Fostering STEM Interest in Tomorrow’s Female Leaders

Female-led innovation has long been an important part of our world. So much would be different without the intrepid women inventors, founders and leaders who came before us. These women used their intelligence and talent and created inventions and technologies that revolutionized the way we get things done. We call these women “trailblazers” for a reason. They had to overcome bias, obstacles and outright rejection from naysayers, but did so with confidence and entrepreneurial spirit.

Developing interest in STEM

Thanks to these celebrated women, there’s never been a better time to raise a daughter who has interest in STEM. Many employers, professional organizations, and schools are reaching out to talented young women, engaging them with camps, clubs, internships and other programs. These provide hands-on experience. Science, tech and engineering activity sets are also less gendered than they once were, and some target girls directly.

Celebrating women engineers

It’s a great time to join your STEM-focused young lady in learning more about the female engineers who’ve sculpted our world.

• One of the world’s first computer programmers was female. Ada Lovelace, the daughter of famed poet Lord Byron, is remembered both as one of the first programmers and as the creator of the world’s first algorithm, which at the time consisted of a series of instructions carried out by a machine.
• Though most know her as a stage and screen actress, Austrian Hedy Lamarr also contributed to the creation of spread spectrum torpedo-jamming technology. This aided Americans in World War II and was the basis for the wireless Internet we enjoy today.
• Remembered as America’s most prolific female inventor, Beulah Louise Henry created 110 inventions in her life, patenting 49 of them. She went on to open two factories devoted to the manufacture of her patents and served as a consultant at several other factories which made her products. Her inventions largely centered around revolutionizing domestic life.

To meet even more historical women of STEM, share this fun and educational visualization from We the Parents.