Meet Cassia Attard
Cassia Attard is a High School Graduate from St.Mildred's Lightbourn School. She currently works at The Knowledge Society. While in high school, Cassia became really passionate about emerging technologies and their potential to solve climate change. Instead of watching TV, she spent her time learning about renewable energies and nanotechnology. She found an intersection of the two fields that could revolutionize how the world uses solar energy: quantum dots. Quantum dots are nanoparticles that can create transparent solar panels, allowing a window to capture energy. She knew this was ground-breaking. With quantum dots, solar energy could be scalable in large cities! She spent the next 10 months creating her own quantum dots in a local lab, working in UofT and Waterloo labs to finish her projects, and presenting around the world at major conferences like SingularityU Summit, Me Convention and Elevate Tech Fest about this important technology. Aside from quantum dots and solar energy, Cassia is also a competitive jump roper for Team Canada. In July 2019, she competed at internationals in Norway, setting a national record for double dutch speed. She's been jump roping for 10 years and has competed for Team Canada four times.
When did your love of STEM begin?
I've always been curious and ambitious. In elementary school, I loved science and wanted to make a global impact, but didn't know how. When I was 16, I joined The Knowledge Society, a human-accelerator for high school students who want to solve important problems. I then realized that without knowledge of emerging technologies, I would be trying to solve global problems without the tools I needed to solve them.
This is when my passion for technology really took off. I spent hours every day reading research papers about nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, lab-grown meat, and renewable energies - all of which have the potential to solve climate change.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
STEM is one of the most accessible fields for all ages and demographics. With the advancement of technology, everyone can enter the STEM field and indulge their curiousity. Beyond school and books, there are nearly unlimited resources on any imaginable topic!
STEM is also among the most inspiring and optimistic fields to work in. Advancements in STEM can literally solve some of the world's most pressing problems. Receiving news about anything in the STEM field creates reassurance that people are working to create a better world and the knowledge that I'm in the right space to do the same.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
Follow your curiosity. Curiosity is one of the best gifts every person is given, don't extinguish it! Ask questions, dive deeper. Once you learn to follow your curiosity, you'll find your passion. Then, you get the privilege of working on something you're passionate about as a career.
Build something. From my experience, people fall in love with an area once they've struggled with it, learned from it, and completed something they're proud of. Making something real, whether it be an AI algorithm, robot or even toy volcano, increases self-confidence and creates unlimited learning opportunities.