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Kina McAllister is a scientist (currently at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center—a lab researching gene therapies), entrepreneur, and empowerer. Her mission? Even the playing field for women in STEM careers. Her strategy? Champion girls to discover the engaging and awe-inspiring aspects of STEM in their own way, on their own terms.
McAllister is the creator of StemBox, a monthly subscription science box for girls. Every month, girls receive a box that activates a STEM topic in a unique and hands-on way. Each box contains the necessary equipment and tools for the experiment or activity, as well as a link to corresponding videos featuring explanations from a real female role model working in the field.
Pretty amazing, right? But here’s the thing: McAllister needs some help to make StemBox a full blown reality. Help a fellow lady geek out on Kickstarter, and feel good about your role in empowering girls through STEM.
And read on for our interview with McAllister, which includes a darling story about a 10-year-old girl single-headedly saving the Yucca Mountain…
Q: How did you discover your passion for empowering girls through STEM?
A: I’ve always loved science, probably since I was 5 or 6 when my folks bought me a cool microscope for Christmas. There’s something so satisfying and empowering about tinkering, experimenting, and problem solving to get things done and learn about them. I followed my passion for science throughout my education all the way to college. During that time I had interactions with people who held onto preconceived notions of what a scientist should act and look like and those same people never failed to point out that I was not what they considered a scientist to be since I clearly don’t fit that stereotype they had.
At times I felt so insecure about myself and my career that I didn’t think anyone would take me seriously and that I was just wasting my time. But then I thought back to all the moments in my life where science had brought me so much joy and purpose and I knew I was doing the right thing with my life. The emotional connection to STEM I had created at such a young age and the support I had from those close to me are what kept me in the field and I realized that not all girls have that in their lives.
About two years ago, a
friend who I had relayed this story to invited me to give a 5 minute Ignite
talk which forced me to really focus and narrow down my experiences into a
concise message, which was a huge help in figuring out what I wanted to do to
make my experience something that could help young girls. It was after that
talk that the idea of StemBox was conceived and from there it just felt natural
to continue my message on through this project.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish through StemBox?
A: I would honestly consider this project a success if just one girl who had StemBox growing up found me later in her life and said “Stembox is what made me interested in science, and gave me the courage to stay in the field."
It is so scary being a minority in anything, let alone a woman in STEM where sometimes people don’t even know where your gender’s bathroom is! I want StemBox to give girls a tactile and emotional connection to science. I want girls to get their hands on these experiments, try the protocol if they want, but then go nuts with it and see what other questions they come up with and to test them! These boxes aren’t meant to test girls on their intellectual abilities, though we offer resources to girls wanting to learn more. So many kids have such a negative reaction to STEM in school and tend to avoid it as much as possible. StemBox removes the pressure and gives kids the freedom to play with science and explore. I want those happy and exciting moments of discovery with StemBox to fuel girls to keep going when the going gets tough in their high school chemistry classes, the time they are the only girl in the room, and when they think they don’t belong in STEM because they don’t have any female role models in the field to look up to.
Q: Most gratifying moment thus far as the creator of StemBox?
A: It would probably be the moment the girls in our prototype workshop were at the point in the DNA Extraction protocol where they were precipitating out DNA. It’s that "aha!” moment for them when the can actually see what DNA is and it’s something they’ve done all on their own. The pride and excitement on all of their faces is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget. That moment, is what StemBox is all about.
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky”?
A: The moment my mom hid my petition to keep nuclear waste out of Yucca Mountain from me because I took it with me EVERYWHERE and asked EVERYONE to sign it. I was this 10 year old on a kick to save this mountain and even had a dedicated table at recess to get other 9 and 10 year olds to sign it. Eventually she gave it back when she realized her mistake, but I get it. Haha, I can’t believe she didn’t take it sooner, I would harass complete strangers at my sister’s soccer games about it.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: On a social note: Don’t worry about the really embarrassing stuff you did in school. They make for REALLY good party stories down the road when you’re an adult.
On an academic note: There is SO much more to science than academia. There are tons of career choices that require creativity and originality. Keep playing around with stuff and exploring your talents!
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
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