HOLLIE: Welcome to The Sound of Science. This episode is part one of a three-part series featuring voices of women in STEM working right here at NIU in honor of Women’s History Month. Expect to learn all about some amazing women whose legacies are much too big for one episode and whose impact affects not just the fabric of science history, but the day-to-day lives of the women out in the world today using STEM to create change. This week I reached out to engineer turned educator, blogger, podcaster, and maker extraordinaire Dr. Kristin Brynteson and asked her to talk about a woman in STEM who inspired her.
KRISTIN: There are so many women in STEM who are inspiring that it is difficult to pick just one. However, there is one woman who has always been an inspiration to me, Amelia Earhart. As most people know, Amelia Earhart was a record-breaking American aviator with a long list of achievements and firsts. Such as the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932 and the first person to fly solo nonstop from Mexico City to Newark in 1935. She accomplished things that at the time no other women or man had ever done. For me though, it wasn’t just her firsts and aviation achievements that inspired, I mean, I did want to be a pilot, but I was more inspired by her spirit, courage, and fearlessness present in everything she did. She was not afraid to do something just because it had not been done before. I have one of her quotes on my office wall. “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” Which is great advice for anyone in the STEM Fields. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from doing what love, what you believe in and following your path. My other favorite quote from her - “Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.”
HOLLIE: This was The Sound of Science on WNIJ, where you learn something new every day.
