VentureGirls: Raising Girls to be Tomorrow's Leaders - Softcover

Cristal Glangchai, Ph.D., is an engineer, entrepreneur, and mentor with a passion for teaching and engaging girls in entrepreneurship, science, and technology. She is the Founder and CEO of VentureLab, a nonprofit that runs experiential learning programs in youth entrepreneurship. She is the founding Director of the Texas Entrepreneurial Exchange at the University of Texas at Austin. Previously Dr. Glangchai  served as the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Trinity University. Prior to that, she founded a nanotechnology drug delivery company and ran the Idea to Product Program at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Glangchai has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and other publications. 

She received her B.A. in Plan II, B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. In addition, she holds two doctoral certificates in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and Molecular Imaging for Diagnostics and Therapeutics.

"In this impassioned cry for a concerted effort to recruit more girls to the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields, Glangchai--herself a scientist and entrepreneur--makes a strong case for the urgency of her goal.According to one figure she cites, just 18% of young collegiate women are pursuing computer science degrees, down from 25% in the 1970s and '80s. Her model for changing this state of affairs is entrepreneurship, which Glangchai teaches at her nonprofit, VentureLab. She lays out what she identifies as the basic skills of entrepreneurship, which include selecting a problem to focus on, brainstorming as many solutions as possible, conducting market research, building a prototype, and pitching to prospective users and inventors. Then she introduces a system for refining and iterating on products and ideas. Peppered throughout are thought-provoking "try this at home" exercises designed to encourage out-of-the-box thinking, such as a task involving Oreos, in which girls create a new cookie product, and "redesign me," in which a girl is given a common household item and challenged to devise an entirely different use for it. This game-changing guide to empowering young women will inspire them and their parents." (Publishers Weekly) 
 

"Glangchai is the founder of the nonprofit youth entrepreneurship program VentureLab. While it is open to both boys and girls, Glangchai is deeply invested in the advancement of girls in the STEM fields, and that is the topic she primarily addresses here. Much of the book's opening sections will feel familiar as the author touches on the topics of lagging female representation in STEM, includes examples of young girls who felt overlooked in the classroom, and derides children's television as far too boy-centric. In the second half, however, Glangchai delves into the specifics of what VentureLab seeks to do and provides interesting examples of how it helps participants succeed. From there the author gives parents tips on how to nurture and appreciate curiosity, determination, and entrepreneurship in their children's lives. Glangchai is clearly onto something with VentureLab, and students will benefit from its programs, whatever path they ultimately follow. Creating an "entrepreneurship ecosystem" is certainly something communities should pursue, and a sure pathway is provided here." (Colleen Mondor, BookList)