5 Women Making Waves in
Science
Science desperately needs more women in the field. In every area
of scientific research, the XX formation is greatly under-represented, despite
the vast challenges before us. That’s why great women who are making a big
impact in the field are so important. Here are five females who are turning the
tide of women in science today — and making more than a few waves in the
process.
Debbie Sterling, Creator
of GoldieBlox
Debbie Sterling’s small-town upbringing didn’t offer much
exposure to the world of engineering, but a conversation with her math teacher
was the jumping off point toward a Stanford degree in mechanical engineering
and product design. As she settled into her new career digs, she became
increasingly disturbed by the lack of females in the field — which led her to
create GoldieBlox.
Through her company, Sterling aims to move beyond the “boys’
toys” that have dominated the childhood culture for over a hundred years by
designing a construction toy from the female perspective to “disrupt the pink
aisle.” She hopes to inspire young girls in need of the direction and
confidence to become future engineers. Or, as The
Guardian put it, “Move over Barbie, there’s a new girl in town.”
Find out more about the disruption of the pink aisle at www.goldieblox.com, and follow their
efforts on Twitter @goldieblox.
Kimberly Bryant, Founder
of Black Girls Code
Her first introduction to computer programming came when
Kimberly Bryant was a freshman electrical engineering student in college and
Apple Macintosh was the new craze in town. But Bryant says she felt culturally
isolated, since she didn’t have Black classmates. Though much has changed since
then, she’s still bothered by the persistent lack of Black women in science,
technology, engineering and math professions. She blames it on lack of access
and lack of exposure to STEM topics — something she’s trying to change.
Her company, Black
Girls Code, has a vision
“to increase the number of women of color in the digital space by empowering
girls of ages 7 to 17 to become innovators in STEM fields, leaders in their
communities, and builders of their own futures through exposure to computer
science and technology.”
To find out more about Bryant’s work, visit the website at www.blackgirlscode.com, and follow her on
Twitter @BlackGirlsCode.
Adriana Moscatelli, Co-founder & CEO of
Play Works Studio
Adriana Moscatelli co-founded
Play Works Studio in 2013, with a dream to help girls all over the world
discover and develop a passion for science. Armed with a degree in industrial and
interactive design, as well as extensive experience consulting for techno-play
giants like Pokeman, Hasbro, Microsoft and Nokia, Moscatelli’s expertise with
software development, mobile applications and gaming helps her lead the charge as
CEO at Play Works Studio.
Loaded with talent and
playful expertise, Moscatelli’s Play Works Studio design team creates games
that encourage children — especially girls — to jump into the scientific fray
at a young age. Funded by the National Science Foundation, their work emphasizes
the development of spatial and logical reasoning skills by teaching basic
computer programming concepts to create solutions.
To find out more about
Play Works Studio, visit them at www.playworksstudio.com, and follow Moscatelli on Twitter @adrimk.
Regina Agyare, Founder of Tech Needs Girls Ghana and
CEO of Soronko Solutions; Aspen New Voices Fellow
Regina Agyare’s passion
to get women to discover their own voices and pursue their dreams through
technology is why she leads Soronko Solutions, a Ghana-based software
development powerhouse and social enterprise that focuses on using technology
to drive human potential.
Through the development
of apps for the disabled, as well as the use of mobile phones, laptops,
raspberry pi’s and tablets, rural Ghana children are equipped with STEM and
critical thinking skills to fight poverty and solve daily challenges. Recently,
Agyare founded an exciting mentoring program called Tech Needs Girls to teach
girls how to lead and innovate by learning computer coding. Agyare is also an
Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow and a mentor with the Women’s Tech Connect Global Mentoring program.
Jan Chong,
Engineering Manager at Twitter
She’s on Hackbright Academy’s recent list of 21
rising female leaders who are making major marks in the engineering world. As
the engineering manager for the Android team at Twitter, Chong focuses on
developing new technologies that help people integrate work and play into daily
life.
A Stanford graduate and
previous engineering manager at OnLive, Chong’s leadership at Twitter has
helped the 140-character giant show off its scalability prowess by moving from
a single, team-based development model to a project-based development model
that integrates contributions from experts across Twitterland. The outcome has
been the growth of Android code development efforts from three engineers in
2012 to over 70 unique contributors from 10 different teams in 2014.
To watch the progress of
her efforts, visit www.twitter.com. And of course, you can follow
her on her own turf @lessachu.
Science desperately
needs women, and the efforts of these female visionaries are paying off in
young hearts and minds everywhere. It’s through collaboration and the sharing
of knowledge that small steps can lead to big change — which is why we’d love
to have your input.
Have you used any of
these resources in your classroom? Do you know of more women making waves in science?
Let us know in the comments below!