Celebrate Women in STEM

For Women’s History Month we’ve decided to focus on the history and importance of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).  

We have a selection of books at the front of the library available for adults and children.  

Adult books: 

cover of Broad Band

Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by Claire L. Evans explores the contributions of women to computer science. Women profiled in this book include Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Elizabeth "Jake" Feinler, Stacy Horn and others.  

Cover of The Future of Tech is Female

The Future of Tech Is Female: How to Achieve Gender Diversity by Douglas M. Branson discusses the importance of women in tech leadership and current systemic struggles women face in the technology field. Branson offers solutions for creating a more inclusive and equitable tech culture for women.  

Cover of Women and Ideas in Engineering

Women and Ideas in Engineering: Twelve Stories from Illinois by Laura D. Hahn and Angela S. Wolters details the lives and contributions of some of the first women engineers to graduate from College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. Hahn and Wolters also show how the field of engineering has changed for current women students and recent graduates of the college.  

Children’s Books:  

Cover of Shark Lady

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating is a beautifully illustrated story about Eugenie Clark’s childhood fascination with sharks and how she grew up to become a scientist and deep-sea diver who studies sharks.  

Cover of Mae Among the Stars

Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed is an inspirational telling of astronaut Mae Jemison’s childhood and her desire to explore space.  

Cover of Path to the Stars

Path to the Stars: My Journey from Girl Scout to Rocket Scientist by Sylvia Acevedo is an autobiography for middle-school readers. Acevedo grew up in an underprivileged community but found inspiration and encouragement through her local Girl Scout troop. Through Girl Scouts, Acevedo developed a love of math and science and is now a rocket scientist at NASA.  

On our display, you’ll also see colorful posters of women scientists that are available for free download from Women You Should Know.

For our online friends, we recommend the National Women’s History Museum’s Women in STEM online exhibit and you can also check out the podcast Babes of Science, which explores a different woman scientist in each episode.