Teen interviews science role models to inspire others

Purpose, Scope or Aim of the OER

Girls who want to go into science, technology, engineering or math (STEM/STEAM)) sometimes have a tough time finding role models. That’s because men still outnumber women in many of these fields. Some teens might think that’s a problem they’ll solve by going into a STEM field and becoming a role model themselves. But Emily Koehne, 17, decided not to wait. The senior at the Immaculate Heart Academy in Washington, N.J., actively searches out female role models in STEM and shares her interviews with them on her own YouTube channel

Short Description of the methods or approaches used in this OER

The teen got a chance to change that when she entered a contest run by Marvel and the National Academy of Sciences that challenged girls to create videos answering STEM-based questions. (The contest was also sponsored by Society for Science & the Public, which publishes Science News for Students and this blog). Emily created a video in which she 3-D printed a doll named “STEMily” with whom she discussed problems of women in STEM.

Emily set out to interview women in STEM about their careers and shared those interviews with teachers and fellow students. But she quickly ran into a problem. She didn’t have any STEM role models. Encouraged by her former science teacher Sharon Mistretta, the teen searched the internet for women in STEM to interview. Then she sent emails asking for those women to speak with her.

Step-by-step instructions for teachers to use OER

Use this inspiring video to persuade pupils to interview STEAM women themselves and create their owm videos.