"I want girls to get excited about science earlier than I did and to dream about being scientists when they grow up. I can’t wait to show girls how fun chemistry is and how many cool careers there are in science."

Sounds like magic, but it's STEM! Dr. Mercedes Taylor can connect atoms and create new materials we've never seen! Through chemical reactions Mercedes is developing a way to help the world by creating a material to remove contaminants from water. She is working to create a sponge-like material that can soak up harmful ions and create a brand new source of fresh drinking water. As the population gets bigger and water gets scarcer, her work as a chemistry professor at the University of Maryland hopes to bring global relief.