Fun STEM-themed clothes from Svaha USA August 8, 2017

[Disclosure:  Svaha USA sent me two items for free to try in exchange for a review.  All opinions are my own!  Also, they have a referral program, where I get $15 off a future purchase and you get 20% off of $50+ purchase if you go through my referral link.  (This link is the only time I use the referral link, every other link in this post is just a regular link.)  Also you can sign up for the referral program too to earn points for yourself!  Check the bottom right corner of their website to join Svaha Rewards.]

I first heard about Svaha USA when I read an article (I think it was this one) about new clothing companies trying to break gender stereotypes, including selling fun STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) clothes for women and girls.  They were one of the new companies that grew out of a desire to provide science-related clothes for women and girls.

Anyway, after I followed them and a few of the other companies from that article on twitter, the folks at @SvahaUSA sent me a twitter message asking if I’d like to do a review. Of course I said yes!

So, here’s me modeling the Caffeine Molecule Infinity Scarf.  I like it for a bunch of reasons:  It’s science!  But it also still looks really fashionable!  It’s just the right length so that it’s not too tight or too loose.  It’s a great conversation starter.  At a friend’s house, they asked “Are those molecules?”  And I said “Yes! It’s caffeine!”.  Lots of fun!

 

And, here’s my daughter modeling something from their Baby collection: the Chemistry Lab Baby Bodysuit.  This is the size 12 months, Ruffled version.  She’s just about 16 months in this photo, but she’s small for her age.  Super cute!

 

 

I’m glad that there are companies like Svaha out there making great clothes with science-related designs, especially for women and girls (but boys can get clothes from them, too!  Plus they sell plenty of unisex shirts that men can wear, too!)

Thanks to Svaha for sending me these clothes!  Glad you make STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ART!, Math) clothes for everyone!

Where do you find your STEM clothes?  Share your suggestions!

Celebrating Awesome: National Engineers Week in Boston and Beyond! February 16, 2013

I wrote a post 2 years ago about how excited I was about National Engineers Week.  Guess what?  National Engineers Week 2013 is starting!

First of all, the theme for this year’s Engineer Week is Celebrate Awesome.  Frankly, I think that’s one of the best ways to talk about engineering.  It’s AWESOME!

I really love being an engineer.  I get to work with other smart people to create new materials and dream up solutions to problems.  I know engineers who are building robots, designing cars, or creating video games.  They get to be creative and have fun while improving the way we work, live, and play!  Basically, being an engineer is, in fact, AWESOME.

If you live in or around Boston, there’s plenty to do this week to celebrate e-week.  Whether you’re a student, a teacher, a parent, or just a curious individual, there’s something cool to see or do. These aren’t the only events going on, they’re just the ones I know about.  Please share events in the comments!

• Family Science Days at the Hynes Convention Center, Saturday February 16th and Sunday February 17th: as part of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), there’s a FREE event this weekend with some really cool activities and presentations by scientists and engineers.  (Technically not an e-week event, but still super cool!)
• Boston’s Museum of Science is going to have plenty of special events for National Engineers Week, in addition to their current exhibits.  These special attractions are free with general museum admission.
• Also check out the MIT Museum this week for their National Engineers Week (and school vacation week) events.  They’re going to have Drop-in Activities, Workshops, Demonstrations, plus a Special Presentation/Interactive Panel hosted by the MIT Society of Women Engineers.
• Finally, the Discovery Museums in Acton MA is celebrating National Engineers Week with some fun hands-on activities.

Any other events going on to celebrate engineers?  Let me know!

And if you don’t live near Boston, you can check out events for National Engineers Week at My Discover-e (or Google Engineers Week events in your city).  Or you can visit the Discover Engineering website to learn more about engineering without leaving your house!

Are you an engineer (or aspiring engineer)? What’s your favorite part about being an engineer?  And if you’re not an engineer, do you have any questions about engineering?

Happy National Engineers Week! February 23, 2011

It’s National Engineers Week!  Hooray!

I’m always psyched about National Engineers Week.  And it’s not just because my company makes a big deal about it, giving us free coffee every morning and the occasional slice of cake throughout the week.

I’m excited for a lot of reasons.  It’s great to be recognized for our (the engineers) contributions.  Engineers do a lot for us.  As the t-shirt I won in a raffle at the company’s library says:  Science:  Engineers Make It Work.

One thing I’m really excited about is the outreach to students and the community that is an integral part of National Engineers Week.    There are some official events through eweek, but my company is also doing a lot of work to help get young people excited about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).  One of the great things we do in our department is invite students on lab tours and show them how cool science is!  And I like that, even outside of eweek, my supervisor encourages me and others to do community outreach.  I’ve gotten to help run bridge building contests, work with local teachers developing a new STEM education programs, talk to high school girls about engineering, and present cool nanotechnology to visitors at the Boston Museum of Science during NanoDays.

I believe it’s really important to get young people interested in STEM.  And apparently, President Barack Obama does, too.  I’m pretty sure every year, the U.S. President writes a letter to the engineers, and this year was no exception.  This year he wrote a letter encouraging current engineers to spark excitement in young people about engineering.

So, are you doing anything fun for National Engineers Week?  Are you an Engineer?  What type are you?  I’m a Materials Scientist and Engineer (it’s the engineering major with science as its middle name!)

Materials Science followup November 25, 2008

I guess I didn’t really talk about why I find my field so awesome.  I realized that’s a bit weird to just say, so I think I’ll tell a story.

My folks were in town for a long weekend, and we were going on some tours at MIT.  One of the tours we went on was at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology.  This is an MIT affiliated research facility that is also closely connected to a few major companies as well as the U.S. Military.  At any rate, as we were taking the tour, we were shown all sorts of cool technologies and told about amazing discoveries and possibilities.  They have a whole list of ideas that they’re focusing on.  Both at this facility and at many different materials research groups, there is a large focus on creating lighter weight materials that can be functionalized to do certain things, such as protect from chemicals, act as waterproofing, defend against puncture, and many other properties.  Materials can be developed that are stronger, harder, more thermally resistant, or other beneficial properties.

There is also a move towards medical materials and devices that are extremely helpful in the battlefield, but can eventually be transitioned to be used by local EMTs and emergency room doctors.  In fact, one story I heard there that really managed to wow my mother (and pretty much everyone else there, including me!) was about a boy who was born missing some of the bones of his ribs.  Materials scientists and biologists are working to help him and others like him to live more normal lives.  As noted in this CNN/TIME article (in the second to last paragraph) Robert “Langer is using tailor-made polymers to build tiny scaffolds that can then be seeded with skin, cartilage, liver or other cells. The idea is to provide a temporary structure that cells can colonize and upon which they can eventually grow into a functioning organ — at which point the scaffold dissolves away”.   How cool is that?  They’re building new bones for this kid!

To learn more about Materials Science, you can check this page out.  I actually went to see the exhibit that this site is for when it was nearby.  And I even wore one of the geeky materials shirts I got from my department.  But it was cool to see all the cool stuff there, and I recognized the names on some of the presentations…my professors were cited in many of the displays! This site is pretty good because it has a general overview, but also has plenty of links to other sources of information.

If you’d like to learn more about nanomaterials and other nano-things, I  recommend checking out the website for the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

Well, that’s enough science for now.  While you’re being awed by how cool science is, you should also probably check out TIME’s Best Inventions of 2008.  Many of the inventions were made possible by advancements in science and engineering!

And yes, I love material science! November 18, 2008

I don’t usually touch on my academic background in the blog.  I tend to talk more about personal finance, with a bit of food and Boston talk thrown in.  And I guess general musings about life after graduation.  But today I’d like to talk about Materials Science and Engineering.

First off, I studied Materials Science and Engineering at MIT.  I originally was going to major in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering, but the more I looked at the majors, the more I realized Materials Science and Engineering was the place for me.  It’s a great combination of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aero/Astro, and really, lots of science and engineering majors.

I think I often find myself urging others to pursue Materials Science and Engineering, or at least science/engineering in general.  And my new job gives me plenty of ways to share my love of science, engineering, and my scientific background with others.  I went back to MIT for their Career Fair and talked to students about my job and what sort of work I do.  And I went to an event for women in engineering, where high school girls interested in science and engineering came together and learned about future career opportunities.  I really like telling people about all the cool things that you can do as an engineer or scientist.  Maybe that makes me a geek!

So, I think I’ll post every once in a while about materials and such.  It’s something I’m really interested in!  And I’d also like to mention that, while I’m not a career adviser or anything, if you have any questions about college/careers in science/engineering, let me know.  I know it sounds lame, but I really like helping people.  And so if there’s a student who wants to know more about colleges or majors, I’d be happy to help.

So, stay tuned for more posts, likely with more reasons for why I love materials!

p.s.  A really cool resource out there is OpenCourseWare, a program through MIT where material from classes taught at MIT is posted for anyone to read/watch/listen to for free.  Check it out!  And since I’m promoting Materials this week, you should definitely look at the courses listed under that major. (especially 3.091, an extremely popular class at MIT.  The professor, Donald Sadoway, is an exceptional scientist and lecturer, and the class is a good start on the topic).