For many of us, when we think of scientists we think of grey-haired men in a laboratory, bunsen burners and flasks of bubbling chemicals. Social enterprise Nanogirl Labs, co-founded by Dr Michelle Dickinson, is on a mission to overcome those stereotypes by making STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fun and accessible for everyone. With the launch of ‘Nanogirl’s Lab’ online subscriptions, kids in NZ and around the world are being inspired with a hands-on science-at-home adventure every weekday.

From baking a cake, to washing your hands to stop the spread of coronavirus - science is all around us in our everyday lives, even if we don’t realise it. It informs the decisions we make for ourselves and our families, from what we choose to eat, to whether to vaccinate our children.

Dr Michelle Dickinson strongly believes that science should be open, transparent and a topic of conversation over the dinner table, not just the lab bench, and her vision is to create positive role models in the world that our children can aspire to be like.

Research has shown that children decide if science is for them by the time they are 12 years old, so giving young children the opportunity to explore science before then can have a huge impact on their future aspirations and engagement in STEM.

That’s the driving force behind the creation of Nanogirl - a character that began as Michelle’s science superhero alter-ego, and has evolved rapidly into a successful STEM education brand both in NZ and overseas.

Nanogirl's Lab now has a team of science educators (including Dr Kate Sparks) who regularly perform as ‘Nanogirl’, entertaining and inspiring audiences in schools and at events around New Zealand with the brand’s signature explosive style. A familiar sight on both stage and screen, Nanogirl uses her love of STEM to engineer her way in and out of all sorts of adventures, and communicates scientific principles and concepts in a way that is easy for children to engage with and enjoy.

The social enterprise’s current flagship project, Nanogirl’s Lab, was created in response to the coronavirus crisis. With schools closing around the world and children being stuck at home, they seized the opportunity to engage children with science in their own home by delivering a new science adventure every weekday, along with cheat sheets for parents who might be feeling a little anxious at suddenly needing to play the role of teacher.

Empowering families to explore science together at home has long been a focus for Dr Dickinson, whose book The Kitchen Science Cookbook has been a bestseller since its launch in New Zealand back in March 2018. The book has now been distributed to over 30 countries and has been brought into many schools as an additional resource to help build confidence in science amongst both students and teachers.

For parents who want to help their children to develop a love of STEM, the advice from Nanogirl Labs is simple: follow your child’s natural curiosity and give them the space to learn by experimenting. Even if you weren’t confident in science at school, resources like Nanogirl’s Lab and the Kitchen Science Cookbook make it easy to experiment together at home, and those shared experiences are the best way to learn.

In time for Coeliac Awareness Week  14th-20th June 2020  Coeliac New Zealand have been collaborating with Nanogirl Labs to prepare two science experiments to help school aged children understand the importance of a healthy gut in the absorption of nutrients, and why early diagnosis of coeliac disease is critical to the health and well being of children at risk of developing coeliac disease.

Teacher Resources:

Nanogirl Labs workshop 'The role of the stomach in the absorption of food'

Nanogirl Labs workshop ' How to test for iron in gluten free cereals'

Take the online self-assessment to see if you or your child is at risk of coeliac disease.

Learn how to recognise the symptoms of coeliac disease from Sylvia North, Registered Dietitian and member of the Coeliac New Zealand Medical Advisory Panel

About Dr Kate Sparks 

Dr. Kate Sparks is a Nanogirl Labs scientist and educator with a background in marine biology and an interest in anything that crawls, swims or burrows along the seafloor. After growing up in London with the ocean a far-off mystery, Kate moved to New Zealand and fell in love with our beautiful blue backyard. In between studying at the University of Otago, Kate has helped bring marine science into the classroom and has been a strong voice in support of environmental sustainability.

Kate is passionate about science education and believes that it is through informed choices that our communities respond best to change. Where science and technology can help inform the choices that people make, Kate will be found, strongly advocating for science education, accessibility, and engagement.

About Sylvia North