Writing — Maia Weinstock
Maia Weinstock has written hundreds of articles, essays, scripts, and other works for various media. Author of Carbon Queen (MIT Press) and deputy editorial director at MIT News, her work has also appeared in Scientific American, Discover, SPACE.com, BrainPOP, Scholastic's Science World, and more.
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Maia Weinstock
Maia has created hundreds of articles, essays, scripts, and other works for various media. The following selections represent a sampling of her writing.

A biography of trailblazing MIT physicist and engineer Mildred “Millie” Dresselhaus, who expanded our understanding of the physical world.

In her chapter, “Chien-Shiung Wu: Courageous Hero of Physics,” Maia descibes the life of one of the most important nuclear physicists of the 20th century.

Medium — Retrospective honoring a selection of under-appreciated scientific leaders who died in 2021. Also: Gone in 2020 and, in Scientific American: 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013

MIT News — A brief history of the famous 1969 photo of the reams of software that sent humans to the moon, and of the programmer who led its development.

Scientific American — Maia reports on progress in the depiction of women and girls in scientific and technical fields in LEGO sets and on LEGO Ideas.

MIT News — In preparation for future human missions to Mars, NASA selects MOXIE, an oxygen-creating instrument developed by MIT engineers, to fly on the Mars 2020 rover.

Scientific American — Maia provides historic and sociological context behind the announcement of a LEGO female scientist minifigure set. She follows with a post detailing the final design.

Scientific American — Maia’s September 2013 article on LEGO’s new scientist minifigure quickly becomes international news, as it is picked up by media around the globe.

Annals of Spacetime — Exclusive interviews with Beverly Leech, Joe Howard, and Toni DiBuono, the stars of Mathnet, PBS’s popular math-infused crime drama for kids that originally aired from 1987 to 1992.

Discover — Skis have come a long way since the rigid wooden planks of 4,500 years ago. Maia takes a look at how engineers are changing the way we shred powder.

SPACE.com — Planetary scientists discover a huge volcanic plume on Jupiter's moon Io that shifted more than 50 miles in less than 20 years.

Science World — Cover article for Scholastic’s middle-grade science magazine explores how new research on mummified bodies may help us understand past lives, diets, and diseases.

BrainPop

As the editorial director at BrainPOP.com, Maia oversaw the creation of hundreds of short, educational movies and related texts and activities. The following are a selection of topics for which she was the lead script writer.

Medium — Maia pays tribute to NASA’s first chief astronomer and the “Mother of Hubble,” who played a key role in launching the Hubble Space Telescope.

Scientific American — Maia reviews and recommends action figures and dolls featuring girls and women in engineering and the sciences.

Scientific American — Maia takes a close look at the current landscape of characters of color in STEM toys and makes the case for increased diversity.

AWM Newsletter — Detailed tips on how to improve biographical Wikipedia articles on women in the STEM fields, for the Association for Women in Mathematics.

Scientific American — Maia presents 15 unique portraits of female scientists and discusses their import as part of the STEAM movement.

Annals of Spacetime — When Maia learned that Richard Feynman had a sister who is also a highly accomplished physicist, she took an immediate action.

Wikimedia Foundation — A look back on Maia's first experience as a Wikipedia edit-a-thon organizer, including event highlights and suggestions for future organizers.