Emilie Pourchet is pursuing biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech and expects to earn her degree in 2018. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Biomedical Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Work alongside doctors to make devices to help people with health issues. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? An interest in books, although a better indicator is if they are curious about how things work. Working with Legos or other building toys is also a sign. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I knew very little. I didn't think STEM fields would be for me until about 10th grade. I have an older brother who is a computer science graduate, and grandparents, aunts and uncles who are all in STEM (my parents are in business and management though). My brother was the biggest influence on me and he is the one who stimulated my interest in science. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? My older brother is very passionate about science and he inspired me. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Biomedical engineers help people who have health problems! Thank you for contributing, Emilie!
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Allison Sellars is pursuing chemical engineering at Georgia Tech and expects to earn her degree in 2018. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Chemical Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Chemical engineers use math and science, and combine pretty much all subjects and experiences, in order to solve all kinds of problems in the world. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Legos, an active imagination, puzzles. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I didn't know much as a child at all. It was probably not until I was a junior in high school when I learned about engineering and the term "STEM." I was always fairly good at the math and science classes through school and it was what I enjoyed doing. I think I learned about STEM from a combination of my parents and teachers and their encouragement. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I didn't really know any engineers growing up at all. I was just encouraged to try it because it was a growing field and covered the subjects and topics I was interested in. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Cool chemical experiments - making crystals, etc. I got to intern in a chemical plant where I saw all kinds of different equipment and even got to climb into some of the big machines. Chemical engineers work with a lot of cool equipment that do fancy things. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? STEM can seem super intimidating and scary sometimes and it's super easy to say that "it's not for me" or "I won't be good at that," but you can do it. If I can do it, anyone can! You are never in it alone - people are always there to help you no matter what. It's the best decision that I made and I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it! Thank you for contributing, Allison! Manon Magill earned her biomedical engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Biomedical Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Biomedical Engineering is a combination of engineering (building solutions) and medicine (treating patients). I basically use my engineering skills to create a solution for health problems, which can mean making new medicines, new implants, or new devices for doctors to use on patients. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? An interest in the human body and helping people, as well as an ability to think outside the box to create solutions. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I had an interest in the medical field because my dad was in medical school, but I didn't know about biomedical engineering until high school. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? It's a combination of two things I love - medicine/the human body & creating solutions! What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Here are some examples:
What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? I love STEM because I love feeling like what I'm doing with my time will make a difference in the world! Without the STEM field, we wouldn't have computers, phones, apps, advancements in medicine, faster cars, planes, or space exploration. Don't let boys run the show - make sure you get in on the action! :) Thank you for contributing, Manon! Maria Auslander earned her industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Industrial and Systems Engineering How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? Most engineers make things, industrial engineers make things better. We improve existing processes. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? The ability to do chores efficiently, finding the quickest way to do things. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? My father is a mechanical engineer, so I grew up knowing about engineering. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? I was inspired by my father and I've always loved math. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Industrial engineers help redesign hospitals so doctors and nurses can help their patients quicker and help more people. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? People in STEM are the inventors of our world, they work in order to make our planet a better place for everyone. Thank you for contributing, Maria! Karen Aspelin earned her undergraduate civil engineering degree from the University of Virginia and her Master’s from Texas A&M University. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Civil Engineering, Transportation and Traffic How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I help to plan and design the roadway system that you drive, ride your bike, and walk along every day. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Playing with Legos, cars, especially cars on roads. Also enjoying mazes and other puzzles. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? I didn't know anything about the field I ended up in. It wasn't until I was in college that I learned about my career field, and that was through a required engineering class. Why did you choose your STEM field? Were you inspired by someone? When I got out of college I was working in a different STEM field (environmental engineering) but wasn't happy in my job. A friend I had gone to college with told me he was in a master's program that focused on transportation engineering. Once I started that program I knew it was the field for me. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Sometimes when I drive on a road or ride my bike on a trail, I am able to say, "I designed this!" It's so cool to have a product from your work that is used by so many people. What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? My career in the STEM field allows me make a great salary, work flexibly, and be a mom. Thank you for contributing, Karen! Danni Jorgenson earned her civil engineering degree from the University of Florida. Here she shares a little about her career and the inspiration behind it. What is your specific area of STEM? Civil engineering, transportation and traffic How would you explain your STEM field to young girls? I plan and analyze how people travel. What traits might a child possess that may indicate an interest or aptitude for your STEM field? Attention to detail, problem solving skills, and creativity. What did you know about your STEM field when you were a child? Nothing! I didn't know anything about civil engineering until high school, and that's when I learned from a former babysitter who was majoring in civil engineering. It sounded really interesting and I decided to go to college for civil engineering. What are some really cool things that people in your profession work on? Automated vehicles - cars that drive themselves! What inspirational message would you give young girls to inspire them to pursue STEM? You can help to shape our future through technology. Thank you for contributing, Danni! |
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