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Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper

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.

Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper
Retired Navy Captain and Astronaut

Today we are honored to interview Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper, a retired Navy Captain and Astronaut. Check out our conversation below!

Heide is also a member of AstraFemina, a non-profit organization of women who are leaders in STEM fields, with a mission to Inspire Today’s Girls to Become Tomorrow’s STEM Stars by sharing their stories.

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Layne Husted

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.

Layne Husted
Sr. Systems Technologist @ Motorola Solutions

Layne is an accomplished field engineer who is starting her Girlstart volunteer journey with this series. Following the lead of someone who changed her life early on, Layne hopes to inspire young girls to aspire to great things.

What advice do you have for Girlstart girls who are considering a path in STEM?
My best advice? Don’t be afraid to fall. My best learning moments have been when I fell and had to make the choice to get back up even though it hurt and sometimes, I didn’t want to because it was painful. Learn to realize that if you fall it is a lesson and that you can’t stay down. Cry or talk to your friends to find strength, but always get up again and don’t let the past make you afraid to move forward. Remind yourself when those moments happen that you can make it through and will make it. But most importantly – don’t let the past keep you from truly living. We get one life to live and I believe that the biggest tragedy in life is being so afraid of failing that you play it safe and never truly challenge yourself to know how deep you can go if you push yourself.

What is your favorite thing about being a Systems Technologist?
The freedom and flexibility found in this field. You have the ability to be whatever you want and go wherever you want in this field. How far you decide to go in this field is determined by your ingenuity, drive, and desire.

Why do you think instilling STEM confidence in girls is important?
Confidence is important because too many girls believe that the STEM fields are for men and that the math/programming/theories/methods you take in a STEM field are too difficult. It’s important to instill in girls that they are every bit as capable as guys at engaging in these fields because we need women in this field. Women bring thoughts, ideas, and opinions that are unique – it’s important that those thoughts get heard in the STEM field.

Is there anything else you want to add?
STEM is a rewarding field; it’s limited only by your ingenuity, drive, and how far you determine you want to go. It has so many options for growth and avenues you can explore as you get into the field. I started out as a programmer and it wasn’t for me; because I had an interest even back in college in systems work, I decided to try being a systems analyst. Now, three years later, I work as a systems engineer and love what I do. I’m challenged, get to travel, and have met many amazing people who share my love for technology. The point of this? Don’t be afraid to say that something isn’t for you and to change direction. It’s okay to admit something isn’t your cup of tea and that you want to make a change. STEM is amazing because you have so many options. If one door isn’t right for you there is always another door you can try that may be a better fit for you.

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Dr. Bhagyashree Birla

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.

Dr. Bhagyashree Birla
Genomics Applications Scientist @ QIAGEN

Bhagyashree is joining Girlstart to encourage more girls to study STEM. Now that she is in a position in her career to be able to lead by example, she wants to share her story in the hopes of inspiring more young girls to pursue STEM fields.

What is your favorite memory from volunteering with Girlstart?
I had volunteered at the Girlstart Summer camp and explained some concepts of genetics to middle school girls through a fun story and group activity. It was fantastic to see girls getting involved in the discussion and answering many of the questions correctly!

Do you have any words of encouragement for girls that may want to pursue STEM?
I would advise young girls to find a subject that piques their interest and find opportunities to learn more about it, including college courses that they can take later on and the various jobs available in that field. Do not let anyone tell you that you are not good enough or there are less opportunities for women in STEM. If you are confident that you are good at what you do, no one can stop you from achieving your dreams.

Was there anyone specific in your life that encouraged your career in STEM?
My parents always encouraged me to find my interests and pursue a field that was different from the traditional Doctor or Engineer path that were common in India when I was growing up. It was during high school that we had a teacher who was a recent Masters graduate in Biotechnology. It was a very nascent field at the time, but she displayed deep knowledge of the subject and explained the concepts quite clearly. She talked about new discoveries like cloning and genetic engineering excitedly, which piqued my interest in these technologies greatly, and led me to decide that I wanted to pursue the applied biological sciences for a career.

Can you describe a little bit of what you do and some of your favorite things about it?
Genomics is the study of whole genomes of organisms, and incorporates elements from genetics. It is an interdisciplinary field that uses a combination of DNA sequencing methods, and bioinformatics to sequence, assemble, and analyze the data to understand the structure and function of genomes.

I got interested in this field during the latter part of my Ph.D. studies and decided to pursue it as my career. I now work as an Application Scientist who helps academic researchers and scientists at biopharma companies design their next-generation sequencing experiments that helps them achieve their research goals successfully. It’s very exciting to be part of a field that has evolved over just the last decade or two and continues to advance every day. There is always something new to learn every day and new technologies that are launched which keeps the spark alive and prevents my work from becoming monotonous.

Why do you think confidence in STEM is important for girls?
Women are still under-represented in many of the STEM fields. It is hard to avoid negative remarks from extended family or friends who are not aware of the career opportunities in these fields. It is extremely important that girls have confidence in themselves and their passion in STEM so that they don’t lose focus from their professional and life goals.

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Kandice Whalen

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.

Kandice Whalen
Quality Engineer @ MilliporeSigma

Kandice is getting involved with Girlstart after joining a company wide effort to engage girls in STEM. We are so thrilled to have her on the blog today speaking about her unique journey into her STEM career!

What exactly does a Quality Engineer do, and what are some of your favorite aspects of your job?
I work with a team from engineering, production & quality to ensure that our products are safe for customers. I try to balance the demands of production while maintaining quality and the customer in mind. I love working with my team to solve problems together. My team is like a family, and that makes work seem like a breeze. I enjoy the high stress & pressure of my job and I feel like at the end of the day I am making a difference. I think the challenging environment keeps me interested and engaged.

Reflecting on your own career path, do you have any words of encouragement for girls who are interested in going into STEM?
Do it! If you’re interested in something, go for it. If you have a curiosity about something, look it up, find out about it. Don’t be afraid to speak up, to reach out. Don’t let others get in your way or make you feel like your opinion does not matter because you are a girl. And most importantly don’t doubt yourself. My life really began when I stopped doubting myself and listened to my gut.

Was there any specific influence in your life that pushed you towards a STEM career?
I had no direction or major when I started college, then I took a microbiology course and I was hooked. I fell in love with microbiology and I knew I wanted to have a career in science. But if I am being honest, it started way before then. I was always very curious and I loved science ever since I was a kid. I used to watch Mr. Wizard on PBS and walk to the library in town to get books on chemistry experiments for kids. I’d make my babysitter do them with me when my parents were out because it was often messy.

Why is confidence in STEM important for girls?
I think it is important for girls to know they have a place in STEM and they can make a difference. I think it is vital that girls, especially in times of social media, understand that a passion for education and a curious mind are enviable traits. It’s empowering to know that I steer my own ship personally, professionally and financially. At the end of the day it makes me feel good inside, gives me confidence and purpose and I feel this way through STEM; and I think that’s an important message to share. I think for me too, my personal journey needed confidence to begin. I did not have a traditional path to being a scientist. It took me 6 years to graduate from a 2-year college, with terrible grades. I bartended and was a housekeeper at a hospital. I was on food stamps. I did not see myself as a career professional and I was sure no one else saw me that way either. After 6 years of underestimating myself I applied to a BS program. I fell in love with science again! I got a 3.8 GPA and I felt amazing; I then went on to apply to a grad school I thought was way out of my league, but my confidence was boosted from my BS degree. I got in! I’m about to graduate from my dream grad school with the same GPA. That confidence spilled over to work, and I just got promoted again. Trust me. Confidence is EVERYTHING.

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