Count Girls In Empowering Girls to Combine Any Interests with STEM to Open Up a World of Opportunity

  Maybe you have a daughter who loves cooking, soccer, and musicals. Maybe she’s a social butterfly, an athlete, a fashionista, and a humanitarian who wants to change the world. Be honest—do you think, Well, she’s clearly not a math and science kid? Do you assume that certain classes and careers won’t appeal to her? Count Girls In challenges these assumptions and presents a totally different way of thinking: there is a place for all girls and young women—not just the science fair winners and robotics club members—in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, if we can keep their (and our) minds and options open and meet them where they are.
  To succeed in STEM fields today, girls don’t have to change who they are. A girl who combines her natural talents, interests, and dreams with STEM skills has a greater shot than ever before at a career she loves and a salary she deserves. Count Girls In encourages parents and other adults to raise authentic young women who have the confidence to put STEM to work in a way that best serves them and their passions. The authors, both STEM professionals, present compelling research in a conversational, accessible style and provide specific advice and takeaways for each stage of schooling, from elementary school through college, followed by comprehensive STEM resources. This isn’t a book about raising competitive, test-acing girls in lab coats; this is about raising happy, confident girls who realize the world of opportunities before them.

Karen Panetta, PhD, is the dean for graduate education and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University, and founder of the international nonprofi t Nerd Girls (www.nerdgirls.com). Dr. Panetta has been featured in national publications and newspapers such as Women’s Day, Elle Girl, the Boston Globe, and the New York Times. Katianne Williams has an MFA in creative writing from George Mason University and a computer engineering degree from Tufts University. She is an award-winning contributor to IEEE’s Women in Engineering Magazine and writes for NerdGirls.com.