Wonder Women of Science: How 12 Geniuses Are Rocking Science, Technology, and the World

by Tiera Fletcher, Ginger Rue, Sally Wern Comport (Illustrator)

Overview

What does it take to be a STEM genius? Check out these exciting, highly readable profiles of a dozen contemporary women who are on the cutting edge of scientific research.

Searching the cosmos for a new Earth. Using math to fight human trafficking. Designing invisible (and safer) cars. Unlocking climate-change secrets. All of this groundbreaking science, and much more, is happening right now, spearheaded by the diverse female scientists and engineers profiled in this book.

Meet award-winning aerospace engineer Tiera Fletcher and twelve other science superstars and hear them tell in their own words not only about their fascinating work, but also about their childhoods and the paths they traveled to get where they are—paths that often involved failures and unexpected changes in direction, but also persistence, serendipity, and brilliant insights. Their careers range from computer scientist to microbiologist to unique specialties that didn’t exist before some amazing women profiled here created them. Here is a book to surprise and inspire not only die-hard science fans, but also those who don’t (yet!) think of themselves as scientists. Back matter includes reading suggestions, an index, a glossary, and some surprising ideas for how to get involved in the world of STEM.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536207347
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/15/2021
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	262,042
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	1050L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Tiera Fletcher is an award-winning aerospace engineer who was hired by NASA directly after graduating from MIT. While working to send humans to Mars and inspire others to achieve their dreams, she was featured in a North Face ad campaign, “Tiera Moves Mountains.” She travels the world with her family.

Ginger Rue is an author and a contributing editor for Guideposts magazine. She lives in Alabama with her husband and their blended family.

Sally Wern Comport is a commercial artist and an award-winning illustrator. She is also principal of Art at Large, Inc., a large-scale environmental graphics studio that has designed and produced exhibitions and public art for numerous museums and institutions. Sally Wern Comport resides in Annapolis, Maryland, with her family.

Table of Contents

Preface Tiera Fletcher 1

Fighting Modern Slavery through Math Davina Durgana 7

Providing Top Medical Care for All Creatures Evelyn Galban 21

Using Computer Science for Serious Fun Cierra Mcdonald 37

Saving the Tapirs (and Rain Forests … and Woods … and Grasslands) 53

Rethinking the Marshmallow Space Suit Dava Newman 67

Unlocking Climate Change Secrets from the Earth and the Ocean Maureen Raymo 79

Using Science for World Peace Mareena Robinson Snowden 91

Cracking Down on the World's Tiniest Stowaways Monsi Román 105

Engineering the Immune System for Tissue Regeneration Kaitlyn Sadtler 121

Searching the Cosmos for Another Earth Sara Seager 135

Safeguarding the Future of Girls with Cancer Teresa Woodruff 147

Driving Automobile Technology to (Literally) Unseen Destinations Minjuan Zhang 159

Acknowledgments 175

Glossary 176

Suggestions for Further STEM Awesomeness 181

Suggestions for Further Reading 185

Photo Credits 188

Index 189

Editorial Reviews

While traditional collective biographies celebrate luminaries from the past, this book introduces 12 women who are actively engaged in STEM fields...Based on interviews with the 12 women, the text includes lengthy quotes, which add a personal tone to each chapter...it’s quite engaging. The color illustrations include some snapshots of these “wonder women” as kids and a creative, full-page portrait of each as an adult, accompanied by visual elements suggestive of her field. In this unusually appealing guide to STEM career pathways, students will find inspiration, motivation, and useful information in equal measure.
—Booklist (starred review)

Brief, inspiring biographies of 12 female scientists are accompanied by interesting information on an array of scientific topics... The women run the gamut, including a forestry engineer, a computer science engineer, and a paleoclimatologist...An invaluable and highly plausible road map from youthful ambition to future success. Outstanding backmatter rounds out this excellent presentation. A fine choice for inspiring future scientists.
—Kirkus (Starred Review)

Whether it’s designing new suits for NASA, working on video game systems, or tracking an endangered species, the women profiled in this title are rockstars in their field. The 12 easy-to-read biographies detail the careers and accomplishments of each woman...This collection can spark readers to follow their passion. Great for those looking to expand their STEM biographies and collected biography sections
—School Library Journal

Profiles of twelve (mostly American) women in STEM-related fields include lots of direct quotes from the subjects, making their paths to success relatable. . . . Career trajectories highlight "The Spark" and "The Eureka Moment"; notes "to Self" and "to You" and "Words to Live By" offer advice to readers.
—The Horn Book

This engaging book introduces 13 women currently working in the scientific community who are making important contributions in a myriad of fields. Readers will meet spacesuit designer Dava Newman, materials engineer and car paint expert Minjuan Zhang, tapir conservationist Patricia Medici, and more inspiring STEM professionals in various specialties. . . . The authors provide excellent and easy-to-understand explanations of science concepts, sometimes within the narrative and other times in sidebars between chapters.
—School Library Connection

For young readers interested in STEM, Wonder Women of Science by aerospace engineer Tiera Fletcher and author Ginger Rue features 12 science superstars on the cutting edge of research.
—Parade

Fletcher, a rocket scientist, collaborated with Rue, a writer, to interview 12 scientists - 13 if you include Fletcher. . . . The women talk about their work, their childhood and how they became the stars they are. They highlight their fears and failures, but in an uplifting manner, conveying the message that young people should pursue a dream regardless of other people’s notions or how hard it is to succeed.
—The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Saving tapirs in Brazil, designing a better space suit, digging in the dirt to study climate change, searching the cosmos for extraterrestrial life. These are examples of work being done by the 12 science superstars featured in this lively collection. . . . The stories are diverse, the tellings are fresh and friendly, and the impact is great.
—Datebook

This collection of brief biographies of woman scientists is compiled by an aerospace engineer and a novelist. This isn’t just biographical information, however, but this book is also full of facts about each woman’s field of study.
—Book Riot

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

Gr 7 Up—Whether it's designing new suits for NASA, working on video game systems, or tracking an endangered species, the women profiled in this title are rockstars in their field. The 12 easy-to-read biographies detail the careers and accomplishments of each woman. Each short section features a fact file, introduction, information on what inspired the woman, her eureka moment, a note to self, a message to readers, and words to live by. Those spotlighted are from various cultures and backgrounds, such as Davina Durgana, an Indian American woman from Dix Hills, NY, who is an award-winning international human rights statistician. An illustrated portrait of the scientist is featured at the start of each entry, with photos throughout. After each section, additional information enhances readers' comprehension of the topics discussed. Chapters provide a basic overview of each woman but are not intimidating in length. This collection can spark readers to follow their passion. VERDICT Great for those looking to expand their STEM biographies and collected biography sections.—Amanda Borgia, Uniondale P.L., NY

School Library Journal

★ 2020-12-25
Brief, inspiring biographies of 12 female scientists are accompanied by interesting information on an array of scientific topics.

Aerospace engineer Fletcher and novelist Rue combine forces to craft an engaging series of biographies of current female scientists working in a variety of fields. Each biography begins with a “Fact File” that includes birthplace, education, current position, and honors the subject has received. Comport’s full-page portraits are complemented by snapshots of the subjects in childhood. The narrative includes information about each woman’s field, what sparked her career choice, a note of advice to her childhood self, suggestions to guide STEM-focused readers, and finally, “Words To Live By”—a few last pithy bits of advice. The women run the gamut, including a forestry engineer, a computer science engineer, and a paleoclimatologist. Each chapter is followed by a couple of pages of additional science background related to the woman’s work. A slightly flippant, breezy, and amusing writing style makes this an easy and engaging read. Each biography includes plenty of information about the scientist’s childhood experiences, making it that much more pertinent for young readers; women of color are well represented. Altogether, it offers an invaluable and highly plausible road map from youthful ambition to future success. Outstanding backmatter rounds out this excellent presentation.

A fine choice for inspiring future scientists. (glossary, tips on success in STEM, further reading, index) (Collective biography. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews