Dr. Sarah Ballard, AstronomerDr. Sarah Ballard is an astronomer who uses the transit-timing variation method to detect exoplanets, or planets outside our own solar system. She is currently aprofessor at the University of Florida, where she splits her time between conducting original research on exoplanets and working with undergraduate and graduate students on their research. Her collaborative work led to the discovery of four exoplanets in the Kepler-19 system.

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Olivia Lum, Research ChemistOlivia Lum, from the Asian nation of Singapore, aims to develop solutions to society’s demands for clean drinking water. She started a company that develops ways to remove salt from ocean water, as well as other kinds of water, so that it can be used. Because of her work, people in Central and South America, Europe, China, India, and Africa now have access to clean water.

CELEBRATE WOMEN IN SCIENCE

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Dr. Rosaly M. C. Lopes, VolcanologistDr. Rosaly M. C. Lopes, who was born and raised in Brazil, is a volcanologist and scientist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She has studied volcanoes on Earth as well as volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io and Saturn’s moon Titan. Volcanologists want to understand how volcanoes work. They travel to the sites of volcanoes and collect data, which can help predict future eruptions.

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Dr. Megan Leftwich, Mechanical Engineer

Dr. Megan Leftwich investigates natural fluid dynamics phenomena and applies her findings to engineering problems. She is developing a robotic flipper to mimic the swim motion of sea lions, which is unlike that of other sea mammals in the wild. The robot could one day allow forobservations of motion to help design vehicles that would explore shipwrecks, underwater caves, and more.

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Dr. Mayra Artiles, Car EngineerDr. Mayra Artiles used to be a car engineer who primarily designed hybrid electric vehicles, paying close attention to the transfer of energy and how it affected a car’s battery. As a PhD student in engineering education at Virginia Tech, she studied diversity in engineering, among other topics. She was a research assistant for the Dissertation Institute, where she explored what motivates underrepresented minority students to pursue doctoral engineering degrees. She is currently a postdoctoral associate at Virginia Tech.

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Barbara Belmont, Analytical ChemistBarbara Belmont uses different analytical methods—such as gas chromatography—to determine if manufactured products meet regulation standards (or work the way they should). She asks questions about what could be causing a product’s failure and then provides recommendations to resolve the issues. She identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and, as a lecturer, works to increase the visibility and inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in STEM programs.

CELEBRATE WOMEN IN SCIENCE

Read more about Barbara Belmont and other women scientists in HMH Science Dimensions®.