Gender equality in STEM fields has improved, but it still has a long way to go.
“Women working in engineering occupations increased from 3% in 1970 to 15% in 2019,” according to The United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/01/women-making-gains-in-stem-occupations-but-still-underrepresented.html
Black women engineers are rare. Mary Jackson, an American mathematician and engineer, became NASA’s first Black female engineer in 1958. Today, Sabrina Thompson, an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NASA engineer, scientist, designer, and founder of GIRL IN SPACE CLUB™ continues to break barriers while empowering girls and women in STEM.
Originally from New York, Thompson now resides in Baltimore. Her interest in STEM and engineering was sparked in high school.
“I was the artsy kid, so I thought I was going to become an artist or a famous basketball player, because those are the things I did a lot and I enjoyed. However, I was a valedictorian of the school, and I was in my twelfth-grade year. It was a panic almost to find a college for me, because I didn’t have as much guidance in that arena throughout my high school career,” Thompson explained.
Her art teacher suggested that since Thompson was good at math, science and was creative, she should consider pursuing the engineering field. Her recommendation resonated with her student. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook University, and Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Working at an internship at Honda’s manufacturing plant in Ohio revealed that Thompson liked to work on complex systems.
“I was testing some of the new model vehicles there. I was taking apart transmissions and testing different things. I really liked that,” she explained.
Then she thought of what system was more complex than a car.
“That’s what made me think of all the subsystems that are involved in a spacecraft,” Thompson noted.
As an aerospace engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Thompson specializes in spacecraft trajectory design, flight dynamics, and mission planning.
Thompson also addresses her passion for merging STEM and creativity by redefining functional fashion and wearable innovation through GIRL IN SPACE CLUB™, a for-profit program that includes workshops where clothing products or accessories are created that blend art and STEM through art projects. Thompson’s patent-pending flight suits and a STEMulating Art® program allows Thompson and a small staff to teach STEM concepts through art projects for various age ranges.
“We want them to think future forward. I don’t want them [students] to create something that already exists,” the CEO/founder of GIRL IN SPACE CLUB™ added.
She stated that the program serves nonprofits in DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia.
The idea that jumpstarted GIRL IN SPACE CLUB™ ignited after Thompson had not picked up a paintbrush since her college years. She began to draw and paint astronauts with dreadlocks. She shared her creations on social media and feedback poured in. A painting called “Girl in Space” began a movement to engage youth through STEM, especially in the inner cities. After the pandemic, Thompson began to garner interest in Baltimore. Boys and girls participated, although girl participation was emphasized and competition was deemphasized.
Students have seen her show up for talks at schools wearing Jordans on, or some cool sneakers and her customized my flight suit.
“I want them to get excited about science and how cool it could be,” said Thompson.
Thompson also launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2022 to address the issue of including women in STEM.
“I took on the issue of taking these two worlds, stem and art, and combined them in a way that’s tangible. Something that we can show like this is what it looks like when you bring more creativity into the space world and with STEM. So, we created a flight suit that solves a problem for women. Any woman who wears a one-piece garment knows how difficult it is to go to the bathroom and how you have to plan your day around it,” Thompson shared.
Thompson stated that the future is going to require teams that can contain both the people who can think technically and the people who use their imagination and think about the possibilities.
She added, “My mission in all of this is to expose youth to those possibilities and get them thinking that way as early as possible.”
Clothes and customized jackets are sold through www.girlinspaceclub.com.