Dr. Deborah Berebichez

Dr. Berebichez (bigsight.org)

When people talk about the beauty of Math and Physics, they are usually referring to complex equations, or the delicate dance of particles in the universe.  Not this time.  In the case of Deborah Berebichez they are also referring to the appearance of the scientist, herself, and Dr. Berebichez doesn't mind.  She can be found on her website, "thesciencebabe" and she's on a mission not only to make scientists sexy, but to make science a cool choice of study and careers for young women all over the world. Among the most engaging questions on her website is: which places more pressure on the earth, a high heel shoe, or an elephant's foot?

Dr. Berebichez was the first Mexican born woman to ever receive a doctorate in Math and Physics from Stanford University.  She grew up in Mexico City, a girl with her head in the stars, dreaming of becoming an astronaut or one of the scientists she read about.  It was a dream she dunked when it met with not a single word of encouragement.  Boys don't like smart girls, went the thinking she grew up with.  Science takes smart and smart girls are not sexy. Teenage Berbebichez switched her focus to theatre and writing.  But her love for science re-emerged in college - (so late she had to find tutoring help to catch up on all the math she'd missed) and Dr. Berebichez ultimately graduated with a double major that encompassed her childhood dream - philosophy and physics.

As a physicist, Dr. Berebichez became an academic researcher with some of the brightest minds in America after her doctorate, but  she was still battling the numbers.  Almost 90% of academic scientists are male.  And it was during this period of Berebichez' career that the President of Harvard University said it may be that too few women succeeded in the Sciences because women lacked aptitude in the Sciences. Even with the "Geek Chick" so celebrated in the Obama administration, not a single woman was appointed to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.   

(http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/11/start/selling-science-in-stilettos)

Undaunted Berebichez branched out and spoke louder.  No more hiding her intelligence.   Berebichez would use it to inspire others, especially girls, to enter science.   She would also use her entire background, including her theatre and writing, to make a colorful dent in what she calls the "science illiteracy" she sees across America. Chosen as the keynote speaker for the Oprah's White House Leadership Conference, Berebichez became a worldwide public speaker encouraging young women to enter science and making the science of everyday life accessible to regular folks.  Typical scientific presentations can be black and white and achingly dull.  Dr. Berebichez added color, props and her natural animation to break through to a wider audience.  Then she started producing episodes of a web series, available free online.

In 2011, Berebichez changed her day job, using her Math and Physics to become an investment analyst on Wall Street. But she never gets far from her true love. She continues to shoot her web series, she hosted a program for National Geographic, she continues to lecture, and guest on any show willing to focus on Science. She waxes poetic on the nanotechnology of fashion (how a few molecules can change any fabric completely).  She explains how the liquid crystal display on this computer works. Berebichez casually lets people know why microwave food annoyingly heats unevenly. And yes, back to that first question? The high heel beats the elephant foot by a stiletto. By concentrating all the pressure of a human body into a narrow small bottom, it creates a harder pressure print than that Pachyderm paw.