Said my neighbour, when DD (14) told her she wants to do robotics, with a view to designing body implants etc. I think neighbour's view is still quite widely held, so I wanted to share something I just saw on Twitter & Facebook (pic & below).
I don't work for them (!), just want to share some positive science-for-girls stuff.
Meet the Rocket Girls
"In the 1940s, an elite team of mathematicians and scientists started working on a project that would carry the U.S. into space, then on to the moon and Mars. They would eventually become NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (or JPL), but here's what made them so unusual: Many of the people who charted the course to space exploration were women. Nathalia Holt tells their story in her book, 'Rise of the Rocket Girls' Holt tells NPR's Ari Shapiro that the women worked as 'computers.'
'In a time before the digital devices that we're used to today, it was humans that were doing the calculations,' she says. 'And so you needed these teams of people — many of whom were women, especially during World War II — and they were responsible for the math.'... Today, Holt says, 'There is hardly a mission that you can find in NASA that these women haven't touched.'"
Holt hopes that her book will inspire girls and women of all ages to pursue their interests in science and technology: "My hope is that these women serve as role models, not just for my daughter of course, but for all of the women that are interested in science. It's a difficult time for women in technology right now. In 1984, 37 percent of all bachelor's degrees in computer science were awarded to women, and today that number has dropped to 18 percent. And even for women that are working in science today, it's about half of all women that leave midcareer. So I think these stories are important for inspiring and being role models that are so much needed for women today."
"Rise of the Rocket Girls" is highly recommended for adult readers at amzn.to/2pyPRw4
There is also an excellent film that tells the story of the important role three pioneering African American women played in early U.S. space program, "Hidden Figures," for ages 9 and up at www.amightygirl.com/hidden-figures-film
The book on which "Hidden Figures" is based is available at amzn.to/2j3PS8k -- and in a young readers' edition for ages 8 to 12 at www.amightygirl.com/hidden-figures-young-readers
Katherine Johnson is also the subject of a new picture book for ages 5 to 9 (www.amightygirl.com/counting-on-katherine) and an early chapter book for ages 6 to 8 (www.amightygirl.com/katherine-johnson)
To inspire your Mighty Girl with stories starring girls who love science, we've shared our favorite children's books about women in science in our blog post, "60 Books to Inspire Science-Loving Mighty Girls," at www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=13914
And, if you'd like to encourage your children's interest in science, you can find many girl-empowering science toys and kits in our post, "Top 60 Science Toys for Mighty Girls" at www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=10528