Grads

Grads

For this issue I have two incredible women to write about. The first is Natalie Wise (MALS’10). Natalie, our modern lifestyle philosopher, has published two new books this year...so far. The first is The Self-Discipline Handbook: Simple Ways to Cultivate Self-Discipline, Build Confidence, and Obtain Your Goals. Quoting from Amazon, “This handbook will teach you how to take joy in cultivating selfdiscipline and learn what it is, how to get it, why we need it, and how to keep it, and why we want it. It also covers the major stumbling blocks in our way, both internally and externally. If you could use a boost of self-discipline along with a healthy dose of self-confidence, pick up this handbook today. You can’t afford not to.”

This handbook was closely followed by The Modern Organic Home: 100+ DIYCleaning Products, Organizational Tips, and Household Hacks. This is another book to help us through life without surrounding us with modern miracle poisons while creating the home we really want to live in. All Natalie’s books are published by Skyhorse Publishing. Natalie will be the speaker at the annual MALS Alumni Association luncheon, which will be held in August at the Hanover Inn. For more details on this event, please contact me.

My second remarkable woman is Ashie Bhandiwad (Th’13). Ashie was born with a deep desire to save the planet. This desire is still with her. Hailing from India, she felt her professional options were to become either a doctor or an engineer. She chose engineering, and then discovered she would rather take a biological than a chemical approach to reach her goal. This led her to a master’s in biotechnology in Germany, after which she was drawn to Dr. Lee Lynd’s work at Thayer. After receiving her Ph.D. from Dartmouth, Ashie spent a decade of her life working in the renewable energy sector. She is finally, she believes, where she wants to be: devoted to education. Her 3-year-old daughter helped bring about the final pivot while Ashie was working as a bioenergy scientist at UC Berkeley. While being rushed off to preschool so her mother would not be late for work, the child knew her mother was a scientist and insisted she answer all sorts of questions. Ashie developed the strategy of giving demonstrations to illustrate her points while cooking almost every evening. This science at the dinner table became a weekly ritual, and exploring answers hands-on and eating the results became the norm. Ashie soon came to realize that she wanted to share this procedure with other children as an introduction to and a way of explaining science before the children decided that science was some arcane subject that didn’t interest them.

Ashie brought StemChefinto being lastyear. She gives demonstrations, runs summer camps, and provides after school enrichment classes for children ages 5 to 10 in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is in the process of converting the in-person classes to an online version. Of course, Ashie has written a book, which should be out this summer: Princess Nia Goes to the Land ofPooHee. Young Princess Nia goes on an adventure in an unknown land called PooHee (for adults that translates as pH) and learns all about acids, bases, neutrality, and acid-base chemistry. When she gets home, she applies her knowledge to whip up some treats in her kitchen, including chocolate cupcakes.

Enjoy your beach reading!

—Jane Welsh, 175 Greensboro Road, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-3789; m.jane.welsh.gr@dartmouth.edu