AAPI Book List

We put together a reading list for you and your family to read, learn from, and explore in celebration and respect for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Queen of Physics: How Wu Chien Shiung Helped Unlock the Secrets of the Atom

by Teresa Robeson

Asians-Americans Who Inspire

by Analiza Quiroz Wolf

It Began with a Page

by Kyo Maclear

Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas

by Natasha Kim 

Eyes that Kiss the Corners

by Joanna Ho (Author), Dung Ho (Illustrator)

Measuring Up

by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu

Star Gazing

by Jen Wang

The Name Jar

by Yangsook Choi

Meet Yasmin!

by Saadia Faruqi

The Most Beautiful Thing

by Kao Kalia Yang and Khoa Le

The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee

by Julie Lueng

The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid

by Jeanette Winter

Malala’s Magic Pencil

by Malala Yousafzai

Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines

by Jeanne Walker Harvey (Author), Dow Phumiruk (Illustrator)

Free as a Bird: The Story of Malala

by Lina Maslo 

Netra Unni Rajesh

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Netra Unni Rajesh

Bio Engineering PhD Student @ Stanford University

Netra’s passion for STEM began in high school and led her to some incredible research experience. We are so excited to hear about her education journey and about the work she is doing in the bio engineering field. Click on the YouTube video below to view Netra’s conversation with Girlstart!

SUMMER CAMP 2021 STEM CREW

Meet the Summer Camp STEM CREW who will be mentoring and teaching your Girlstart students this summer!

Sarah Elizabeth Olivera

What do you want camprs to take away/learn from you this summer?
That it’s ok to not know the answer to everything, asking for help should be welcomed and encouraged, and creativity counts for more thank you think!

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I am excited to meet and work with all our campers and help get them excited about learning and taking creative approaches to problems!

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
I firmly believe that everyone has a place in STEM, and want to be part of an organization whose mission it is to extend the opportunity to be exposed to STEM concepts in a comfortable and nurturing environment.

Haley Mitchell

What do you want camprs to take away/learn from you this summer?
I would love for our girls to leave camp with a sense of wonder that makes them excited to use the rest of their summer to continue exploring STEM!

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
Getting to work in the office! I miss it there!

Sarah Beamer

What do you want camprs to take away/learn from you this summer?
I want the campers to find something that excites them and to not be afraid to learn more. I want them to be optimistic about their futures, and to not be afraid to take a leap of faith for things that make them happy.

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I was a first year STEM Crew last year when we taught camp from Zoom, and that was so rewarding because Girlstart was the highlight of many girls’ summers due to COVID. I wanted to be a returning STEM Crew this summer because I want to be able to experience Girlstart in-person, and give those girls the same excitement they had last summer. I can’t wait to inspire the girls who attend the in-person camp, and also the girls who choose to attend through Zoom.

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
I was a Girlstart camper when I was a girl, and coming from a family where nobody was in STEM related career, it really sparked my interest in the STEM field. I can confidently say it was the first moment I decided I wanted to be a woman in STEM. Because I had such an impactful experience, I wanted to be the same inspiration to the next generation of girls.

Miriam Fisher

What do you want campers to take away/learn from you this summer?
I hope that the girls learn that there is so much creativity involved in science.

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I am most excited to teach girls who are passionate and excited to learn even outside of the school year.

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
Girlstart is important to me because I love what the organization stands for and would have loved to be in a program like it when I was younger.

Derrica McDowell

What do you want campers to take away/learn from you this summer?
I want campers to take away from this summer that it’s fun to be excited to learn and question all things STEM.

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I am very excited to have the option for camp to be back in person! Also, Camp Hermione.

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
I wanted to work with Girlstart this summer so I can learn and experience new things with the campers, volunteers, and other STEM Crew.

 

Caitlyn Shields

What do you want campers to take away/learn from you this summer?
I want campers to learn about all the different topics that are encompassed in STEM and I want them to take away the knowledge that there is nothing stopping them from going after their dreams!

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I am most excited for the wonderful camp themes we have this year! They are all going to be so much fun and I can’t wait to experience all of the excitement with the campers.

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
I wanted to work with Girlstart this summer because I’m really proud to be part of an organization that values STEM education and the education of young girls. I was so excited by the summer camp themes and the idea that I could be a part of such an enriching and fun camp experience!

 

 

 

Katia Elizabeth Davis

What do you want campers to take away/learn from you this summer?
I want campers to learn that learning can actually be a fun and very interactive time especially with all the experiments.

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I am so excited to get to know all the girls throughout the summer and all excitement that shows up in the girls when we start an experiment.

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
Girlstart is important to me because it allows girls to have role models that I never really had when I was young. I want to help invigorate girls to be excited in STEM subjects and believe that any dream they believe in can be achieved.

 

 

 

Danielle Dinderman

What do you want campers to take away/learn from you this summer?
I want campers to know that they have the power to accomplish anything they set their mind to!

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
Teaching is my life’s purpose and I’m excited to get to do it over the summer for the first time!

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
Working with Girlstart is important to me because as a former Engineering major, I experienced the effects that discrimination in STEM can have. I decided to become a math and science teacher instead so I could empower students starting at a young age so they can be prepared to pursue STEM careers, and Girlstart gives me a space to do just that!

 

 

Karla Desatnik

What do you want campers to take away/learn from you this summer?
I would love for campers to appreciate the beauty in science and natural phenomena. As we learn about these, I want us to dive deep into concepts, but never forgetting to embrace our inner child when we see cool results. Finally, I want us to remember that we are products of the concepts we’ll explore and that everything that has ever been known exists because of simple scientific and mathematical facts.

What excites you most about working with Girlstart this summer?
I am excited to explore and discover thrilling science concepts with campers who are beginning to wonder about the complexities of natural life!

Why did you want to work with Girlstart this summer or why is Girlstart important to you?
I grew up doing science experiments and practicing math skills with my Dad and sister, so I can’t wait to continue this tradition as an adult with a new generation of explorers. I think an understanding of how physical things work is essential to be informed and humble, but also appreciative of natural life, so learning about this with young knowledge-seekers is a great way to continue this.

Debisree Ray

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Debisree Ray

Data Scientist @ Big River Steel LLC

As a woman in STEM, Debisree wants to share and offer knowledge to help develop the next generation of female leaders. We are so captivated by her authenticity and vulnerability in telling her story and cannot wait to hear what she has to say today!

What sparked your interest in Girlstart?
Girlstart is a platform that has been successfully helping to develop and empower the bright and future female leaders of the society. As a woman in STEM myself, I would love to share and impart my knowledge as well as show my battle scars to develop this bright generation. We often find bright young girls shying away from the STEM fields or in need of some guidance. With my meager experience, I would like to reassure them and hold their hand through their journey as they take a potential step towards the future.

Was there anything specific that led you to your STEM career?
Yes, definitely.

1. When I was in primary school, I was fortunate to have a math teacher (Mr. Niren Brahma), who was very motivating. He used to teach much harder math than the actual scope of the course. I still believe that he has been the best teacher in my life so far. He made us think (for solving problems) in the classroom and wanted us to grow a crystal clear mathematical concept. I was one of his favorite students, and he envisioned me as a scientist in the future. I think that is the reason that I have always wanted to pursue the STEM field.

2. During middle school (it was an all-girls school), an alumnus (Dr. Sushan Konar, theoretical astrophysicist) visited the school to deliver a lecture to us. The talk was about the physics of the stellar objects in the universe. It was lucid, however, extremely scientific. It was an eye-opener for me and extremely motivating. I probably decided on that day that I am going to study Physics, no matter what. She became my role model on that day. Sounds melodramatic? Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction!

Can you describe your career?
I have always been fascinated by the physical laws of nature and the universe. That was the driving force for me to study STEM and follow a path of higher education. I have formal training (under-graduation, and the masters) in Physics. After getting exposed to various aspects of theoretical and experimental Physics, I decided to pursue Computational Nuclear Structure Physics for my doctoral studies, that led me to achieve a Ph.D. in 2017.

As explicitly explained in the Forbes article [1], it is evident that ‘the Data is the new oil.’ With an increase in the usage of electronic gadgets worldwide, the data pull is enormous. The ease of availability of this massive data has ensured that major business decisions are highly reliant on these hidden data patterns. Nowadays, there is a huge inflow of PhDs (including me) into the industries from academia. Most enterprises’ data teams are employing Ph.D. graduates with a background as academic researchers to deal with a complicated data-driven business problem. The real-world data scenario is noisy, unstructured, and complicated. Every data problem is different. Depending on the particular domain and the business problem, a data scientist needs to take a different approach. The data scientists are goal-driven versatile professionals who have to connect all the dots from data patterns to present the story to stakeholders; the main goal is helping enterprises with major decision-making and developing predicting models for future business directions. A data scientist needs to be a certain degree of an all-rounder. The typical job demands every bit of different aspects attached to it, such as the technical/engineering aspect, the scientific aspect (analytics), an aesthetic aspect (data visualization), and a storytelling aspect. As a Ph.D., I was trained to tackle similar problems objectively, thus making Data Science my dream job.

Although my primary research experience (most of my research publications and citations) endorse me being called an expert in nuclear physics; my eventual expertise (during my graduate and post-doctoral days) ensured me grow as a data science professional. This is how, with rigorous training in basic sciences and an intense and unique problem-solving outlook through computer coding and data handling shaped me as a data scientist. I believe that now I work as a scientist in a more real-world scenario, intending to demystify data. I call myself a data-nerd.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/15/data-is-the-new-oil-and-thats-a-good-thing/?sh=5abc09b07304

What are your favorite things about your field?
In industry or academic research (employing STEM), my absolute favorite thing is constant learning. I love the way I have to study and learn new things/techniques while working and implementing simultaneously.

What projects have you worked on?
During the Ph.D., I have worked on several computational projects in nuclear structure physics. The major one was to predict the nuclear driplines and landscape in covariant density functional theory. However, now as I have shifted towards Data and AI, my projects are around anomaly detection and prediction in the steel manufacturing industry, leveraging the power of Data and Machine Learning methodologies.

Why is confidence for girls in STEM so important?
The STEM fields employ a typical cutthroat attitude, especially in research. To survive in this relatively harsher environment, women should be more determined and confident in all their endeavors to succeed. Moreover, research in the STEM field often involves presenting your findings to your peers. A sheer determination is absolutely necessary to demonstrate the years of hard work confidently to your peers.

What words of encouragement would you share with girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career?
A confident woman is a key to a better society. Throughout your journey in the STEM field, life will throw you a lot of curveballs. Don’t get down and disappointed. It happens to everyone. The key is, however, to pick yourself back up and refocus on your goals. Remember, everybody has bad days. It is important to learn how you can dodge them and put them in your rearview mirror.

What is your greatest accomplishment?
“I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself, I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” – If Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest scientists in the history of humanity felt this way, then who am I to talk about the accomplishments?

Do you have anything else you would like to add?
Girls, throughout the world, need to be even more united to solve their problems. Only Education and a scientific mindset can change the world.