You've probably heard countless of times proclamations that we need more diversity in the STEM field. Here are some figures to think about: Girls start doubting their STEM intelligence by age six. Women make up only 25 percent of the STEM workforce. Black men and black women only make up to 3 percent and 2 percent of scientists, respectively. Not exactly the best representation, right?
That's why these Google engineers hope to inspire young girls and children of colour with a passion project in the form of the picture book, Ara The Star Engineer. Komal Singh, together with fellow female Google engineers, was inspired to start the project when her four-year-old daughter said, "Engineers are boys!" This book is not an official Google product but one that came about from passionate Googlers who want to see more of themselves in the field. All profits from the book sales will be donated to charities encouraging girls’ and underrepresented groups’ participation in STEM fields.