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Summary
Summary
From an engineer and entrepreneur, a conversation-changing parenting book about how to engage young women in science, technology, engineering, and math, filled with practical advice for both parents and educators.
As the female CEO of a tech startup, Dr. Cristal Glangchai was outnumbered twenty to one. At Google, Twitter, and Facebook, women currently fill just ten to twenty percent of technical jobs. While career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math have increased dramatically in the past twenty years, the achievement gap between men and women has only grown wider.
In VentureGirls, Glangchai offers a unique solution based on her own experience as an engineer and entrepreneur as well as the founder of the VentureLab, an academy of entrepreneurship and technology for girls. Practical, accessible, and filled with success stories, VentureGirls argues that a key part of raising strong, confident young women is giving them the tools of entrepreneurship to engage in STEM.
Entrepreneurship isn't just about starting companies, Glangchai writes, it is a skillset and a way of thinking that is particularly useful in the fields of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Entrepreneurship involves identifying needs, brainstorming creative solutions, innovating, and taking calculated risks. In short, it's about having a vision and making it a reality. The true value in learning and practicing entrepreneurship, Glangchai argues, lies in nurturing and growing an overall mindset--the ability to learn from failure and to work well with others to bring your ideas to life.
Deeply informative, warm, and grounded in real-world experience, VentureGirls includes a plethora of activities and lessons that focus on strengthening kids' ingenuity and resilience. VentureGirls is essential reading for anyone who wants to raise girls and young women who realize their strength, engage in the world, and feel empowered to make a positive impact.
Author Notes
Cristal Glangchai, PhD., is a scientist, entrepreneur, and mentor. She received her B.A. in Plan II, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. She holds two doctoral certificates in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and Molecular Imaging for Diagnostic and Therapeutics. Early in her career, she founded a nanotechnology drug delivery company and ran the Idea to Product Program at the University of Texas at Austin. She is the founder and CEO of the nonprofit, VentureLab. She is also the director of the Texas Entrepreneurial Exchange at the University of Texas at Austin. She is also a mentor for the TechStars Austin chapter. She is the author of Venture Girls: Raising Girls to be Tomorrow's Leaders.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this impassioned cry for a concerted effort to recruit more girls to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, Glangchai-herself a scientist and entrepreneur-makes a strong case for the urgency of her goal. According to one figure she cites, just 18% of young collegiate women are pursuing computer science degrees, down from 25% in the 1970s and '80s. Her model for changing this state of affairs is entrepreneurship, which Glangchai teaches at her nonprofit, VentureLab. She lays out what she identifies as the basic skills of entrepreneurship, which include selecting a problem to focus on, brainstorming as many solutions as possible, conducting market research, building a prototype, and pitching to prospective users and inventors. Then she introduces a system for refining and iterating on products and ideas. Peppered throughout are thought-provoking "try this at home" exercises designed to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, such as a task involving Oreos, in which girls create a new cookie product, and "redesign me," in which a girl is given a common household item and challenged to devise an entirely different use for it. This game-changing guide to empowering young women will inspire them and their parents. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Glangchai is the founder of the nonprofit youth entrepreneurship program VentureLab. While it is open to both boys and girls, Glangchai is deeply invested in the advancement of girls in the STEM fields, and that is the topic she primarily addresses here. Much of the book's opening sections will feel familiar as the author touches on the topics of lagging female representation in STEM, includes examples of young girls who felt overlooked in the classroom, and derides children's television as far too boy-centric. In the second half, however, Glangchai delves into the specifics of what VentureLab seeks to do and provides interesting examples of how it helps participants succeed. From there the author gives parents tips on how to nurture and appreciate curiosity, determination, and entrepreneurship in their children's lives. Glangchai is clearly onto something with VentureLab, and students will benefit from its programs, whatever path they ultimately follow. Creating an entrepreneurship ecosystem is certainly something communities should pursue, and a sure pathway is provided here.--Mondor, Colleen Copyright 2010 Booklist
Table of Contents
| Introduction: My Dream, Our Dream-a World of Empowered Young Women | p. ix |
| Part 1 The Problem | p. 1 |
| 1 Where Are All the Girls? | p. 3 |
| Part 2 The Solution | p. 33 |
| 2 Daring, Risking, Growing: The Entrepreneurial Spirit at School, at Work, in Life | p. 35 |
| 3 The Buzz at VentureLab: Giving Girls the Tools They Need to Transform Their Lives and Our World | p. 58 |
| Part 3 How to Raise a Venturegirl | p. 75 |
| 4 Help Her Start Her Entrepreneurial Adventure | p. 77 |
| 5 Start Her Young | p. 101 |
| 6 Make Playtime Curiosity Time | p. 126 |
| 7 Please Get Messy! | p. 158 |
| 8 Encourage Failure | p. 182 |
| 9 Channel Her Idealism | p. 211 |
| 10 Provide Role Models | p. 234 |
| 11 Get the "Whole Family Involved | p. 258 |
| 12 High School and Beyond | p. 279 |
| Conclusion: What We Can Do | p. 299 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 319 |
| Appendix: Some Tips on Raising a VentureBoy | p. 321 |
| Resources for Further Learning | p. 331 |
| Notes | p. 349 |
| Index | p. 359 |
