Join the conversation on STEM education and help nurture the next generation of visionaries

Sarah Donnelly

A trailblazer in STEM for me is Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Her work in theoretical physics is amazing. I'm an alum of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and am super proud that she has served as RPI's president from 1999-2022.

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/shirley-ann-jackson-41

nicolewestrich

Emily Calandrelli, as I know her "The Space Gal" has been inspirational watching her share constant updates on all things space. She is huge in the STEM community and as a science communicator.

Amy B

In high school I was inspired to pursue a career in Geography and later GIS by an amazing geography teacher. She was an adventurer who traveled to many places and talked about the importance of understanding the relationships (physical and cultural) that influence geography. I loved that she focused on understanding instead of memorization even before the internet was the tool it is now. She had spirit and passion that was contagious. And she did it all in the tallest high heels I'd ever seen! Thank you, Ms. Rosno!

adp_cl

My fifth-grade teacher helped me appreciate the beauty that is present in mathematics. She also gave us a reprieve on homework on Mondays if Alabama football won over the weekend. That was a magical fall as a Rolling Tide fan. Thank you, Miss Henshaw, wherever you are!

DanniP

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/400189#Comment_400189

Came here for this one! The inspiration for my 9-year old's "bottle buddy".

Amit Wadhwani

Every human being has their own story which can inspire others. Though I've been inspired by many women around me with their exceptional skillsets that outperform men, but talking about STEM, I've always admired Kaplana Chawla. She was an Indian-born American astronaut and aerospace engineer who was the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space. She inspired many young girls in India, who started considering astronautics as a possible way of living their lives.

Unfortunately, during her second flight, she died along with 6 other crew members in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

AmelieAtInvoka

In my post, I want to celebrate this woman who wrote 1750 Wikipedia bios of underappreciated women scientists if this is not a genuine act of kindness!

https://medium.com/spread-the-ripple/how-a-kind-scientist-wrote-1750-wikipedia-bios-of-underappreciated-women-scientists-8f8df91e51ed

Kaveri Vipat

In my life, I've been inspired by many women, but my school teacher, Sartia Tejwani, is simply remarkable. I still recall her teaching style in the Science subject, which made it easy to comprehend and apply in our daily lives.

Monicacraven

As I read all these posts I realized that the most unfortunate thing would be how hard I had to think to come up with the name of a unique female scientist that isn't already listed. There are so many who have made significant contributions and yet their names are not known or widely publicized. I wish that weren't the case and I hope we can help make that better.

RebSchr

A lot of great women have already been mentioned. I am thankful the STEM programs out there. When I went to school for Electronics, I was the only female in most of my classes. I was overlooked and dismissed because I was a female. The STEM programs inspired me to do more, that there were lots of women in the science / technical industry and there was not reason why I couldn’t be one of them.   Seeing women like Creola Johnson working at NASA, was a huge inspiration.  Knowing that there was a possibility that one day that I could work at NASA, was life changing. I wanted to be an electronics engineer and work there. In the end, due to life, I ended up in the Healthcare IT industry. While it is not NASA, what I do everyday can impact a patients life and patients safety.   

Ray Lindstrom

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/403783#Comment_403783

That's so neat! I love it!! Thanks for sharing! 🚀

Janelle

Unfortunately, when I was growing up, I was not given a chance to have someone to look up to. It is encouraging to see all the amazing stories of success that people have had. I'm happy there are women now that my granddaughters can look up to.

Phil Wightman

This is a hack to get my STEM badge.

The women in STEM roles across the Victorian Public Sector(VPS) inspire me. I know this as I have been supporting the annual Ada Lovelace celebration of Women in STEM in the VPS since its inception in 2019. Each year I present to the speaking cohort on speech craft and how to engage the audience. I then work 1:1 with each speaker to develop, refine and practice their speech so they nail it on the day. I help them find a them or a linguistic prop, I help them with using humour and making good uses of pauses.

Hearing their stories through their speeches on the day gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Seeing and hearing how the audience responds to what they say and how they say it gives me a real buzz too.

Link to the online event in 2022. https://youtu.be/I2LEnREdOYU?si=zaW_6Ws7IAJXuPFT

Rowena

I'm so blessed with STEM they made me realize the #GirlPower

"If I can do this.....What else can I do"

Surrounded by the right people with the amazing mindsets and support, I couldn't ask for more.

Will.Parente

My person that inspires me in STEM is my younger sister Robin. My sisters and I had a pretty chaotic upbringing for many reasons and each had our own struggles. I moved out of the house before Robin, my youngest sister, entered high school so when I left she was basically a child.

I never lost touch with my sister but I did not stay as involved in her life as I could have. So, when she was off in college and I had the chance to visit with her I was blown away by her knowledge of data and analytics! Later in life when I went back to grad school I even had to call her and ask for help on a topic I couldn't wrap my head around and she walked me through it with the patience of a saint!

It was at this point I realized that both of my sisters are smarter than I am.

Robin and I now live in the same city and I enjoy listening to her stories about work, about statistics, and about how she has to navigate her world as a woman in STEM.

She crushes it. I find her to be an amazing woman and I am thrilled my daughter gets to grow up with her as a role model.