Interviews - Kieran Koch-Laskowski

Welcome everyone to another interview with an amazing woman from the STEM fields! Today we have the privilege of interviewing Kieran Koch-Laskowski who is a PhD student studying metabolic diseases, gut physiology and genomics. You can find Kieran on Twitter @K_hyphen_L

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Cellfie: When did you first realize you wanted to do STEM?

Kieran: I didn’t explicitly realize that I wanted to pursue STEM until I had to choose a direction while

applying to colleges. I spent a lot of my childhood and adolescence exploring seemingly

disparate hobbies and interests, which left me uncertain of which path I wanted to follow. But despite being indecisive, I’ve always been innately driven to learn about the natural world, think outside the box, and effect positive change. STEM naturally felt like the best way for me to pursue all of these goals, so I decided to forge ahead and explore career options in science and veterinary medicine.

Cellfie: It's really good to hear that you followed passion and what you were interested in rather than just setting your mind to a career you know is "respectable".

Who were your role models growing up?

Kieran: I grew up watching nature documentaries, Animal Planet, and Discovery Channel. As a kid, I

idolized people like Steve and Terri Irwin, Jeff Corwin, and David Attenborough, to name a few. More personally, my parents were my role models. They led by example and taught me how to pursue my goals through hard work and perseverance.

Cellfie: They sound amazing! We totally agree that hard work and perseverance are the most important things to learn as they are transferable to any job, skill or life situation.

Did you ever want to do anything else?

Kieran: Yes! My path has been anything but linear. When I was young I wanted to be a zoologist, a

conservationist, a zookeeper, a veterinarian – ANYTHING that had to do with learning about

and caring for animals. Then as I got older I became more interested in creative expression. For the majority of my middle school and high school years, I was convinced that I wanted to go to art school. I enrolled in fine arts electives, assembled a portfolio of my work, and even took summer courses at a local art school. In my senior year, however, I had a change of heart and decided to return to my dream of becoming a veterinarian. To some it seemed like an abrupt change, and although the arts and sciences are often stereotyped as two distinct disciplines, I’d argue that they are more alike than different. Both involve creative thinking, problem solving, and redefining perceptions of the world. I’ve recently discovered some really talented science illustrators and communicators on social media that use art to teach concepts about science and medicine – how cool is that?!

Cellfie: We love that art is also a passion of yours! Some people often feel the need to conform with STEM "stereotypes" of only being interested in science and maths. You can be a scientist at heart and love English, humanities and arts!

Have you ever had any setbacks or been told you are a girl so cannot do

tech?

Kieran: I’ve had a few setbacks that made me seriously question if I could cut it in STEM. I was the first member of my family to graduate from a four-year college, and there were definitely some bumps along the road of being a first-generation student. For my first exam as a freshman, I received a negative score because my math professor believed in subtracting points for incorrect answers. I also had to retake organic chemistry since I barely passed it the first time around. After going through high school as a consistently high performing student, these academic struggles were devastating. I never would have made it to where I am now without the unconditional support of my mentors, family, and friends – they never once doubted that I could succeed in STEM, regardless of my gender. Looking back, I am grateful for these setbacks. They taught me so much about myself and how to be resilient in the face of life’s challenges – they taught me that STEM isn’t about being perfect, it’s about how you bounce back and keep your passion burning even when you inevitably stumble.

Cellfie: It is so hard if you are a perfectionist as everything matters so deeply to you. We definitely agree that different stages in education can be really different and very often people go from being top of their classes to hardly understanding when they go onto further studying.

What’s one thing you’d like to change about the STEM community?

Kieran: I really wish for the STEM community to become more comprehensively inclusive and

accessible. Beyond the gender gap, other underrepresented groups also face discrimination

and barriers that stand in the way of their goals. Some of these groups include

underrepresented minorities, the LGBTQ community, undocumented and immigrant students, disabled students, first-generation students, and students from underprivileged or

disadvantaged backgrounds. Each faces their own unique set of challenges and hurdles, and as a STEMinist I think it’s so important to collectively lift up not only women but also individuals from all underrepresented groups. A more diverse community of scientists opens the door to different perspectives and ways of thinking, which will ultimately help advance the boundaries of science!

Cellfie: Definitely and that is exactly why we started Cellfie!

Is there a problem with sexism in the STEM community?

Kieran: Yes, but I think (or hope) it’s gradually improving. Historically there have been a number of glass ceilings that prevented women from entering, continuing, or succeeding in a STEM career. Even now there are many biases (whether intentional or not) that perpetuate the gender gap in STEM, especially for mothers or women wishing to have families. However, I think that the community and its leaders are becoming more aware of these biases and are actively finding ways to combat them. This is in part thanks to the growing number of platforms, such as Cellfie, that are working to break through these glass ceilings by amplifying the voices of women in STEM. It may seem like slow progress, but it’s progress nonetheless. Currently, women make up over half the US college-educated workforce yet represent only a minor fraction of workers in STEM, and even fewer ascend to leadership positions. Increasing visibility and having more female leaders and role models in science will no doubt help close this gap.

Cellfie: These are all incredibly important issues that you have raised and we believe they should be immediately addressed. When we did a live interview with Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon, the CEO of the Stemettes organisation, she said that she hoped that things sucj as Stemettes wouldn't be needed in 2050 and it would be expected and assumed that their were equal numbers of men and women in STEM fields.

What’s your message for young girls wanting to do STEM?

Kieran: I really like this quote from Mae Jemison: “The first thing about empowerment is to understand that you have the right to be involved. The second one is that you have something important to contribute. And the third piece is that you have to take the risk to contribute it.” To the young girls out there wanting to do STEM, you have the right to pursue your passions, you have amazing talents and skills to contribute to the world, and you have to take a leap of faith and believe in yourself to overcome whatever obstacles stand in your way. And the best part is you don’t have to do it alone – find a mentor or a family member or a friend to be a shoulder to lean on when the going gets tough.

Cellfie: We absolutely love this and agree!

What is your favourite science joke?

Kieran: I love Nathan Pyle’s Strange World comics, and this one is my favorite:

Cellfie: Oh this is amazing! One of the things we love about science is that you are expected to make mistakes. No one is perfect and science shows how it is more important to persevere and learn from your mistakes then to get it right first time.

What is your most embarrassing moment in your life?

Kieran: Haha! There are MANY to choose from, but one that comes to mind was when I graduated from college. After the commencement ceremony, I was walking with my family, dressed in full regalia, to a nearby restaurant. We were crossing a bridge when a strong gust of wind blew my graduation gown and my dress underneath WAY up – unfortunately not in an elegant Marilyn Monroe kind of way… It was a humbling moment after being lauded for my academic achievements, that’s for sure!

Cellfie: Uh oh! That sounds really awful, especially since you were surrounded by your family! Oh well, these things happen and at least you had your massive achievement to distract you!

What is your favourite food?

Kieran: This is definitely the hardest question of the interview – I love food too much to pick just one! If I had to choose though, my go-to comfort food is Tantanmen ramen. The warm, spicy broth just soothes my soul!

Cellfie: Food is something incredibly dear to our hearts! I've never actually tried ramen but it is definitely now on my bucket list! :)

What is your favourite shop?

Kieran: I love perusing thrift stores and farmers markets. It’s always satisfying to be able to support local farmers and craftspeople while scoring on some unique, unexpected finds.

Cellfie: Definitely! Whenever we can we should strive to support those in our local communities.

Thank you so much to Kieran for answering our questions and providing us with such well-thought out points and comments. We look forward to seeing you all next time and make sure to leave a like and share this if you enjoyed it. Make sure to be active on our social medias @cellfiemagazine on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Youtube and we have some awesome content coming up for you on Instagram soon! :)