Rising Stargirls Founder Aomawa Shields spoke to Scientific American about forging new paths in science and motherhood and about why empathy is at the heart of acting and teaching. Dr. Shields is one of just 26 Black female astrophysicists in American history. Read more here.
Rising Stargirls Founder Aomawa Shields Featured on Boldly Reimagining Life Campaign for Toyota
Rising Stargirls Founder Aomawa Shields is featured on the Boldly Reimagining Life Campaign, which repositions Toyota as more than a symbol of reliability—it presents the brand as a visionary force shaping the future. The hero film, “Curiosity,” follows real-life astronomer Dr. Aomawa Shields, whose classroom question launches a journey from Earth to the moon, symbolizing Toyota’s limitless imagination. Read more about the feature here.
Rising Stargirls is Published in the Astronomy Education Journal
A peer-reviewed journal article review on the past decade of the Rising Stargirls program and its assessment data from 2025, quantifying the efficacy of the program, has been published in the Astronomy Education Journal. Read more on “Rising Stargirls: Benefits of a Creative Arts-Based Approach to Astronomy Education for Middle-School Girls from Underrepresented Groups” here.
Rising Stargirls Newsletter
2024 Summer Virtual Astronomy Opportunity for Middle-School Girls!
Virtual Astronomy Opportunity for Middle-School Girls! Summer 2023
Astronomy Workshop Training for Educators
Virtual Astronomy Opportunity for Middle-School Girls! (Spanish-Translated)
Virtual Astronomy Opportunity for Middle-School Girls!
UCI Professor Aomawa Shields Featured in UCI Physical Sciences Communications Article
UCI Professor Aomawa Shields is featured in “UCI’s Rising Stargirls Program Dawns Again This Summer”, an article by Lucas Van Wyk Joel of UCI Physical Sciences Communications which discusses her program, Rising Stargirls.