STEM Trailblazer Bios
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(3)
Astrophysicist and Space Advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson
by Marne Ventura
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever stared into the night sky, full of stars and planets? As a kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson was star-struck when he first visited a planetarium. The universe was calling him. Tyson pursued his interest in astronomy and studied to be an astrophysicist. In 1996, he became the director of New York's Hayden Planetarium. He is passionate about teaching people about the universe. Known for making science fun and easy to understand, he has hosted and appeared on TV shows such as Nova Science Now and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He even has more than one million Twitter followers! But how did he get there? Follow his path from fascinated kid to popular space expert.
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(2)
Science Educator and Advocate Bill Nye
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you think science is fun and exciting? Bill Nye does. In fact, he wanted to become an astronaut, but NASA rejected his applications. Instead, Nye has spent his career helping other people understand science and showing them how cool science can be.
Nye went to college to become a mechanical engineer, and he got a job working for an aircraft company. But soon, he began focusing more and more on a career in comedy. Eventually, he got his own popular TV show, called Bill Nye the Science Guy. Through songs, skits, and jokes, Nye taught a generation of young people that science is fascinating and important. Learn more about Nye's career as a comedian, TV personality, and passionate science educator.
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(9)
Astronaut and Physicist Sally Ride
by Margaret J. Goldstein
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever dreamed of going to outer space? When Sally Ride was a little girl, she watched on TV as astronaut John Glenn launched into space. Twenty years later, she became the first American woman to go to space.
Ride had loved science since she was young. Some of her teachers thought she was wasting her time studying science, but she went on to earn her PhD in astrophysics anyway. When NASA's astronaut training program opened to women, Ride quickly applied. Some people thought women couldn't handle space flight. But Ride worked hard and proved them all wrong. Later, she became a physics professor and started her own business to encourage young people to study science. Learn more about Ride's career as a NASA astronaut and educator.
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(2)
Google Cybersecurity Expert Parisa Tabriz
by Domenica DiPiazza
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you like to compete against other people? So did cybersecurity engineer Parisa Tabriz. She turned her toughness and her competitive spirit into a job as Google's top security expert.
As a child, Tabriz loved to play games with her brothers-and she played to win. When she couldn't outmuscle them, she tried to outsmart them. In high school, she excelled at math and science. She also liked drawing and painting. She considered a career as an artist and even as a police officer. Years later, Tabriz became an information security engineer at Google. How did she go from battling her brothers to fighting cybercriminals at one of the world's most important tech companies? Read on to learn all about the life of Google's top security brain.
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(2)
Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting to engage reluctant readers! Do you like to gaze at the stars? So did the young Stephen Hawking. Eventually, he turned his fascination with the night sky into a career of trying to figure out how the universe began and how it works.
As a child, Hawking loved the stars and he loved math class. In college, he studied physics and cosmology, or how the universe came to be. But then he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that shuts down the nerves that control muscles. His doctors thought he had two years to live, so Hawking started working hard to meet his goals. He studied black holes and made discoveries that earned him recognition around the world. He wrote several books about the universe to help people understand his ideas. More than fifty years after his diagnosis, Hawking still has ALS, but he continues to ponder the night skies, trying to find one theory that will explain the universe.
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(1)
Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you like to gaze at the stars? So did the young Stephen Hawking. Eventually, he turned his fascination with the night sky into a career of trying to figure out how the universe began and how it works. As a child, Hawking loved the stars and he loved math class. In college, he studied physics and cosmology, or how the universe came to be. But then he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that shuts down the nerves that control muscles. His doctors thought he had two years to live, so Hawking started working hard to meet his goals. He studied black holes and made discoveries that earned him recognition around the world. He wrote several books about the universe to help people understand his ideas. More than fifty years after his diagnosis, Hawking still has ALS, but he continues to ponder the night skies, trying to find one theory that will explain the universe.
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(3)
Inventor, Engineer, and Physicist Nikola Tesla
by Katie Marsico
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever tried to invent something? As a child, Nikola Tesla saw a picture of a waterfall and imagined an invention that would turn the water's energy into electricity. Later, he invented the water wheel, which turned water power into usable energy. As a young adult, Tesla spent his spare time experimenting with electrical equipment. He worked for inventor Thomas Edison, improving power plants and machines that ran on direct current electricity. But Tesla believed electrical distribution could be better. He went on to invent alternating current electricity, which would allow people to distribute electricity over long distances. Learn how Tesla's work eventually made turning on electrical devices as easy as flipping a switch!
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(3)
Astronaut Ellen Ochoa
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
When Ellen Ochoa was young, male American astronauts walked on the moon. But girls were not allowed to be astronauts. Girls didn't often study science either but Ochoa didn't let that stop her. In high school, Ochoa loved math and science. In college, she studied physics and engineering, and later she became a scientist and inventor. Eventually NASA began accepting women into their astronaut training program. While there, Ochoa developed technology, became the first female Hispanic American astronaut, and logged 1,000 hours in outer space. Learn about Ochoa's hard work and perseverance on her journey toward becoming a scientist, inventor, and astronaut.
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(2)
NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
What do you want to be when you grow up? When Katherine Johnson was young, women weren't expected to go into the math and science fields. Johnson loved math, but she never thought she could be a mathematician. After studying math in school and teaching for a few years, she learned that the organization that would later become NASA was hiring women to complete mathematical equations. As an African American woman, Johnson had to work hard to earn the respect of her coworkers, but they soon came to rely on her brilliant calculations. Her contributions to the US space program helped send astronauts to the moon. Learn how Johnson broke barriers as a female African American mathematician.
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(0)
Astronaut and Physicist Sally Ride
by Margaret J. Goldstein
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever dreamed of going to outer space? When Sally Ride was a little girl, she watched on TV as astronaut John Glenn launched into space. Twenty years later, she became the first American woman to go to space. Ride had loved science since she was young. Some of her teachers thought she was wasting her time studying science, but she went on to earn her PhD in astrophysics anyway. When NASA's astronaut training program opened to women, Ride quickly applied. Some people thought women couldn't handle space flight. But Ride worked hard and proved them all wrong. Later, she became a physics professor and started her own business to encourage young people to study science. Learn more about Ride's career as a NASA astronaut and educator.
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(0)
Nuclear Physicist Chien-Shiung Wu
by Valerie Bodden
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Chien-Shiung Wu was a sought-after physics professor, and she also worked on secret government programs. She even helped disprove a major law of physics. Find out how Wu's persistence drove her contributions in the field of physics.
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(1)
Programming Pioneer Ada Lovelace
by Valerie Bodden
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Ada Lovelace loved math and dreaming about new machines. She became friends with inventor and engineer Charles Babbage and realized the full potential of his calculating machines. Find out how Lovelace's determination helped her become the first computer programmer.
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(1)
GoPro Inventor Nick Woodman
by Matt Doeden
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you enjoy snapping photos or taking movies of your adventures? So does Nick Woodman-but when he was growing up, most of his activities weren't camera-safe. Woodman was a diehard surfer. He couldn't hold a camera-or keep it dry-while he was boarding. So many of his memorable moments went unrecorded. As an adult, Woodman set out to invent a camera that's easy to use anywhere. The result was GoPro-a company that builds sturdy, waterproof, wearable cameras. GoPro cameras have been used everywhere from the ocean floor to outer space. They've captured athletic thrills, exotic journeys, and everyday moments on the go. Discover how Woodman turned his tech vision into reality.
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(2)
Environmental Activist Wangari Maathai
by Jennifer Swanson
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever tried to come up with ways to solve a problem in your community? Wangari Maathai worked to solve an environmental crisis and help people at the same time.
When Maathai was young, it was unusual for girls in Kenya to go to school, but she was determined to learn more about science and nature. As an adult, she noticed that people were cutting down too many trees. Maathai knew that forest loss was bad for the health of the environment and people. She started the Green Belt Movement, which educated women in rural villages and paid them for every tree they planted. The program helped plant millions of trees and brought money to the villages. For her environmental and human rights work, Maathai became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
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(3)
Genius Physicist Albert Einstein
by Katie Marsico
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever used your imagination to solve a problem? When Albert Einstein was young, he was fascinated by the way magnetism made a compass work. As an adult, he used thought experiments to solve some of the universe's greatest mysteries. Einstein loved to think about math and science. He worked for a while at a patent office, but his mind wasn't focused on inventions. Instead, he thought about the universe. In 1905, Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity solved questions that scientists had grappled with for hundreds of years. Learn how Einstein's imagination became a powerful tool that helped him understand the nature of space and time.
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(0)
Animal Scientist and Activist Jane Goodall
by Douglas Hustad
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Jane Goodall is one of the world's best-known scientists and activists. But how did she get there? Find out how Goodall's passion for animals helped her become the face of conservationism.
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(0)
Computer Scientist Jean Bartik
by Jennifer Reed
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Jean Bartik started her career doing mathematical calculations for top-secret weapons systems projects during World War II. Later, she helped build and program the first all-electronic computer. Find out how she went from gifted mathematics student to software pioneer.
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(0)
Mathematician and Computer Scientist Grace Hopper
by Andrea Pelleschi
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
After serving in World War II, Grace Hopper helped create a standard computer language-Common Business-Oriented Language, or COBOL. How did Hopper become the "Grandmother of COBOL"? Learn how her outstanding innovations changed the field of computer programming.
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(0)
Environmentalist Rachel Carson
by Douglas Hustad
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Rachel Carson noticed that the pesticides farmers used on crops were harming animals. Her book Silent Spring led to the banning of several dangerous pesticides. Discover how Carson became one of the most influential environmentalists of the twentieth century.
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(1)
YouTube Founders Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim
by Patricia Wooster
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever watched a home video that went viral on the Internet? Then you've probably heard of the company YouTube. YouTube was created by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim in 2005. When these three friends wanted to share a video from a party, they realized they were on to something. They thought other people would want an easy way to share videos online too. The website they built quickly became the most popular online video community in the world. But how did they go from tech-savvy young adults to founders of one of the Internet's most visited sites ? Discover how Chen, Hurley and Karim came together to build an international platform for video sharing.
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(1)
Google Glass and Robotics Innovator Sebastian Thrun
by Marne Ventura
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever wished you could use technology to improve people's lives? Ever since he was a teenager, Sebastian Thrun wanted to build machines that helped people. So far, Thrun has developed robots that can be tour guides and nurses and can help save miners trapped underground. In 2004, he won a US Department of Defense contest by building a car that could drive itself. Since then, the self-driving cars he developed have been tested on more than 140,000 miles (225,308 kilometers) of road without fail! Thrun more recently developed a free website for online education and worked on Google Glass, a computer that can be worn like a pair of eyeglasses. But how did he get involved in all these cool projects? Follow his rise from a computer enthusiast to robotics innovator!
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(2)
Genetics Expert Joanna L. Kelley
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever solved a tricky puzzle? As kids, Joanna Kelley and her siblings had fun solving the math and science challenges their parents invented at the dinner table. Later, Kelly's love of science puzzles inspired her to investigate the building blocks of life. Kelley became a geneticist, a scientist who studies DNA. DNA is the set of instructions inside every living thing-a code that shapes appearance and behavior. Kelley set out to better understand how the code works. She focuses on a wide range of animals, from great apes to tiny insects. What she learns about their DNA can tell scientists a lot about human DNA too. Follow Kelley's path from curious kid to groundbreaking scientist.
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(0)
Vaccine Innovators Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering
by S. Wood
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering were determined to stop the spread of whooping cough, a life-threatening illness. Find out how their passion for problem-solving led them to create a revolutionary vaccine that has saved thousands of lives each year.
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Alternate Reality Game Designer Jane McGonigal
by Anastasia Suen
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you like the challenge and adventure of video games? As Jane McGonigal was growing up, she had fun playing early video games. As an adult, she saw games as an outlet for problem solving and teambuilding. McGonigal started creating alternate reality games (ARGs), which may be based online but take place mainly in the real world. She enjoys challenging others to engage in modern issues and to work together, as in her game World Without Oil and in The Lost Ring, which she created for the 2008 Summer Olympics. McGonigal was named one of the world's top innovators by MIT's Technology Review, and her 2010 TED Talk, "Gaming Can Make a Better World," is one of the most-watched of all time. But how did she get there? Find out how she developed her passion for games to become the public face of game design.
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(1)
Flickr Cofounder and Web Community Creator Caterina Fake
by Patricia Wooster
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you like to take pictures and share them online? Do you like to share comments on photos, places you've been, or articles? If so, you've probably heard of Flickr and other websites that Caterina Fake developed! Fake is always interested in making online sites into communities. She created Flickr and other websites that bring people together to share reviews, photos, thoughts, and more. Companies like Yahoo! and eBay have tapped her talent to make their websites more interactive and tailored to each visitor. But how did she get there? Find out how she went from a gifted student to helping people connect online!
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(0)
Urban Biologist Danielle Lee
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
After earning degrees studying animal behavior, Danielle Lee wanted to share her love of science with young people. Through urban outreach she has brought budding scientists into professional labs. She's walked them through the steps of the scientific method. And she's shown them that science doesn't have to be intimidating. In her popular Urban Scientist blog, Lee shares backyard science and outreach work. She also writes about her own research and other women and people of color. Discover what this influential scientist is doing to encourage the next generation of scientists.
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(1)
Code-Breaker and Mathematician Alan Turing
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever wished that you could do something heroic to help your country? When Alan Turing was a boy, he was fascinated by math and science. Later, Turing's math skills would help Great Britain win World War II. Turing's parents and teachers thought he'd be better off dropping math in favor of more gentlemanly studies, such as literature and Latin. But he stuck with it, and by the start of World War II in 1939, he was ready to take on the biggest challenge his country faced: Nazi Germany. Turing put his advanced knowledge of math to work decoding secret German messages. His ideas not only helped Great Britain turn the tide of the war-they provided the foundation upon which much of modern computing and artificial intelligence is based.
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(1)
Aerospace Engineer Aprille Ericsson
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever built a cool science project? In middle school, Aprille Ericsson won second place in a science fair. She knew she wanted to keep creating amazing science projects. As an adult, she became an engineer and works at NASA building spacecraft. Ericsson was one of the few girls in her middle school who loved math and science. Years later, she became the first woman to receive a PhD in mechanical engineering from Howard University. At NASA, she's helped build spacecraft that can map the moon, monitor climate change, or even bring soil and rocks back from Mars. Learn how Ericsson's passion for science has helped her pave the way for future engineers.
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(1)
iPod and Electronics Visionary Tony Fadell
by Anastasia Suen
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you spend hours tinkering with projects? Do you also love listening to and collecting music? So did inventor Tony Fadell. He combined two of his passions to create the iPod, the world's most popular music player. Even as a child, Fadell was curious about how things worked. He invented a new processor for his computer and sold it to Apple when he was still a teenager! Years later, Apple reached out to Fadell to create an iPod prototype, and he helped lead the team that revolutionized portable music players. How did he go from a curious kid to an innovator in electronics? Read on to find out about his brilliant ideas and remarkable career.
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Theoretical Physicist Brian Greene
by Matt Doeden
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever wondered how the universe began? Growing up, Brian Greene's father taught him to think about the world in different ways. Greene was curious about how it all worked. He set out to find answers to big science questions. At Harvard University, Greene studied physics and was named a Rhodes Scholar, an honor only the most gifted students receive. He was fascinated by the new theories explaining the universe, but he wanted to share his fascination with everyone, not just with fellow scientists. He started writing books and offering free lectures to help ordinary people understand complex ideas. Soon, he was even appearing on TV. Follow Greene's path from curious kid to celebrity scientist.
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(2)
Astrophysicist and Space Advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson
by Marne Ventura
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever stared into the night sky, full of stars and planets? As a kid, Neil deGrasse Tyson was star-struck when he first visited a planetarium. The universe was calling him. Tyson pursued his interest in astronomy and studied to be an astrophysicist. In 1996, he became the director of New York's Hayden Planetarium. He is passionate about teaching people about the universe. Known for making science fun and easy to understand, he has hosted and appeared on TV shows such as Nova ScienceNow and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He even has more than one million Twitter followers! But how did he get there? Follow his path from fascinated kid to popular space expert.
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(6)
Minecraft Creator Markus "Notch" Persson
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you play computer games? If you do, you've probably played Minecraft. When Minecraft creator Markus Persson was young, he wasn't very interested in the games themselves. He was more interested in the programing instructions in the computer's manual. By the time Persson was eight years old, he was writing code for his own computer games.
When he was eighteen, Persson landed his dream job as a video game programmer. In 2009, he designed Minecraft in a single weekend. In the game, players use blocks to build whatever they choose. Persson wanted to let players use their imaginations, and the idea paid off. Today, Minecraft is one of the most popular computer games in the world. Although Persson doubts he will ever top this success, he continues to develop games, while fans wait for what's next.
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(0)
Science Educator and Advocate Bill Nye
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you think science is fun and exciting? Bill Nye does. In fact, he wanted to become an astronaut, but NASA rejected his applications. Instead, Nye has spent his career helping other people understand science and showing them how cool science can be. Nye went to college to become a mechanical engineer, and he got a job working for an aircraft company. But soon, he began focusing more and more on a career in comedy. Eventually, he got his own popular TV show, called Bill Nye the Science Guy. Through songs, skits, and jokes, Nye taught a generation of young people that science is fascinating and important. Learn more about Nye's career as a comedian, TV personality, and passionate science educator.
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(1)
YouTube Founders Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim
by Patricia Wooster
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever watched a home video that went viral on the Internet? Then you've probably heard of the company YouTube.
YouTube was created by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim in 2005. When these three friends wanted to share a video from a party, they realized they were on to something. They thought other people would want an easy way to share videos online too. The website they built quickly became the most popular online video community in the world. But how did they go from tech-savvy young adults to founders of one of the Internet's most visited sites? Discover how Chen, Hurley and Karim came together to build an international platform for video sharing.
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(2)
NASA Astronomer Nancy Grace Roman
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever looked up at the twinkling stars in the night sky? Nancy Grace Roman looked up and never looked back. Roman was fascinated with the stars ever since her mother showed her the constellations. She read every book on astronomy she could find and even started her own neighborhood astronomy club for girls. But many of the people around her didn't think science was the right field for a woman. Academic advisers in high school and even college tried to dissuade Roman from pursuing astronomy. She worked hard to eventually become NASA's first Chief of Astronomy and, ultimately, the "Mother of Hubble." Learn how Roman's passion for astronomy and her tireless work on the Hubble Space Telescope project helped scientists capture breathtaking images of deep space.
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(1)
Mars Science Lab Engineer Diana Trujillo
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
When Diana Trujillo was little, working for NASA was her greatest dream. She loved to gaze at the stars in the sky. She also enjoyed math and art. Then she learned that engineers use math and art in their work. So Trujillo decided to be a NASA engineer. Although she didn't speak English, she was determined to live her dream. Trujillo believed in herself enough to move from Colombia to the United States to learn English. After years of hard work, she earned a degree in aerospace engineering. She quickly got a job at NASA and worked on the Mars rover Curiosity. She became the lead engineer on her team. Today, Trujillo is a mentor to other women and immigrants. She is also a role model to young scientists. She believes everyone can find a connection between what they love and science.
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Computer Engineer Ruchi Sanghvi
by Laura Hamilton Waxman
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever scrolled through a news feed on Facebook? Ruchi Sanghvi helped design this and other Facebook features. She joined Facebook-then a small Silicon Valley startup company-after moving from India to the United States to study computer engineering. With her help, Facebook quickly became one of the largest social networking sites in the world. Sanghvi was the first female engineer at Facebook, and it wasn't easy blazing a trail for women in her field. But nothing stopped her from following her dreams. Her contributions at Facebook helped connect people from around the globe. Even women from Sanghvi's home country of India used Facebook to speak out for equal rights. Discover how this young female immigrant became a top-notch engineer who changed the tech world forever.
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(5)
Theoretical Physicist Stephen Hawking
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you like to gaze at the stars? So did the young Stephen Hawking. Eventually, he turned his fascination with the night sky into a career of trying to figure out how the universe began and how it works. As a child, Hawking loved the stars and he loved math class. In college, he studied physics and cosmology, or how the universe came to be. But then he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that shuts down the nerves that control muscles. His doctors thought he had two years to live, so Hawking started working hard to meet his goals. He studied black holes and made discoveries that earned him recognition around the world. He wrote several books about the universe to help people understand his ideas. More than fifty years after his diagnosis, Hawking still has ALS, but he continues to ponder the night skies, trying to find one theory that will explain the universe.
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(0)
Space Engineer and Scientist Margaret Hamilton
by Domenica DiPiazza
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever watched video of astronauts walking on the moon? Margaret Hamilton programmed software that helped get them there. As a girl, Hamilton loved math and science. She grew up during a time when very few women studied computer science, but Hamilton knew she wanted to write code. As an adult, she worked on NASA's Apollo program, creating computer programs to guide spacecraft to and from the moon. This included the 1969 Apollo 11 mission the first spaceflight that landed humans on the moon. In 2016, Hamilton was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work. Learn how Hamilton's passion for math and computers played a key role in space exploration.
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Facebook Founder and Internet Entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you have friends or family members who use Facebook? That social networking website is the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg. He has helped Facebook grow into a company that has almost one and a half billion users worldwide. Zuckerberg has been interested in computers for a long time. He began writing code when he was just twelve years old. Microsoft even offered to buy one of his programs while he was still in high school. When Zuckerberg created Facebook from his college dorm room, few could have guessed it would become the multibillion-dollar company it is today. Find out how Zuckerberg became a computer programmer who forever changed the way people connect online.
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Genius Physicist Albert Einstein
by Katie Marsico
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Have you ever used your imagination to solve a problem? When Albert Einstein was young, he was fascinated by the way magnetism made a compass work. As an adult, he used thought experiments to solve some of the universe's greatest mysteries. Einstein loved to think about math and science. He worked for a while at a patent office, but his mind wasn't focused on inventions. Instead, he thought about the universe. In 1905, Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity solved questions that scientists had grappled with for hundreds of years. Learn how Einstein's imagination became a powerful tool that helped him understand the nature of space and time.
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(4)
Astronaut Mae Jemison
by Allison Lassieur
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
While watching Star Trek on television as a child, Mae Jemison was certain she would one day visit space. Then she became the first black female NASA astronaut. Find out how Jemison's passion for science led to her achievements.
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Nintendo Video Game Designer Shigeru Miyamoto
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you play video games? If you do, you've probably played a game designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. Miyamoto pioneered a new kind of game based on story and characters, rather than competition with other players. As a child, Miyamoto was fascinated by animated movies. He drew his own cartoons and designed children's toys. In college, Miyamoto studied art and design. He was hired as an artist at Nintendo, a toy company that was just starting to make video games. At Nintendo, Miyamoto designed classic games such as Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. The follow-up Super Mario Bros. became the best-selling video game of its time. Today, Miyamoto still makes popular games for Nintendo, and fans can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
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NASA Mathematician Katherine Johnson
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
What do you want to be when you grow up? When Katherine Johnson was young, women weren't expected to go into the math and science fields. Johnson loved math, but she never thought she could be a mathematician. After studying math in school and teaching for a few years, she learned that the organization that would later become NASA was hiring women to complete mathematical equations. As an African American woman, Johnson had to work hard to earn the respect of her coworkers, but they soon came to rely on her brilliant calculations. Her contributions to the US space program helped send astronauts to the moon. Learn how Johnson broke barriers as a female African American mathematician.
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(15)
Minecraft Creator Markus "Notch" Persson
by Kari Cornell
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Do you play computer games? If you do, you've probably played Minecraft. When Minecraft creator Markus Persson was young, he wasn't very interested in the games themselves. He was more interested in the programing instructions in the computer's manual. By the time Persson was eight years old, he was writing code for his own computer games. When he was eighteen, Persson landed his dream job as a video game programmer. In 2009, he designed Minecraft in a single weekend. In the game, players use blocks to build whatever they choose. Persson wanted to let players use their imaginations, and the idea paid off. Today, Minecraft is one of the most popular computer games in the world. Although Persson doubts he will ever top this success, he continues to develop games, while fans wait for what's next.
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Super Soaker Inventor Lonnie Johnson
by Heather E. Schwartz
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
As a kid, Lonnie Johnson liked to invent things. He often faced prejudice as an African American growing up in the segregated southern United States, but he eventually became an engineer for the US Air Force and NASA. He was working on a different invention when he came up with the idea for a new type of water gun. Johnson knew his toy was more powerful than other squirt guns, he just needed to find a way to make the Super Soaker available to kids all over the country. Learn how Johnson overcame many challenges to become a brilliant engineer and inventor.
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SpaceX and Tesla Motors Engineer Elon Musk
by Matt Doeden
Part of the STEM Trailblazer Bios series
Are you a fan of computers? When Elon Musk was growing up, he taught himself computer programming so he could design his own games. As an adult, he set out to design much more complex tech inventions. Musk started his first tech company when he was twenty-four and quickly made a fortune. Then he moved on to bigger projects. He started a company called SpaceX to build reusable rockets-and possibly pave the way for a human settlement on Mars. His other company, Tesla Motors, makes electric cars, which Musk hopes will replace gas-powered vehicles. Then there's the Hyperloop, Musk's vision for a superfast new form of transportation. Find out how Musk defied the odds to build his tech empire-and maybe even change the world.
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