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.
Ellen Goodwin
Co-Founder and CSO @ Artifcts
Meet Artifcts Co-Founder, Ellen Goodwin, a Girlstart parent and Woman in STEM! Read more about Ellen’s career and why she’s involved with Girlstart.
Briefly describe your career journey.
I started out in public policy and government (CIA), before moving into the private sector as the chief solutions officer for a data technology company, and now I’m an entrepreneur!
What are your favorite things about your career?
I solve problems that help ordinary people like me every day, no matter their age or background, and help people to connect and know each other better without the pressures of social media, news, or ads. Building my company now, many years into the crowded field of social media, we are able to learn from the mistakes and successes of giants in the field to build something to make the world a better place.
Was there a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to your STEM career?
Knowledge is power, and I learned that in school when I learned about why we went to war in Iraq. That inspired me to always understand the processes and the data that was behind the decisions being made in companies, in governments, in my own life. But information is not always where we need it when we need it or easy to use. I was inspired by a mentor who believed that someone with my non-engineering background could make a big difference by bringing my unique skills into an engineer-dominated environment. The rest is history!
What sparked your interest and made you want to volunteer with Girlstart?
Two sparks, really. First, I interned long ago at CU Boulder’s engineering school, helping a team of freshman engineering students bring their invention to life through marketing and technical writing. I learned that these students were brilliant engineers but the school system had let them ignore critical communication skills (writing, presenting etc.). Second, my daughter attended a Girlstart summer camp and brought home a catapult that she built. She decided to Artifct it because she was proud of it and the process she went through to create it. I want all kids to have a chance to proudly document their creations, describe them in their own words, and share those experiences with their peers, teachers, parents and guardians – bring their loved ones with them into the world of STEM!
What is your favorite Girlstart moment (event, time you volunteered, etc.)?
Back in 2017 or so a few neighborhood families attended an open house together at Girlstart. I remember a Girlstart volunteer who was on the floor with the kids working with these robots to show the girls how small changes in the color coded logic could recalibrate how the robots responded to the obstacle course. The kids got it. Immediately. No matter how frustrated some girls were at the outset, or maybe how intimidated, they stuck with it. I wanted Girlstart to thrive so that perseverance could be rewarded and bolstered.
What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career? What words of encouragement would you share with them?
Find the science in the every day, learn what excites you, and pursue it. Curious as to why that cake won’t rise, slime gets hard, skateboard colors fade, your headphones are full of static? Science has answers and you might one day have better solutions. But never for a moment think that the “other” subjects do not matter. Stay well rounded and make sure you understand how to finance your dream, present to customers, write your patent, know how legislation affects your work, … put your work into the context of the world around you.
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