Sara MacSorley: Author
Sara MacSorley is an author of a project called Super Cool Scientists and a director at a university and lives in Middletown, Connecticut. Her background is in biology and she seeks to share the stories of women in science.
What do you do?
I'm the author of the Super Cool Scientists coloring and story book. The goal of the Super Cool Scientists project is to show all young people that science is for everyone with a focus on women in STEAM careers. We feature lab scientists, field scientists, engineers, artists, and more.
Why is this important?
The Super Cool Scientists work is a great science communication tool to talk to young people about science careers. The coloring book aspect makes the topic really approachable and the stories tell the readers about the scientists and what they do outside of work too.
What's the coolest thing you've learned?
Writing the book helped me learn, or re-learn really, how much I like writing and telling people's stories. I've been cleaning up some old school things from my mom's house and find old teacher comments about what a good writer I was and it is fun to see that come full circle.
Learning about crowdfunding and how to manage a successful Kickstarter campaign was also super cool. (She has an active campaign for the next installment of Super Cool Scientists! Back the project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/saramacsorley/more-super-cool-scientists-a-women-in-steam-colori?ref=user_menu)
What's your favorite STEM fact?
I did a research project on Zebra Nudibranchs during my study abroad in Bermuda. Nudibranchs are snails without shells, basically the underwater version of a slug. Their name comes from Latin and Greek and means “naked gills.” They are simultaneous hermaphrodites - both males and female at the same time! This is a benefit for the nudibranchs because they can mate with any individual they happen to bump into.
What do you wish to share about your career path?
My career path isn't a traditional science one but I think it is an important one to share as many of us take the zig zag vs. straight line approach when our lives don't turn out as planned. I've had great mentors and can speak a lot to the value of connections to people who have shared interests.
Thanks for your contributions to and sharing of science! If you’d like to nominate a STEM friend (or yourself), fill out the AweSTEM people form. You’ll also receive jewelry from Circuit Breaker Labs.