster than inside a tornado! I'll be working with a hypersonic wind tunnel for my PhD, where I'll get to study flow moving a Mach 6. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? STEM includes some of the most interesting and influential careers for creating the future. Thank you for contributing, Elizabeth! Kelly Stevens earned her Master's Degree in Mathematics from Virginia Tech. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Quantum Computers How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I'm working to figure out to make a new kind of computer. I solve tricky interesting problems all day long. I love computer programming. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? A child that is proud to solve "difficult" puzzles (like word search or sudoku) might have an early aptitude. Another indicator would be stubborn persistence because this turns into an ability to focus on one tough problem for a long time. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? As a very young child my father let me "help him" fix the car, tinkering on the computer, fix things around the house, build a business. His willingness to teach me these things indicated to me that there was no gender barrier. He also taught me the value of hard work by employing me in his landscaping business from age 10-18. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? By middle and high school I was doing well in math. My initial choice of STEM for a field coming out of high school was mainly driven by desire to have stable finances as an adult. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? We play with lasers. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Scientists need a lot of creativity. Many women are naturally creative, so it's great to be able to bring that to the workplace. The best part about doing science is that you are creating something that is both beautiful (creative) and useful. It feels great to discover something new every day. Thank you for contributing, Kelly! Ashley Beavers earned her MS degree in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and her BS degree in Computer Science from Kennesaw State University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Computer Science How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I build things with words and numbers and pictures. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Crafting, building things, drawing. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Nothing. I was required to take a CS (computer science) course in college and loved it. I changed my major to that eventually. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I loved the organization of it. I loved working with spreadsheets in high school, and CS seemed like a natural extension of that. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Software project managers get to design beautiful and complex tools and games that lots of people get to use. They get to work with robots and tiny devices. They get to make software fun and beautiful. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? The world is full of possibility and STEM careers let you be in the midst of exciting new work and fun, challenging people. It is incredibly rewarding to work with a team who makes me grow and helps build something we are all proud of. Thank you for contributing, Ashley! Anne Costolanski earned her degree in Applied Mathematics from North Carolina State University and now works as an electrical engineer. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Applied Math/Electrical Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I write and test computer programs that model the behavior of radar systems. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Enjoying playing with numbers, calculators, or solving math problems. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I didn't know anything about my STEM field when I was young. My interest in math was sparked by an elementary school teacher, who advanced me from the 2nd grade math group to the 3rd grade math group. Then in 7th grade I had a wonderful pre-algebra teacher who really instilled a love for the subject in me. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I chose to get a math degree because I'd always loved math. I ended up being an engineer because I also liked physics, and it was a great combination of math and physics. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? People I work with travel to interesting places to test radars -- sometimes they visit big navy ships, or travel to Arizona or Alaska. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Follow your passion and do what you love, and don't let anyone discourage you! Thank you for contributing, Anne! |
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