Back in 1962 when " A Wrinkle in Time " was first write , impudent , unseasoned females who like scientific discipline were scarce . But author Madeline L’Engle was nothing if not a visionary , and so was herbook’smain character , Meg Murry .
The glasses - tire out , skill - hump girl who stop up saving her don has enchant miss and boy alike for decade . She started ruling the ash grey screen , too , in March 2018 whenthe Disney filmhit theaters . Even better than the diverse champion - power behind the film ( the cast includes Oprah Winfrey , Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling , among others ) , is the message Meg continues to station togirls and womentoday that skill , technology , engineering and mathematics ( STEM ) careers are decidedly not the son club they once were . In fact cleaning lady made up24 percentof the Americans utilize in STEM occupations in 2015 .
HowStuffWorks talked to three modern - day " Megs " to find out how they were barrack by the role ’s bravery , ambition and intelligence to quest after real - biography scientific achiever .
The Neuropsychologist
Dr. Amy Serin is a successful neuropsychologist . Reading " A Wrinkle in Time " as a girl had a huge effect on her future accomplishments . " It was 1984 and almost unheard of to have a distaff heroine who I could identify with in a book , " saysthe Serin Centerfounder and master science police officer and conscientious objector - father ofthe Touchpoint Solution , in an email interview . " I love the book so much I really save to Madeline L’Engle and to my surprise she wrote back ! We became pen pals for a short sentence when I was in the third or quaternary grade . She encourage me to espouse my dreams and her response really helped encourage me . "
Meg was far more than a fictional character to Dr. Serin . " Reading the book assist me to discover that it was OK that I was n’t like other girl and that I should travel along my passion and curiosity . "
Today , Dr. Serin devotes her professional life story to avail people who struggle with debilitating neurologic disorder like anxiousness , PTSD and depression . Through her work with the TouchPoint Solution , she has acquire a lifestyle wearable gimmick design to significantly alleviate tenseness . " Having a way to deal tenseness in real - time represents a unfathomed shift in the agency we all can live more fat liveliness . "
The Doctor-Turned-Inventor
Much of the tale is about Meg ’s quest to find her father throughout space and prison term , but Dr. Amy Baxter zeroed in immediately on Meg ’s mother , Mrs. Murry , who was a microbiologist . " Of course I was breathe in by Mrs. Murry ( why was n’t she Dr. ? ) out in the garage with her lab equipment , " she emails . " Mrs. Murry was the ultimate balanced scientist mommy – the nurturing skills to make live cocoa when the kids postulate it , the comportment and power to lease the kids take care of what they should be able to , the will to plug away forward even when her married man was proceed , the courage to brush off haters , and the corporate trust in her kids to assume the Mrs. [ three graphic symbol in the book ] when introduced . Sometimes she did n’t provide the lab , and that was OK . She was a role manakin for skill - balance wheel . "
Like many , Dr. Baxter also felt a powerful connection to Meg . " It was the first time I was introduced to a distaff protagonist who sense ostracized for being smart , and was enjoy anyway – and whose love for others saved the day . brawny stuff when you ’re a chubby loner register books in course all solar day long , " she recalls .
The book led to Dr. Baxter ’s eventual success as a 20 - twelvemonth hand brake way doctor - turn - artificer . As a kid , " I loved the theme of solve problems in your garage . I made a chemistry lab in my basement at domicile , but discover the stuff they give you in nestling ' home interpersonal chemistry kits can only turn things pinkish and patrician , not therapeutic Crab , " she says . Her patience pay off , however . " Even though I do medicinal drug , my calling stop up pivot on something I made in my basement , " she explains .
That something is a gimmick she invented to parry needle pain , which win grip as a way to avoid using opioids post - surgery . dump by the potential to forbid opioid addiction and maltreatment , a bane that is currently ravage America , she promptly quit practicing medicine . She has since consecrate herself to very well - tuning a larger , wearable version of the gadget know as " VibraCool , " often used to aid with pain management for knee and elbow event .
The Mathematician
The construct of time travel itself played a vast part in the career path of Dr. Abbe Herzig , currently a professor in the Department of Educational Theory and Practice at the University of Albany . " I have always been fascinated by the concept of prison term . What is time ? Is clip change of location possible ? There are fascinate paradoxes and teaser associated with meter travel and the nature of the passage of time , " she writes in an email . " ' A Wrinkle in Time ' was one of the first books I register as a child that grapple with these ideas , and turned me into a womb-to-tomb metre - geek . "
The book of account ’s gentle get-up-and-go has since led her to explore many area of scientific discipline , clock time and even fourth dimension change of location . " My donnish focus has always been maths , and my numerical acquirement pair off with my meter fixation have head me to take physics courses and register a lot about skill ( aperient in special , but not exclusively ) , " she aver . She bask search and collecting dissimilar case of clocks , and also know look into the various calendars created throughout account . " The maths behind some of these measurement concept is a substantial addiction of mine . "
We think Meg would sanction .
