Photo courtesy of Charlie Langton, Choppy's Pics
Melissa Koch writes nonfiction books for children and their teachers. Her nonfiction children’s books (picture books, middle grade, and young adult) focus on making science and social justice personal and valuable to readers. She lived in Silicon Valley for 27 years where she designed award-winning learning technologies and out-of-school learning experiences that encourage youth and young women from diverse backgrounds to pursue their dreams in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Laurel Symonds at KT Literary (laurel at ktliterary dot com) represents the author.
Why I Write
When my son was born in 2012, my parents brought all my childhood books to our house—boxes and boxes of familiar books. My journals filled one of the large boxes. Forgotten pages of observations of the natural and human-made world mixed with my personal hopes, explorations, disappointments, and dreams. How are bridges built and why are some people afraid of bridges? What causes earthquakes and why do people build homes where they know earthquakes occur? The connections we have to scientific and engineered worlds has always fascinated and frustrated me.
I enjoy helping people (myself included!) understand and make personal connections to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and our social world. I like to take a step back and see how we humans are part of Earth's ecosystem, and a part of an even larger universe. It's the big picture and the details that excite me. I never know what hidden gems I'll discover deep in the research, especially when I talk with experts. Experts are the best! The act of writing often reveals new patterns to these gems that I can then share with the world. Writing is the best job that doesn't feel like a job. Most days.
My resume and LinkedIn page highlight my publications and professional path in STEM and teacher education.
Happy writing and reading to all!
