Fiona Wood: Inventor of spray-on skin
Cristy Burne
About the Aussie STEM Stars Series
Each book is written by an award-winning children’s author and follows the real-life stories of some of Australia’s top scientists and inventors, chosen on the basis of their pioneering work. Themes explored include childhood, school, family, and formative experiences, what inspired them to pursue their chosen path, how they persevered in the face of challenges, and what they have contributed to science in Australia.
About Fiona Wood: Inventor of spray-on skin
Fiona Wood was the daughter of fifth-generation Yorkshire coal-miners, who encouraged her to try everything from ballet to street fighting. They instilled in her the value of hard work, although Fiona was often teased by others for being ‘different’ and wanting more than her tiny Yorkshire village could offer. She faced prejudice and sexism in her professional career but fought for her chance to become a medical student and work as a surgeon. She eventually became one of the world’s leading burns surgeon and Head of the Burns Unit at Royal Perth Hospital. With her invention of the revolutionary spray-on skin, she changed the way burns were treated forever. She further came to the world’s attention in the wake of the Bali bombings, when she and her team were called upon to face a crisis beyond anything they had experienced, racing against time and infection to save the 28 critically injured people admitted to Royal Perth.
Fiona’s story is one of hard work and hope, of vision and direction, of stepping up, not giving in, and helping people rebuild their bodies and their lives.
More to love about the Aussie STEM Stars
• Teacher’s notes available. A perfect series for school libraries or home bookshelves.
• A fresh and unique series that focuses on our Australian STEM heroes. Science is more important than ever as we look to our inventors and innovators to solve the contemporary problems facing humanity and the planet.
• Fiona Wood is a strong female role model and inspiration to young scientists to dream the impossible
• Narrative non-fiction as a tool for educating children, proving that it can be as fun and interesting as fiction.
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2020 | 9781925893281 | 168 pages | Paperback | 198 x 129 mm | Middle Grade
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Aussie STEM Stars, Fiona Wood, biography, stories of local heroes, STEM, middle grade readers, burns, science, medicine, #loveozmg
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Cristy Burne grew up climbing trees, jumping drains, chasing runaway cows and inventing stories. Before she became a writer, she was science circus performer, garbage analyst, Santa’s pixie, and a teacher.
Currently Cristy is a children’s author, science writer and presenter who has worked as a science communicator for 20 years across Australia, the US, the UK, Japan, South Africa, Switzerland and beyond. She has a passion for STEM, loves learning through doing, and aims to inspire creativity, daring and resilience in her readers. She is a sought-after education presenter.
Read more about her on our Aussie STEM Stars website