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How diverse is your nonfiction collection?

Often when we look at biographies featuring people of color, they repeat the same themes: slavery & civil rights, music, sports. But people of color have contributed positively in every field, including the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. These contributions should be celebrated all year long, not just during heritage months or when there’s a special focus on diversity!

Today on the blog, we feature 5 STEM innovators of color. Who else would you add to the list?

1. Soichiro Honda

Honda, by Mark Weston, illus. by Katie Yamasaki

 Founder of the Japanese car brand Honda, Soichiro Honda had an inventive mind and a passion for new ideas, and he never gave up on his dream. A legendary figure in the world of manufacturing, Honda is a dynamic symbol of lifelong determination, creativity, and the power of a dream.

Purchase the book here.

2. Gordon Sato

The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families, by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore, illus. by Susan L. Roth

Dr. Gordon Sato spent part of his childhood in the Manzanar Internment Camp during WWII, and later became a scientist. He created the Manzanar Project, which found a way to use mangrove trees to provide fuel and food for communities in Eritrea. With alternating verse and prose passages, The Mangrove Tree invites readers to discover how Dr. Gordon Sato’s mangrove tree-planting project transformed an impoverished village into a self-sufficient community.

Purchase the book here.

3. Wangari Maathai

Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace, by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illus. by Sonia Lynn Sadler

Wangari Maathai was the first African woman and environmentalist to win a Nobel Peace Prize. Seeds of Change brings to life her empowering story, from her childhood in Kenya to her role leading a national movement.

Purchase the book here.

4. Vivien Thomas

Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas, by Gwendolyn Hooks, illus. by Colin Bootman

Vivien Thomas was an African-American surgical technician who developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome. Overcoming racism and resistance from his colleagues, Vivien ushered in a new era of medicine—children’s heart surgery. This book is the compelling story of this incredible pioneer in medicine.

Purchase the book here.

5. Muhammad Yunus

Twenty-two Cents: Muhammad Yunus and the Village Bank, by Paula Yoo, illus. by Jamel Akib

Muhammad Yunus is an economist from Bangladesh who founded Grameen Bank and pioneered the concepts of microcredit and microfinance, for which he won a Nobel Peace Prize. Twenty-two Cents is an inspiring story of economic innovation and a celebration of how one person—like one small loan—can make a positive difference in the lives of many.

Purchase the book here.

Also check out our STEM collections:

Adventures Around the World Collection 

Earth Day Poetry Collection

Environmental Collection

Water Collection – World Water Day

Who did we miss? Let us know in the comments!

We had the privilege of speaking with Mary Mazzio – an award-winning filmmaker and creator of Underwater Dreams, a documentary film chronicling the inspirational story of four teenage boys, each the son of Mexican immigrants, who enter a sophisticated robotics competition and defeat the likes of engineering powerhouse MIT.

In addition to exploring STEM topics, this film sheds light on the lives of immigrant families and the struggles they face living in America.

Underwater Dreams is now available for free on the First Book Marketplace thanks to generous support from 3M.

Q: What made Underwater Dreams such a special story to tell? 

A: Four high school boys from Phoenix, AZ building an underwater robot from PVC parts and chewing gum – and then defeating MIT – was an incredible David and Goliath story, particularly given their lack of resources and money. What I did not anticipate was the degree to which their win catalyzed and inspired their community. Since that win in 2004, Carl Hayden High School, where about 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, has sent more engineers to Arizona State University than athletes.

Q: What role did teachers at Carl Hayden High School play in helping their students achieve their goals? 

A: Underwater Dreams shows firsthand the mentorship and leadership that teachers invest in their students. The involvement of teachers Fredi Lajvardi and Allan Cameron was at the heart of the success of the Carl Hayden team.  They encouraged their students, documented and undocumented, to think, to reach out to experts across the country, and most of all, to believe that they could figure out a way to solve a problem themselves.

Q: How has the film positively influenced young people, specifically Latino youth? 

A: By witnessing the story of these students, other Latino youth view their own destinies differently, with more hope. They see that anything is possible, regardless of the impediments of poverty or status of documentation.

One middle school student in California told us that because of his culture, she didn’t think she could be anyone until she saw the movie. Now she believes he can do something important. Similarly, a group of undocumented immigrant students at MIT galvanized together and publicly revealed their identities for the first time after seeing the film.

Q: When it is all said and done, what would you like to see happen in this country as a result of Underwater Dream’s success? 

A: If Underwater Dreams can change one young person’s conception of what might be possible, it was all worth it. There are so many bright, capable students in zip codes that we as a country overlook. One of those students could start the next Google.

The post Q&A with Mary Mazzio: Underwater Dreams documentary filmmaker appeared first on First Book Blog.