STEM Girls Who Are Changing the World
For centuries, women have worked to change the world, advancing the fields of science and medicine, as well as leading social change. However, grown-ups aren’t the only ones who are making a difference. These young women are creating extraordinary solutions to problems that have stumped adults for decades.
The Super-Fast Supercapacitor
California girl Eesha Khare knows that waiting for a cell phone battery to charge can be frustrating at best, and in an emergency, low cell phone batteries can lead to disaster. She designed an ingenious device that she has named “supercapacitor,” capable of charging a cell phone battery in a mere 20 seconds. By the time she was 18, Eesha won the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award, and technology giant Google expressed interest in her work. Eesha went off to Harvard University with a promise that the supercapacitor is “just the beginning.” She has big plans to make a career out of solving more tough problems through the use of science.
The All-Girl Team Transforming Homelessness
Access to a clean, healthy place to live isn’t guaranteed for many of the world’s citizens. There are people without homes in countries around the world, due to poverty, disaster and war. A team of 12 extraordinary high school girls set their minds to making life easier for those without shelter by inventing a tent that features access to solar-powered electricity. Better still, a system of solar-powered antibacterial UV lights keeps the area clean, so residents can stay healthy.
Cutting Out Cancer
There are massive resources devoted to cancer research, and the world’s top minds have been grappling with this disease for generations. However, it is the work of 18-year-old Angela Zhang that might finally lead to a cure. Angela has created a nanoparticle that she calls a “Swiss Army knife for cancer.” Her particle can find cancer cells, cut them away and monitor the patient’s response to treatment. Angela may be one of the only girls in the world who can say she gave the president a science lesson.
Getting girls interested in science and STEM from an early age is critical to maintaining their interests, and a subscription to Science Expeditions can help them learn about a new concept like solar energy or water filtration every month. Help a girl get interested in science, and maybe she’ll be on this list next year!