Books in STEM Trailblazer Bios series

Have you ever tried to invent something? As a child, Nikola Tesla saw a picture of a waterfall and imagined an invention that would turn the water's energy into electricity. Later, he invented the water wheel, which turned water power into usable energy. As a young adult, Tesla spent his spare time experimenting with electrical equipment. He worked for inventor Thomas Edison, improving power plants and machines that ran on direct current electricity. But Tesla believed electrical distribution could be better. He went on to invent alternating current electricity, which would allow people to distribute electricity over long distances. Learn how Tesla's work eventually made turning on electrical devices as easy as flipping a switch!

Have you ever wondered how the universe began? Growing up, Brian Greene's father taught him to think about the world in different ways. Greene was curious about how it all worked. He set out to find answers to big science questions. At Harvard University, Greene studied physics and was named a Rhodes Scholar, an honor only the most gifted students receive. He was fascinated by the new theories explaining the universe, but he wanted to share his fascination with everyone, not just with fellow scientists. He started writing books and offering free lectures to help ordinary people understand complex ideas. Soon, he was even appearing on TV. Follow Greene's path from curious kid to celebrity scientist.

Have you ever scrolled through a news feed on Facebook? Ruchi Sanghvi helped design this and other Facebook features. She joined Facebook―then a small Silicon Valley startup company―after moving from India to the United States to study computer engineering. With her help, Facebook quickly became one of the largest social networking sites in the world. Sanghvi was the first female engineer at Facebook, and it wasn't easy blazing a trail for women in her field. But nothing stopped her from following her dreams. Her contributions at Facebook helped connect people from around the globe. Even women from Sanghvi's home country of India used Facebook to speak out for equal rights. Discover how this young female immigrant became a top-notch engineer who changed the tech world forever.

Do you like the challenge and adventure of video games? As Jane McGonigal was growing up, she had fun playing early video games. As an adult, she saw games as an outlet for problem solving and teambuilding. McGonigal started creating alternate reality games (ARGs), which may be based online but take place mainly in the real world. She enjoys challenging others to engage in modern issues and to work together, as in her game World Without Oil and in The Lost Ring, which she created for the 2008 Summer Olympics. McGonigal was named one of the world's top innovators by MIT's Technology Review, and her 2010 TED Talk, "Gaming Can Make a Better World," is one of the most-watched of all time. But how did she get there? Find out how she developed her passion for games to become the public face of game design.

Do you enjoy visiting animals at the zoo or playing with pets? As a child, Jane Goodall loved watching and interacting with animals. As an adult, she became a scientist working with chimpanzees in Africa. Goodall used unconventional research methods to observe chimpanzees in East Africa. She studied the chimpanzees' behavior and revealed their tool-making abilities. As Goodall grew older, she turned her attention to raising awareness about endangered species and inspiring individuals around the globe to take action. She is one of the world's best-known scientists and activists. But how did she get there? Find out how Goodall's passion for animals helped her become the face of conservationism.

Do you like to gaze at the stars? So did the young Stephen Hawking. Eventually, he turned his fascination with the night sky into a career of trying to figure out how the universe began and how it works. As a child, Hawking loved the stars and he loved math class. In college, he studied physics and cosmology, or how the universe came to be. But then he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease that shuts down the nerves that control muscles. His doctors thought he had two years to live, so Hawking started working hard to meet his goals. He studied black holes and made discoveries that earned him recognition around the world. He wrote several books about the universe to help people understand his ideas. More than fifty years after his diagnosis, Hawking still has ALS, but he continues to ponder the night skies, trying to find one theory that will explain the universe.

Do you have friends or family members who use Facebook? That social networking website is the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg. He has helped Facebook grow into a company that has almost one and a half billion users worldwide. Zuckerberg has been interested in computers for a long time. He began writing code when he was just twelve years old. Microsoft even offered to buy one of his programs while he was still in high school. When Zuckerberg created Facebook from his college dorm room, few could have guessed it would become the multibillion-dollar company it is today. Find out how Zuckerberg became a computer programmer who forever changed the way people connect online.

Do you enjoy performing experiments or studying how the universe works? Growing up in China, Chien-Shiung Wu enjoyed learning about science. As an adult, she earned her PhD in physics and made a discovery that changed the field forever. Wu came to the United States to study physics. Soon she was a sought-after physics professor. As an expert in the field, she left teaching to work on secret government programs. She even helped disprove a major law of physics. But how did she get there? Find out how Wu's persistence drove her contributions in the field of physics.

Do you enjoy spotting wild animals in the forest? As a little girl, Rachel Carson loved to explore the woods near her house. As an adult, she became an ecologist who helped change national policy and inspired people to protect the environment. While conducting research on wildlife, Carson noticed that the pesticides farmers used on crops were harming animals. Alarmed, she wrote Silent Spring, a book that led to the banning of several dangerous pesticides. How did Carson grow up to become one of the most influential environmentalists of the twentieth century? Discover how her interest in wildlife led to her remarkable career as a scientist and writer.

Have you ever solved a tricky puzzle? As kids, Joanna Kelley and her siblings had fun solving the math and science challenges their parents invented at the dinner table. Later, Kelly's love of science puzzles inspired her to investigate the building blocks of life. Kelley became a geneticist, a scientist who studies DNA. DNA is the set of instructions inside every living thing―a code that shapes appearance and behavior. Kelley set out to better understand how the code works. She focuses on a wide range of animals, from great apes to tiny insects. What she learns about their DNA can tell scientists a lot about human DNA too. Follow Kelley's path from curious kid to groundbreaking scientist.

Have you ever wondered how the universe began? Growing up, Brian Greene's father taught him to think about the world in different ways. Greene was curious about how it all worked. He set out to find answers to big science questions. At Harvard University, Greene studied physics and was named a Rhodes Scholar, an honor only the most gifted students receive. He was fascinated by the new theories explaining the universe, but he wanted to share his fascination with everyone, not just with fellow scientists. He started writing books and offering free lectures to help ordinary people understand complex ideas. Soon, he was even appearing on TV. Follow Greene's path from curious kid to celebrity scientist.

Have you ever wished you could use technology to improve people's lives? Ever since he was a teenager, Sebastian Thrun wanted to build machines that helped people. So far, Thrun has developed robots that can be tour guides and nurses and can help save miners trapped underground. In 2004, he won a US Department of Defense contest by building a car that could drive itself. Since then, the self-driving cars he developed have been tested on more than 140,000 miles (225,308 kilometers) of road without fail! Thrun more recently developed a free website for online education and worked on Google Glass, a computer that can be worn like a pair of eyeglasses. But how did he get involved in all these cool projects? Follow his rise from a computer enthusiast to robotics innovator!