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"Don’t rule yourself out as not having a place in the STEM field. There’s opportunity for everyone and a great value in a diversity of disciplines, perspective and skill sets. Find a STEM area that interests you and look for ways to leverage your skills to be impactful."

"Hobby one: CHANGING THE WORLD. Not really kidding. STEM education is an obsession for me, as are mentoring, outreach, speaking, disseminating information about opportunities in STEM, and starting STEM programs/initiatives. Basically, anything I can do to support efforts to bring parity to STEM fields for people of color, women, and 1st generation students: I’ll do."

"Kids tend to think of each course in isolation – pass the test and get a good grade. If we help them to think of STEM classes as building blocks to create this body of knowledge that is actually useful, then they can see possibilities never imagined. It’s important for them to see the relevance of a STEM education as we seek to make a difference in our communities."

"Work within the Department of Energy is unique, complex, and challenging. Research and development work defines the cutting edge of technology. My first job within the DOE was designing thermal systems for a nuclear-powered spacecraft. Today, I examine the properties of irradiated materials. The DOE provides opportunities to be at the forefront of nuclear technology, the likes of which are virtually non-existent elsewhere."

Scientific research is like putting together a puzzle. You get all these little pieces of data, and you have to put them together in a way where all the pieces fit and tell a story about what is happening. When one piece doesn’t fit, you know there’s something wrong in your thinking and you have to go back. You have to re-decide what the puzzle is supposed to look like. But when you have it—when you put the last piece in and it all fits—there’s this wonderful “a-ha” moment. Everything comes together, and everything makes sense. That is a great feeling.

"Energy is a fundamental building block for quality of life, and the research and planning happening here at DOE is what ensures that building block can be relied upon for generations to come. The Department is full of bright minds and dedicated individuals who contribute to that prospect -- and I see our work as making a real difference, every day."

"I like to design things from scratch, ensuring I meet the customer's needs and requirements to help them do their work more efficiently. It is rewarding when an application can change a process for the better, make information more transparent, or enable growth and opportunities in research or business."

"In the U.S., in my professional life I have learnt that when you demand more of people and set a high standard, people will rise to the challenge. Too much choice in high school as to what you need to graduate implies that some classes are for some people and not others. The huge disparities in local school districts also breeds an imbalance in access to STEM education. I have mentored and met high school students from some of Long Island’s wealthiest public school districts and I see no problem of representation of women in STEM fields in these districts."

"The possibilities and freedom to pursue ideas to solve problems is very exciting. Working in the Department of Energy not only provides me with access to state-of-the-art facilities like the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and future NSLS-II, I also get to work with world-class scientists who are leaders in their fields. When I developed a reaction cell to watch corrosion as it happens at a synchrotron facility, I got to work with beamline scientists, design engineers, corrosion experts, and a safety team. Teaming up with these experts for an experiment was truly a rewarding experience. In my current projects, I am collaborating with outstanding scientists from Brookhaven Lab and other institutions to develop materials for nuclear energy and, so far, the journey has been great."

"As individuals—men and women alike—we can challenge ourselves to stop and think about what assumptions we make about a person based on how they look. As teachers, we can ask, "What encouragement do I give to my students? What language do I use? Is it different for different groups of students?" We can learn to speak about math and science as something fun, not scary. As a professional in a STEM field, I have the opportunity to mentor students. There are plenty of talented young women and people of color from a diverse range of backgrounds who deserve the opportunity for a STEM professional to see their potential and invest time to support their growth and success, and I want to be a part of that movement."

"The Department of Energy internship programs like the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program are a great way to learn more about fields that interest you and science careers. Be open to trying different research areas – the skills that you learn are easily translatable, broaden your expertise and make you a better, more thorough scientist."

"I’m really excited by the range of research going on across the Department of Energy (DOE). DOE includes so many researchers in different fields that are all part of one entity, which gives us the opportunity to collaborate across scientific areas and laboratories. That fosters creativity for our own research. Having an institution like DOE that values and funds basic research is fantastic. Basic research isn't basic—it’s the required essential foundation for applied research and technological developments the general public doesn't often witness."

"Probably the most important thing I could recommend – as evidence by my personal experience - is to not be intimidated and to not be in a hurry. I was definitely overwhelmed a few times but, I never gave up and I’m really glad I didn’t. "

"Take any opportunity to get experience outside your field. If you are a material scientist, intern for a lab in molecular biology, organic chemistry, or electrical engineering. Find out who would benefit the most from your research and spend time with the people or industry you hope to affect."

"As an environmental scientist, I love getting my hands wet, literally. Every day is different—some days I get to go out and collect water or critters in a stream, and other days I am analyzing samples or doing an experiment in the lab. Not only is my work fun, but I also feel that it is important." Read more from Teresa on her profile here.

"Promote yourself and your accomplishments. Ask someone specific to be your mentor, male or female. You can have more than one for different purposes. Most people are flattered to be asked."

"... I do something unique, and that every day I learn something new and different. I do experiments using intense lasers, including the National Ignition Facility, the biggest laser in the world. I work with a lot of talented people on challenging problems. When you work really hard on designing an experiment, the excitement when you get your first data and see that it works is an amazing feeling."

"If you enjoy tackling challenging problems and asking big questions, STEM might be a good fit. It’s essential to make sure that your chosen field of work can keep you interested – passion can help make a great scientist."

"I feel that it is so very important for girls and under-represented groups to understand that they already have skills that are valuable in the STEM fields! Perseverance, teamwork, and curiosity are just as important as skills in math and problem solving. You don't need to become someone different to be valuable and successful in science! "

"I am always motivated by the DOE mission applications that lead to practical use of the methods we developed to real-world problems."

"Look at the interest that shows like CSI and Breaking Bad have generated—forensic science programs have skyrocketed at universities around the country. Even though the TV shows over-simplify these fields, they bring it to a level that makes young people see how much could be done with it and how powerful it is….and FUN."

"It is genuinely rewarding to know that as scientists, we are potentially helping educate future generations of scientists by either increasing an educator’s comfort level with science or by spreading our enthusiasm for science on to their students."

"I love problem solving. Engineering was the right fit for me because it appeals to the rational, logical part of my brain, but allows me to apply it in a way that makes a difference and improves the world around me."

"It is not easy, but then nothing that matters really is. Of course there will be challenges and heartbreak, but stick with it, and it will be rewarding in the end. Embrace the ambiguity; you will be stronger for it. Use it to fuel your goals and ambitions and you will contribute to a better future for the next generation."

"So often, there’s this image of someone locked away in a laboratory all day. We need to help women and girls understand the scope of work that’s out there and the many different options. They can’t make the right decisions without adequate knowledge."