STEM Girls Books shares stories of accomplished women in STEM for the purpose of inspiring young girls to dream big. Every once in a while we discover a young girl who is already on her way to accomplishing those dreams…girls like Chandni Kumari (Astronaut Chandni) who, at just 15 years of age, is working toward her goal of becoming an astronaut. Read her story below and we think you’ll agree that the mysterious Blackhole is about to meet its match! What is your specific area of STEM? Aerospace Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I study aircraft and learn about sending spacecraft to space. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Curious about nature. Always asking question, interested in learning, loves learning, excited about the space. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I was always fascinated by outer space and the Blackhole as a young child and I knew I wanted to go there. My family fed my curiosity about Blackhole and STEM and encouraged me to pursue my interest. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I have been taking college level science courses since 9th grade and have always been fascinated by science and math, and loved learning about it. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Getting to explore Aircraft and spacecraft is a lot of fun. It’s fascinating and the opportunities are endless. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? I encourage girls to pursue what they are excited and passionate about. And not to be afraid because 'NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE'. Thank you for contributing, Chandni! We’ll be rooting for you!
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Jessica is a Masters Student Researcher at ETH in Zurich, Switzerland, where she is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering at McGill University. Below she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Combustion Engineering.(Aeronautical + Mechanical) How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Combustion is the field of engineering that deals with generating power (from coal, oil and natural gas), motors/engines (cars, tractors, ships), and propulsion (rockets and airplane engines)! What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? I think curiosity. Always asking "why?" Why does this happen? Can this be done another way? If it can be, why hasn't anyone else done it? What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew there were rocket scientists but I didn't think the possibility was within my reach. A stranger on a plane encouraged me to pursue my dream saying "it’s not that hard. You can do it!" Boy, was I in for a surprise! Of course, it was difficult, but my dream was possible. And that motivation was the difference. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? Kim Possible's dad was a rocket scientist and I thought that was really cool! I thought "why can't I be like him? I want to build rockets!" What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Propulsion is really cool because usually, you add metals to fuel for an extra power boost. So I worked on a project which involved burning aluminum, iron, and silicon powder! That was super cool because they all act differently to traditional hydrocarbon fuels and they mainly look and act like fireworks! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Not only do you get to choose between science, technology, engineering and math, but within each domain you have hundreds of disciplines! Your possibilities are endless and you are bound to find something you are passionate about. But at this point you don’t know what that passion will be, and that's exciting. Thank you for contributing, Jessica! Tara Samuels is a private pilot and earned her Master’s Degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Business Administration from San Jose State University. She is also founder of Captain Safetypants, a free STEM education program that allows her to share her passion for aviation with kids of all ages. Tara works in the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA Ames Research Center and is a 1st Lieutenant, Mission Transport Pilot and Aerospace Education Officer for Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force. Below she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Aerospace Engineering. How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Aerospace Engineers design, build and test aircraft and spacecraft. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? If you have an inquisitive mind and enjoy math and science, you'll do great in STEM fields. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew NOTHING about aerospace engineering when I was a child. When I grew up I got a pilot's license. To become a pilot you have to learn about aircraft systems, structures, aerodynamics, and more. Learning about how planes work made me want to become an aerospace engineer. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I was always an engineer at heart. Becoming a pilot made me want to be an engineer in real life too. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Aerospace engineers make people's lives better! Right now people in my field are working on supersonic airplanes that can take you halfway around the world in just a few hours. Others are working on autonomous flying vehicles that will help us fly right over traffic. There are teams of people helping us explore other planets, and some are even working on sending humans to Mars! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Aerospace Engineering is so fascinating. The classes are hard, but they are doable. And when you're done you have an opportunity to make aviation safer and faster, and help humanity explore and understand the universe. It's inspiring work and it's fun! Thank you for contributing, Tara! Jill Meyers learned to fly an airplane at age 17, joined the Air Force, and later earned her Aerospace Engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Aerospace engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Aerospace Engineering is about designing and building aircraft (aeronautical) and spacecraft (astronautical) of all shapes and sizes. You can work on small airplanes like a Cessna or big military jets like the F/A-18s that the Navy Blue Angels fly! You can work on rockets or capsules that will carry astronauts to Mars someday. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? A child that enjoys math and science in school may exhibit an aptitude for engineering. Many kids play with radio-controlled aircraft or toys like Legos that allow them to build things. Even paper airplanes often lead towards careers in Aerospace! What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? My first indication was my love for building plastic models - I built airplanes and aircraft carriers when I was very young. I went up in a small Cessna when I was 13 years old, and that was IT for me! So I learned to fly at the age of 17 and then joined the Air Force, where I later got my engineering degree. My parents were very supportive of my dreams to either fly or build airplanes when I grew up! Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? As I mentioned, I fell in love with airplanes at a young age. I was going to be a doctor until the first Space Shuttle launched into space. At that time I decided to be an Aerospace Engineer. I wanted to be an Astronaut but didn't have perfect grades in college which is required. I really didn't have a mentor, although I really wish I had. I just read a lot about pilots and astronauts when I was a teenager. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? I'll just use my own experiences to answer this one!
With an Aerospace Engineering degree, you can work on so many things! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? My primary message is that you CAN be anything you want to be! Find things that you LOVE doing and figure out how to turn that into a job. Find people already doing that job and talk to them! Look for mentors - they are all around you! Reach for the stars and never give up! Thank you for contributing, Jill! Abigail Harrison is pursuing her degrees in Astrobiology and Russian at Wellesley College and aspires to be a scientist and NASA astronaut. Abigail has also built a strong online and national speaking presence as Astronaut Abby, sharing her passion for promoting STEM education and space exploration. She is the founder of The Mars Generation, a nonprofit focused on exciting kids and adults about space and STEM. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Astrobiology How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I study whether or not life exists on other planets. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Curious, inquisitive, always asking questions and trying to figure out how things work, taking apart things, interested in learning, logical in thinking, love learning, excited about the world around them. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I was always fascinated by the stars and space as a young child and knew I wanted to go there. My parents and others fed my curiosity about STEM and space and encouraged me to pursue my interests. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I have been taking college level science courses since high school and have always been fascinated by science and loved learning about it. After taking all kinds of science courses, I knew biology was my preferred field and astrobiology is an interest because of my love for space. It was a natural fit. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Getting to explore how organisms respond to different stimulus is a lot of fun. Exploring whether life exists on other planets is fascinating and the opportunities are endless. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? I encourage girls to pursue what they are excited and passionate about. And not to be afraid to Dream Big. Act Big. And Inspire Others. Thank you for contributing, Abigail (Astronaut Abby)! Annie Jones-Wyatt earned her Ph.D. and Master’s in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I use science and math to design airplanes and the technology that goes inside them. Aerospace engineers make decisions about the shape of the wings, how high and how fast they can fly, and how they interact with other air and ground vehicles. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Curiosity about the natural world - why is the sky blue, etc.; enjoying building/taking apart things, or arts & crafts (design). Constantly asking questions, even if you annoy your parents (I'm channeling my younger self here). What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? My parents were always encouraging; we regularly visited science museums, children's museums, went to air shows, and watched documentaries/history programs. My father is a scientist, and my mother is an accountant (good at math). I had a very influential high school physics teacher who helped me towards the path of physics/mechanical engineering in undergrad. I didn't really know about the various engineering disciplines until I reached college; until then, my understanding was that it was all pure physics/math, even though I was exposed to scientists all around. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I was always interested in science of some sort. In elementary school I wanted to be an archaeologist or paleontologist from reading National Geographic. I volunteered at a nature center, so in middle and early high school I wanted to be an environmental biologist. When I did high school physics and robotics, I shifted towards mechanical engineering, and towards the end of undergrad decided I wanted to pursue a postgraduate degree in aerospace engineering. I grew up around NASA but it wasn't until 7 years after we moved away from Houston that I really dove into aerospace engineering. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? In an internship, I got to work on parts for the International Space Station. In another internship, I did mechanical engineering work for the James Webb Space Telescope. Since then it's been more nuanced work, but in general, aerospace engineers design airplanes, helicopters, and rockets, which I think is pretty darn cool! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? Always ask questions, learn about the physical laws governing the universe around you, and then draw/sculpt/design/build your own inventions and creations! Thank you for contributing, Annie! 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! Julia Macon is pursuing her aerospace engineering degree at Georgia Tech. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Aerospace Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? We design and build planes and rockets and satellites and everything else that flies or goes into space. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Knack for building/inventing things, interest in astronomy and space, interest in learning how planes and rockets work, good at physics or understands the way things move and interact with each other. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew that aerospace engineers sent people to space and rovers to Mars. Also I guess I knew they built planes but I was more into space. My dad had me help him build a bunch of stuff around the house growing up. We built a telescope together and looked at Saturn. My parents always encouraged me and my siblings to follow our interests, and teachers at school (particularly science teachers) fueled my curiosity. It helped that I caught on to basic science principles really easily. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I like space and want to be an astronaut so it was a pretty easy choice. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Astronauts, all things at NASA. If you watch the movies Apollo 13 or Martian, they will give you a pretty good idea of the cool stuff we can do in our job. A lot of students at my school work on satellite projects that will actually be launched into space so that's also cool. You might get to build things like the next Mars rover. On the aircraft side of things, we design and build new planes and also fix old ones. This can be the commercial aircraft you fly on when you travel, or fighter jets. Several aerospace engineers also have their pilot’s license – it’s not really part of the job but is still a cool thing to think about! Thank you for contributing, Julia! |
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