When Valentina Tereshkova blasted off aboard Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963, she became the first woman to rocket into space. It would be nineteen years before another woman got a chance—cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya in 1982—followed by American astronaut Sally Ride a year later. By breaking the stratospheric ceiling, these women forged a path for many female astronauts, cosmonauts, and mission specialists to follow. Women in Space profiles twenty-three pioneers from around the world, including Eileen Collins, the first woman to command the space shuttle; Peggy Whitson, who orbited aboard the International Space Station for more than a year; and Mae Jemison, the first African American woman in space. Their story, and the stories of the pilots, physicists, and doctors who followed them, demonstrate the vital role women have played in the quest for scientific understanding.

Does the weather fascinate you? Thunderstorms, tornados, hurricanes, and snowstorms are just some of the weather events that affect people's everyday lives. Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, people have been fascinated with weather phenomena and how they relate to human activities, such as sailing and farming. Meteorology is the science of the atmosphere, particularly the processes and phenomena that are used in forecasting the weather, and how weather relates to the oceans and climate. Long-term climate patterns, such as El Nino, don't just affect weather. They disrupt global atmospheric circulation, ocean currents, and the economies of many countries. Every day, thousands of meteorologists observe and record measurements at more than 10,000 weather stations on land and sea throughout the world. Data also comes from satellites, weather balloons, and radar. This data is transmitted to weather centers of the world, where computer models produce the information used in weather prediction. Meteorology: Cool Women Who Weather Storms introduces readers ages 9 to 12 to three women in meteorology who are making an impact and inspiring future generations of meteorologists. Kelly Cass is a broadcast meteorologist at the Weather Channel with a particular interest in severe weather. Bianca Hernandez works as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in their Phoenix office. Pam Heinselman is a professor and Research Scientist with the National Severe Storms Lab. This nonfiction STEM title serves as a bridge between girls' interests and their potential careers in meteorology by telling captivating stories about real-life meteorologists and the many ways meteorology benefits society. Meteorology isn't just about storm tracking, it's about how the atmosphere affects the earth in the past, present, and future. Advances in meteorology are strongly connected with developments in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Readers will be encouraged to investigate how atmospheric forces affect our lives and how using scientific and mathematical principles allow meteorologists to predict the weather and save lives. Nomad Press books in the Girls in Science series provide a comprehensive foundation about both a field of STEM study and women who have contributed to it in meaningful ways. Essential questions embedded within every chapter, QR codes linked to online primary sources, and language that's designed to encourage readers to connect prior knowledge to new information make these books an integrative reading experience that encourages further, student-led research. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while encouraging them to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers. According to the National Foundation of Science, 66 percent of girls and 68 percent of boys in fourth grade say they like STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), but by eighth grade twice as many boys as girls are interested in STEM careers. Why do so many girls turn away from science? One reason is persistent stereotypes and another is a lack of role models. Nomad Press books in the Girls in Science series supply a bridge between girls' interests and their potential futures by investigating science careers and introducing women who have succeeded in science. Titles in the series include: Technology: Cool Women Who Code; Astronomy: Cool Women in Space; Engineering: Cool Women Who Design; Forensics: Cool Women Who Investigate; Aviation: Cool Women Who Fly; Marine Biology: Cool Women Who Dive; Archaeology: Cool Women Who Dig; Zoology: Cool Women Who Work with Animals; Architecture: Cool Women Who Design Structures; and Meteorology: Cool Women Who Weather Storms.

Hands-on science projects pair up with inspiring biographies of female paleontologists in a full-color book for ages 8 to 11 that will have kids digging in their own backyards and making real-world learning connections!

Who were the first people to walk upright? What kind of life existed millions of years ago? How have organisms changed through the eons? These are the kinds of questions that keep paleontologists awake at night! In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Paleontologists with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 to 11 meet five female paleontologists who made breakthrough discoveries of ancient life from millions of years ago, including Mary Anning, Mignon Talbot, Tilly Edinger, Zofia Kielan-Jaworowska, and Mary Leakey. These women all led fascinating lives while working in the field and in the lab, often facing challenges because of their gender and race.

- Through hands-on STEM projects such as creating a paleontology diorama, modeling an excavation, preparing specimens and finding clues in teeth, kids gain critical thinking skills just like the ones necessary to succeed in the field.

- Essential questions, cool facts about female scientists, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning.

- Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers' creative thinking skills.

About the Gutsy Girls Go for Science set and Nomad Press

Paleontologists is part of a set of four Gutsy Girls Go for Science books that explore career connections for young scientists. The other titles in this series include Programmers, Engineers, and Astronauts.

Nomad Press books in the Gutsy Girls Go for Science series integrate content with participation, encouraging readers to engage in student-directed learning. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.

All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Real-world technology projects pair up with inspiring biographies of female computer scientists to make a full-color book that will have kids ages 8 to 11 eager to develop their own apps! Do you like solving problems? Are you dying to automate even the simplest of processes? Do you always need to know how things work? Programming is the process of breaking down complex tasks into a set of instructions. This is what programmers do when they write code that will make your computer do what you tell it to! In Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Programmers with STEM Projects for Kids, readers ages 8 to 11 meet five female programmers who made revolutionary discoveries and inventions that changed the way people used technology! Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, the ENIAC women, Dorothy Vaughan, and Margaret Hamilton all broke through barriers of both gender and race to succeed in a field they loved. * Through hands-on STEM projects such as designing a web page, creating a prototype, and learning about variables, kids gain critical thinking skills just like the ones necessary to succeed in the field. * Essential questions, cool facts about female programmers, and links to online resources all reinforce high-level learning. * Using a fun narrative style, engaging illustrations combined with photography, fascinating facts, essential questions, and hands-on projects, this book deepens readers' creative thinking skills. About the Gutsy Girls Go for Science set and Nomad Press Programmers is part of a set of four Gutsy Girls Go for Science books that explore career connections for young scientists. The other titles in this series include Paleontologists, Engineers, and Astronauts. Nomad Press books in the Gutsy Girls Go for Science series integrate content with participation, encouraging readers to engage in student-directed learning. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.

Why is Earth called the Blue Planet? Because there's so much water on the surface that the planet looks blue from outer space! Marine biology is the study of the plant and animal life in salt water environments, from microscopic plankton to the largest animal on earth, the blue whale. In Marine Biology: Cool Women Who Dive readers ages 9 to 12 explore the careers of three women who work within the science of marine biology--Natalie Arnoldi, Ashanti Johnson, and Lauren Mullineaux. Nomad Press books in the Girls in Science series supply a bridge between girls' interests and their potential futures by investigating science careers and introducing women who have succeeded in science. Compelling stories of real-life scientists provide readers with role models that they can look toward for examples of success. Marine Biology uses engaging content, links to primary sources, and essential questions to whet kids' appetites for further exploration and study. This book explores the history of marine biology, the women who made key discoveries, and the multitude of varied careers in this exciting and important field. Marine Biology encourages both boys and girls to envision what lies beneath the miles of water that make up our planet.

Westward ho! If you travel across certain parts of the United States, you can still see wagon wheel ruts where people crossed the west in search of more opportunity and better lives more than 200 years ago! The Oregon Trail: The Journey Across the Country from Lewis and Clark to the Transcontinental Railroad offers readers ages 9 to 12 a fascinating look at the explorers and settlers who traveled this route during the westward expansion of the United States. When America received its independence in 1776, the new country was made up of 13 colonies that became the United States of America. European immigrants continued to arrive in the new country, eager to make new lives for themselves and their families. By 1803, there were 17 states and a need for even more space. The United States doubled its land area with the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the Corps of Discovery to explore and map a territory that had only been seen by fur trappers and the Native Americans who lived there. The expedition into the American west, more popularly known as the Lewis and Clark expedition, left from Independence, Missouri for more than two years of exploration that produced a route for American settlers to take. The route was the Oregon Trail, also known as the Oregon and California Trail. In The Oregon Trail: The Journey Across the Country from Lewis and Clark to the Transcontinental Railroad, readers ages 9 to 12 can delve into the explorations of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and other explorers. They can learn about the more than half a million people who followed during the nineteenth century. What challenges did these pioneers face on the 2,170-mile journey? How were Native American tribes and nations affected by this mass migration? Primary sources allow readers to feel like a part of the Oregon Trail experience while biographical sidebars will introduce the compelling people who were part of this time in U.S. history. Investigative, hands-on projects and critical thinking activities such as writing a treaty and researching artistic impressions of the Oregon Trail invite readers to further their understanding of life on the trail, early towns and forts, and the Transcontinental Railroad that followed the wagons into new lands and territories that would eventually become states. Nomad Press books in the Build It Yourself series integrate content with participation. Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and STEM Education all place project-based learning as key building blocks in education. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.