These Dolls Want to Inspire Girls to Become Scientists
Kids are influenced by the media and marketing from the moment they can walk and talk, which is why more people are trying to change what little ones see and play with — in the hopes that they might have different ideas for what they “wanna be when they grow up.” Realizing there were far too few women in the science and technology fields, University of Illinois engineering students Supriya Hobbs and Janna Eaves, brainstormed ways to get girls involved in STEM subjects from an earlier age and submitted their idea for the Miss Possible line of dolls to a competition in 2013. And won.
The dolls are modeled after strong female role models from history, starting with X-ray scientist Marie Curie. Future dolls will be designed to look like Bessie Coleman (the first African-American female aviator) and Ada Lovelace (the first computer programmer).
Each doll comes with a companion app filled with content that gets girls excited about the topic their doll specialized in, offering up experiments and activities that will build their interest in the sciences. Hobbs says: “It’s not just about getting girls excited about engineering. It’s important to show girls all the opportunities available to them.” We are totally on board. Girl (and STEM!) power!
Do you think these dolls will encourage girls to try STEM in school and beyond? Let us know below!
