Dr. Corbett stops by Girls in Tech Orientation
By Alexis Faison
The Girls in Tech (GIT) Summer Program is a week-long program for middle and high school girls to explore and learn how to make a positive impact in the world using Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). We have 35 girls arriving tomorrow, June 20th, from throughout Hawai’i that will attend the GIT summer camp to advance their abilities to problem solve and manipulate technology as a tool to create opportunities that will support their communities, educational, and cultural well-being. As a way to kick off the camp, participants attended an orientation where they were able to hear more from Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett on her journey to STEM. Dr. Corbett is currently the head researcher for her lab entitled: Coronaviruses & Other Relevant Emerging Infectious Diseases (CoreID) Lab at Harvard focused on coming up with broad ways to study viral immunology. She is most known for her former title as one of the National Institutes of Health's leading scientists that developed the Moderna vaccine, one of the two mRNA vaccines. Dr. Corbett has worked to rebuild trust with vaccine-hesitant populations and takes time to be a part of programs, like this one, to inspire youth in underserved communities to become a part of the STEM community.
Before Dr. Corbett came to speak to the group, some of the girls expressed being nervous to attend the camp because of COVID, but after her talk, a few of the girls received their first vaccination dose. It also left the entire orientation of students, parents, and staff feeling inspired and motivated. When asked how they felt after Dr. Corbett’s talk, some of them said: “I was inspired” and “It was nice to see a woman of color excel in a male-dominated field and share her experience with us”. As a GRA for CGEST, I am looking forward to attending the camp virtually and witnessing how much the girls are able to grow and learn more about STEM in just a week. I am also interested in reviewing and analyzing student feedback and data, so that we can find ways to enhance our camps moving forward.
Below you will find some information shared from Dr. Corbett’s talk based on questions asked by Dr. Scott and other participants during her time with the girls:
Is this a new vaccine?
No, it is not. It is a narrative that has prevented people from getting vaccinated. mRNA technology has been tested on humans for years...Spike proteins go into the body and alert cells, you want to train the body to see spike proteins.
What were your dreams as a child?
I didn't know being a scientist was a possibility and I didn't know about science being a career choice until I was 16 years old. I came across this lab internship and was explorational.
What does it mean to have a lab?
It means that you go off to R1 universities or companies to create your own research program, you hire people to do research and publish papers and my lab specifically focuses on coming up with broad ways to study viral immunology.
What are the qualities needed to be a scientist?
Critical thinking is necessary to be a scientist, the ability to take criticism - 90% of what you’ll do will be a failure. No one will tell you they are great, so you need to and you need to use affirmations and get into the mindset of framing yourself as a scientist.
How long did it take you to become a scientist?
First, you have undergrad, grad school, post-doc, and then specialty training for 3-10 years depending on your area. It takes a long time, but you are learning every step of the way.
The last piece of advice that Dr. Corbett gave the girls was to learn more about the vaccine on the FDA website, make sure to vet sources and think critically before accepting news from media outlets and do the research. That is what a scientist does.
Written By:
Graduate Research Assistant
