“In the 1940s, an elite team of mathematicians and scientists started working on a project that would carry the U.S. into space, then on to the moon and Mars. They would eventually become NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (or JPL) [in California], but here’s what made them so unusual: Many of the people who charted the course to space exploration were women.” Their story is told by author Nathalia Holt in her book, ‘Rise of the Rocket Girls,’ a timely read for this week’s Computer Science Education Week!
“‘In a time before the digital devices that we’re used to today, it was humans that were doing the calculations,’ Holt explains. ‘And so you needed these teams of people — many of whom were women, especially during World War II — and they were responsible for the math.’… Today, she says, ‘There is hardly a mission that you can find in NASA that these women haven’t touched.'”
Holt hopes that her book will inspire girls and women of all ages to pursue their interests in science and technology: “My hope is that these women serve as role models, not just for my daughter of course, but for all of the women that are interested in science. It’s a difficult time for women in technology right now. In 1984, 37 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in computer science were awarded to women, and today that number has dropped to 18 percent. And even for women that are working in science today, it’s about half of all women that leave midcareer. So I think these stories are important for inspiring and being role models that are so much needed for women today.”
“Rise of the Rocket Girls” is highly recommended for adult readers at https://www.amightygirl.com/rise-of-the-rocket-girls
To introduce kids to more trailblazing women of NASA, we recommend “Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space” for ages 7 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/galaxy-girls) and “Gutsy Girls Go For Science: Astronauts” for ages 8 to 12 (https://www.amightygirl.com/gutsy-girls-astronauts)
For a fun doll for young space lovers, we recommend the Astrophysicist Doll for ages 3 to 7 at https://www.amightygirl.com/astrophysicist-doll
For coding kits and toys to encourage kids’ interest in programming at every age, visit the ‘Coding & Robotics’ section of our 2023 Holiday Gift Guide at https://www.amightygirl.com/holiday-guide
To listen to Holt’s interview on NPR, visit http://n.pr/1Ye6uaE
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