SPIN Girls February Newsletter đź’‹
Gearing Up for'Pal'entine's Day!
The shortest month of the year is here, but it’s packed with so much to love. February brings us cozy winter days, bursts of kindness for Valentine’s Day, and the promise of spring just around the corner. It’s a wonderful time to celebrate love, friendship, and togetherness with family and your favorite pals. Whether you’re crafting Valentine cards, enjoying hot cocoa by the fire, or venturing outside for some fresh air, February is the perfect month to embrace life’s little joys.
Love and friendship are in the air this February—and so are some amazing updates! We’ve hidden a love-inspired riddle inside. Can you find it? Don’t ghost your newsletter besties—give it a read!
Here’s to a fun and heartwarming February!
Upcoming Events
Field Day #3
February 15th 9:20-1:30 p.m.
February is Black History Month!
Black History Month is a time to celebrate and honor the rich history, achievements, and contributions of Black individuals and communities throughout history. It serves as a powerful reminder that the United States was built on the backs of Black individuals, whose resilience, culture, and strength have shaped the nation in countless ways. However, it is also important to recognize that slavery played a foundational role in the country's growth, yet those enslaved and their descendants were never afforded the benefits of the wealth they helped create. This month highlights both the remarkable contributions and the ongoing fight for equity and justice,.
Recap of Lab Day #2
We jumped straight into our second lab day filled with exciting and hands-on activities! It was incredible to see the creativity of the youth shine as we explored their potential as both amazing artists and brilliant scientists.
What Did We Learn About?
6th and 7th Grade: Youth got hands-on experience learning about hydroponic systems and their role in sustainable agriculture! They designed their own hydroponic systems and kept journals to document the growth and development of their plants over time. Thanks to their incredible efforts, we now have a thriving sustainable garden at SPIN HQ!
8th Grade: Youth participated in workshop was centered around camouflage and its various forms. Youth engaged in an activity where they selected an animal and its environment, then painted on a canvas to make the animal blend seamlessly into its surroundings, while also explaining the type of camouflage they used.
9th Grade: Youth dove into the world of food safety with an exciting opportunity to take the food safety test! They also learned the best ways to organize fridge items like pros, ensuring everyone stays safe and healthy. It was an engaging and practical learning experience!
10th Grade: We engaged in a meaningful conversation about climate change and its effects on our communities. The discussion included the impact of the LA Fires on all of us and ways we can use our voices to push for change. The 10th graders expressed their creativity by designing posters to raise awareness about environmental issues. Additionally, we learned how to make beeswax wraps—an eco-friendly and food-safe alternative to plastic wrap!
Our First SPIN Forward Hangout!
What a fun evening! We spent the night learning how to use the heat press, ironing on our own patches to personalize hoodies and tote bags, all while watching The Lorax. The youth were so inspired by the creativity that they even made their own keychains! It was a blast sharing pizza and learning together through trial and error. We truly appreciated their patience and flexibility as we navigated the new equipment.
Love Our Events?
Don't miss this great youth event hosted by our partner, Y-WE!
Riddle of the Month!
I carry a bow and arrows to share,
I make people fall in love everywhere.
Though small and sneaky, my aim is true,
Who am I, bringing love to you?
Keeping Up with the SPIN Girls Team!
Meet 8th Grade Mentor: Nada Naser
Introduce yourself a little:
Hi, my name is Nada Naser, and I’m a Teaching Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington (UW)! This winter is my first quarter in this position, and I am currently teaching chemical engineering thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that focuses on the relationship between heat, work, temperature, and energy and my class focuses on phase and chemical reaction equilibria. It is crucial in understanding how energy is transferred or moved around us, like in engines, pumps, refrigerators, power plants, and more.
I grew up in Egypt and moved to the United States at the age of 17 through a scholarship to study Chemical Engineering at Montana State University. This significant transition allowed me to experience new and different cultures, environments, and people! After earning my B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2019, I started my graduate studies at UW in Seattle. Later on, I earned my M.S degree. in 2022 and Ph.D. degree in 2024 in Chemical Engineering and recently transitioned into my current role as a faculty member in the department.
During my time as a graduate student, my research project focused on the mineralization of inorganic nanomaterials using programmable and stimuli-responsive biological building blocks (for example: proteins, peptides, or synthetic analogs). More specifically, I studied the mechanisms and structure of mineralized materials at the interface of organic and inorganic components using surface characterization techniques and microscopy. Although this may seem like a lot of intimidating words, in essence, this project is an example of biomimicry at a very small scale. My research work mimicked biomineralization, which is a process carried out by living organisms to create rigid minerals using resources in their environment for support or function. This can be seen in shellfish, like clams and oysters, that produce inorganic minerals to create their protective shells. This can also be seen in humans (our skeleton and teeth). Overall, there are a variety of applications for biomimetic mineralization such as in energy storage systems, removing pollutants, and fighting climate change.
The transition from your home in Egypt to the United States is a major change; what general advice would you give for those in a similar situation?
When I first arrived in the U.S., it was a learning and adjustment process. I had to learn the community and cultural habits and norms like how to interact with people and how to make friends and try new experiences. Although the transition was somewhat frustrating at times, I grew to like U.S. culture, really enjoy the beautiful PNW, and cherish the community I have built here. I think if anyone is in a similar situation and is facing major changes or challenges, I would remind them that we are stronger and more resilient than we think. My advice would be to approach these challenges one day at a time with persistence and lightheartedness, and to reach out to our friends and community for support, and hopefully we will feel less overwhelmed or fearful over time.
What is your current job?
Currently, I am teaching core chemical engineering courses and managing a shared teaching and research instrument facility at the University of Washington. Through my Ph.D. research experience, I have gained both technical and research skills that I often share with my students to support them, help them solve problems, and to be a helpful resource. In addition, I share valuable approaches and strategies with my students to learn and succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. When I am not teaching or doing research, I enjoy hobbies like hiking, yoga, crafts, hanging out with friends, binge watching shows, and more!
What other community programs are you involved in?
During my graduate school, I have been really involved as an outreach director for Women in Chemical Engineering (WChE), which is a student organization at UW that educates, empowers, and advocates for aspiring young women in my field, and has multiple chapters at different universities across the U.S.! WChE-UW hosts an annual community event series called “Introduce a Girl” where young girls and gender expansive folks from local elementary to high schools get to explore different STEM fields. Each year, there is a theme that guides demonstrations, hands-on activities, and interactive experiments during these events. For instance, in 2023, it was green technology, and in 2022, it was biotechnology. You can learn more about WChE by clicking here! Aside from this, I have also been a guest speaker/lecturer for different courses at UW, as well as my participation in mentorship programs to provide insights to undergraduate students about research and career/graduate school advice.
What future goals do you have?
One of my goals, which has been my career and lifelong goal, is to continue advocating for women and non-binary folks, in addition to other underrepresented groups and minorities, in STEM and other fields. Throughout the course of my career, I have developed a strong track record of teaching and mentoring, and without a doubt, I want to continue this as long as I can. I want to be a helpful resource of guidance, knowledge, and empowerment to young girls and women in all fields.
Another one of my future goals is to travel more. I want to explore and experience the diversities of the world. Travel helps with building a stronger global awareness and greater appreciation for or understanding of different cultures, nature, places, and people, which are things that I want to develop to help me better connect with others. With that in mind, I want to ensure that I travel with environmental conscience and sustainability in mind.
If you could describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Hmm, this is a challenging question, but the three words I would describe myself with are funny, smart, and kind. Being funny is a trait that I picked up from my dad who showed me how humor can bring cheerfulness to and help ease stressful situations. This approach of being funny and lighthearted helps with building stronger communities and bringing people closer together.
Smart sort of speaks for itself; I have a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, and when people hear that they tell me I must be really smart! Lastly, I am a kind person, and I strive to be kind whenever possible. I think being mean or rude to people doesn’t solve anything and can cause divide and conflict, so it’s always best to treat people with kindness and respect. In addition, kindness is what reduces divisions in our community and strengthens it.
What motivated you to join SPIN Girls?
As I discussed earlier, my lifelong goal is to advocate for and mentor young girls and other underrepresented groups in STEM. While I got a start on this by being part of WChE at UW, I wanted to branch out and connect with different communities outside of UW. Through mutual friends and connections, I found out about SPIN Girls and was eager to join. This is because SPIN Girls aligned with this goal of mine and offered me the opportunity to work in youth education, which is a truly powerful and inspiring field of work.
Through programs like SPIN Girls, I’ve seen how young girls have been empowered and inspired to pursue possibilities that they previously thought were impossible, too challenging, or out of reach for them. By introducing good role models and engaging activities, demonstrations, or workshops, young girls are more confident in their abilities in pursuing careers outside of the traditional or expected ones.
One thing that I enjoy the most about SPIN Girls is how we emphasize the importance of building community and relationships. This program is more than just a classroom for students to learn; it’s about learning together and bonding with each other. Because of this, I believe that it removes a lot of pressure on students and allows them to feel comfortable and engaging.
What are you most looking forward to this year in SPIN Girls?
For sure it would be getting to know the students in my cohort better and better with each lab and field day. This is my first year with SPIN Girls, and I want to start strong with getting to know my students beyond just the surface level and have real connections with them. It has only been two lab days so far this year, so I’m excited to experience more activities, learning, and fun with these students.
What advice would you give to current SPIN Girls students?
Don’t forget to have fun! This is a reminder especially for 9th and 10th graders in high school, who have definitely shown their leadership skills and willingness to take the initiative during lab days. Working hard and being involved is important, but do not allow yourself to be consumed by pressure and obligations because that removes the fun, enjoyment, and passion from things. Use fun as a way to handle stressful situations and transform boring events to exciting ones. Having fun will allow you to explore new things, widen your perspective, and ultimately examine what you want to do in the future.
Thank you to Nada for taking her time to share with us!
That's all for now folks!
-Your Newsletter Social Butterflies
Lauren Canto (she/her)
SPIN Girls Program Coordinator
10th Grade Cohort Lead
Jie Ying (she/her)
SPIN Girls Co-Director of Social Media
8th Grade Cohort Lead
