As a mother, research scientist, and educator, Wendy is driven to the core to level the STEM playing field. Having dedicated 20+ years to STEM research, teaching, and mentorship, she recently ditched her career as a geophysics research professor to pursue this passion. This mission brewed over several years while she empowered teachers and inspired students at high-needs, low-resource schools.

So, what inspired this passion? A couple of weeks after helping a teacher at a Title 1 to school to inspire her students and organize an inclusive and skills-based Science & Engineering Fair, this teacher had reached out to her to share a story. She explained how one of her most at-risk students had come to her the day after the fair and had declared that he was going to be an engineer when he grew up. From that point forward, he had totally turned around his behavior in class. He was focused. He was dedicated. He had found something that he connected with. He believed in himself and knew “Hey I can do this!”  This experience not only changed this student’s life – it also changed Wendy’s life. This marked the birth of Science Fair Fun.

She is driven by purpose while feeding off advice from the pros – teachers, students, parents, and the whole STEM Generation team. She received a BS in Earth Sciences from UC Santa Cruz and a PhD in Geophysics from Stanford University.

In her spare time, Wendy revels in her children’s inquisitiveness and loves to explore this amazing world with them and her very supportive husband. At the top of her list of other passions are exploring new places and ideas, mountain biking, road riding, touring by bike, trail running, hiking, and geeking out on the latest in STEM.

Read the Birth of STEM Generation or multi-task or take a break to hear our story – Podcast interview by Matt Sodnicar: Apple URL | Spotify URL