6 Great Books About Women in STEM
by Angela Bourassa
Unless you went to a very progressive high school, you probably learned a lot more about the contributions men have made to science than the contributions women have made. Despite popular misconception, women in the sciences have long been making some of the most important discoveries and advances the world has ever known.
Whether you're looking to expand your knowledge of women in tech or want some light weekend reading, you're sure to find something both informative and enjoyable on this list of six great books about women in STEM.
Blazing the Trail: Essays by Leading Women in Science by Emma Ideal & Rhiannon Meharchand
If your interest in the sciences extends beyond computers -- and even if it doesn't -- this collection of essays from today's leading physicists, chemists, and engineers is an inspiring and thoughtful read worthy of your time. Sharing both career success and personal anecdotes of what it's like to be a working woman scientist today, Blazing the Trail will leave you feeling empowered and inspired.
Charles Babbage wrote a plan for an enormous calculating machine -- what would have been the first computer -- in the 1840s. Ada Lovelace then wrote footnotes for Babbage's work that were three times longer than the original treatise. In those notes, Ada wrote the first ever algorithm meant to be carried out by a machine, and thus she became the mother of computer science.
This fun graphic novel imagines what might have happened if Babbage and Lovelace had actually made the computer they imagined.
Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age by Kurt W. Beyer
Grace Hopper is one of the greatest legends of computer science, male or female. A Navy rear admiral who joined the service after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hopper became one of the leaders of the technical revolution and helped those that followed her see the true potential of software. This intimate and detailed biography will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about this astounding woman.
Nobel Prize Women in Science by Sharon Bertsch McGrayne
An illuminating look at a variety of women who won Nobel prizes in the sciences, this collection chronicles each woman's accomplishments, the obstacles they had to overcome, and their lasting legacies. From Marie Curie to Rosalind Franklin to Barbara McClintock, this dive into the lives of brilliant women is sure to leave every reader brimming with lofty ambition.
The Illustrated Women in Science: Year One by Dale DeBakcsy
To be clear, years two and three should also be purchased alongside this excellent volume. Brimming with biographical details, fun stories, and beautifully illustrated comics, this collection is the perfect book to put on your coffee table or give to the comic-loving tween in your life -- boy or girl.
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
For a lighter read that still has plenty to say about being a woman in science today, Lab Girl is hard to beat. This memoir -- a national bestseller -- will help you see the natural world in a new way and give you a newfound appreciation for the value of friendship and play within the lab.
Make School is a two-year computer science college based in San Francisco that offers a Bachelor's degree in Applied Computer Science. The focus of Make School is providing product-based learning that prepares students for real-world careers in software development. Students graduate with an average salary of $95k.
Learn more about Make School's philosophy, courses, and outcomes at https://www.makeschool.com/computer-science-degree.