Content Produced by Vanity Fair Studios with IBM

Saluting a new guard of S.T.E.M. stars, Part 1

A Conversation with Anne Wojcicki, Biologist; Co-founder and CEO, 23andMe and Debbie Sterling, Engineer; Founder and CEO, GoldieBlox

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The new feature film Hidden Figures tells the true story of three “human computers"—African-American women whose major contributions to the space race have remained, until recently, eclipsed. To celebrate the spirit of the film, IBM wanted to shine a light on STEM luminaries who are making significant contributions in their fields, while working for expanded inclusion for the next generation. Like Hidden Figures, in theaters January 6, 2017, these stories will uplift and inspire you. To learn more about IBM's partnership with Hidden Figures click here and to read about more STEM stars click here. These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Amanda Demme

“I had this utopian vision of equality, and then when I got to college it became an anthropological study: ‘Wow, you’re one of those old-school people who hasn’t caught up yet.’”

Anne Wojcicki, who studied biology as an undergraduate, co-founded what is now the leading personal genetics company, 23andMe, named for the fact that human DNA is organized into 23 pairs of chromosomes. Today, the company has more than 1 million genotyped customers who can receive information on health, genetic genealogy, wellness, and traits, as well as a detailed mapping of ancestral identity. The company has led or contributed to more than 55 published studies in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

On 23andMe and its unexpected dividends

“I had two co-founders for 23andMe, and there was this evolution where we would get together and bring different ideas to the table. I had been talking to a professor about the impact you could have if you collected all the world’s health data—you could understand so much. So my co-founders and I were sitting around at dinner and we said, ‘Let’s do this.’ And we did it. Today, we’re at 300 employees, and have collected more than 1 million individual DNA genotypes. What’s fascinating about your DNA is that’s it’s been passed down—it’s our connection back in time—and it shows that we’re all related. The goal of 23andMe is to understand both your ancestry and health, whether that’s in cystic fibrosis, lactose intolerance, or understanding why your eyes are blue or brown. We do everything we can to make it simple so that everyone can understand their own information. We have a long way to go still—we have this code inside us but we don’t really understand it. There’s a huge amount of work we can do, and the more data we gather the more we can tell you.

“One of the most satisfying aspects of 23andMe is the young people who say it changed their lives: ‘Because I learned about my own genetics and DNA, I am getting into research science.’ It made them feel empowered to become a scientist. We have a big education initiative. On our web site and on YouTube you can watch our video series, Genetics 101, and we have more than a million hits on that. We’ve also written two books, You Share Genes with Me and The One and Only Me. Both were intentionally written with the notion of inclusion and diversity.

On role models and diversity in STEM and in life

“My best friend’s parents run a lab program together at the university where my father works. I always think about them—they’re such a team, and they consider each other to be amazing. Some of the things that are most impactful are the things that are not explicitly stated: For 13 years as a kid, I just watched how they lived their lives. I also had great female science teachers in high school.

“I’m a total believer that anything can happen, and am totally bewildered when people tell me ‘no.’ I grew up watching my mother make things happen. She runs the largest high school program in journalism in the country. She serves on boards, speaks at conferences, and she's a force. From her I learned that if you try hard enough, something will happen. I had this utopian vision of equality, and then when I got to college it became an anthropological study: ‘Wow, you’re one of those old-school people who hasn’t caught up yet.

"I see it all the time now, and I think it’s my responsibility to help rectify it, to mentor and support women and ethnically diverse individuals in science and leadership roles. When I’m asked to volunteer, I do. I think you lead with action. In Silicon Valley, there’s a tremendous team of women executives that are supportive of each other.”

On kids, STEM, and GoldieBlox

“I have a daughter and we wanted her to be exposed to engineering, so as soon as we heard about GoldieBlox we bought the products for her—and she loves the toys and building things. I’m a big fan of making science and engineering fun for kids. Kids at that age think stuff is cool; my son, for instance, was recently freezing bananas with nitrogen, then smashing and shattering them. The world is amazing and you have to open your eyes to it. The fact that your DNA is over a million years old is amazing. And the fact that you’re related to other things—My son is obsessed with the fact that humans share 50% of their DNA with a banana!

“I see the potential of what kids can learn [in the STEM disciplines]. You have to put real investment behind it, and there’s still a long way to go. Still, there’s democratization of information with the Internet and television. You can teach yourself a ton, but making sure this trickles down to all walks of life is important. GoldieBlox is brilliant that way—you just have to tinker and you learn. If you ask some super-successful people here in Silicon Valley what they did as kids, they’ll say, ‘I was always dismantling my parents’ vacuum cleaner or car.’ Kids have to have the freedom to explore what’s in their environment."

“I had the idea for a toy that would provide the same spark for girls that I had when I took my first engineering class."

Debbie Sterling, an engineering graduate with a focus on product design, saw a need in the marketplace for toys for girls based on "building and tinkering.” From her Kickstarter launch in 2012 to the present, she has gone from one product to 17 (which sell online and in major stores across the United States), mobile apps, and online videos. Both Wojcicki and Sterling live in the Bay area, and met at a conference where the 23andMe founder was a featured speaker. Vanity Fair Studios spoke to them about their work and the need for inclusion in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

On becoming an engineer, and the challenges she faced

“In my senior year of high school in Rhode Island, I decided to apply to Stanford as a long shot. I requested that my favorite teacher write me a recommendation, and she asked me what I wanted to major in so she could include it in the letter. She suggested engineering, and I thought it was a train conductor and that it was a weird thing for her to say. So I got in, and was there in my freshman year, and at her suggestion took an engineering class. I fell in love with it from the very beginning, when I realized it was learning about how to be a problem solver—it was creative and interesting.

“The next four years were challenging. Being an engineering major meant you had to be the brightest of the bright. I was compared to the guys, who had been oriented towards engineering all their lives. What made it harder was there were almost no female professors, and I was often the only girl in the group. The guys sometimes made me feel inferior or excluded. It was really hard, and I almost dropped the major. But I didn’t, and I graduated with a degree in product design, a blend of mechanical engineering and design.

On launching GoldieBlox—and its success

“I had the idea for a toy that would provide the same spark for girls that I had when I took my first engineering classI applied all the things I learned in college: you don’t approach a problem by coming up with the answer right away; you start by open-ended brainstorming, and talking to people with different perspectives. I approached as many people as I could, from pediatricians to parents, from kids to neuroscientists who study gender differences.

“I discovered that from a young age, girls develop strong verbal skills, and their play is centered around role play and characters. But most of the building and construction toys available are just parts in a box, usually with a picture of boys on the front. The girls wanted a point to what they were playing with and an accompanying story. This was my ‘aha.’ What if I created a narrative around a construction toy? So I invented a character named GoldieBlox who would be my hero, a girl engineer. The first product was a book I wrote and illustrated: Goldie builds a belt drive to help her dog, Nacho, chase his tail. She uses common household objects to make this contraption: a curler from her mom’s hair, ribbon, tools from around the house. The book comes with little construction pieces, so as kids read the story, they can build a spinning machine, step by step.

“It’s one of those examples of the right idea at the right time. Our first Kickstarter video showed that girls deserve more than the pink aisle has to offer, and it struck a chord. We had fun with it, but we stood up for what we believe in. It quickly turned into a movement and shook the toy industry. Today, I love receiving letters from five- and six-year-old girls who are self-proclaimed engineers and inventors, sharing their projects: music boxes, a painting machine, Rube Goldberg machines.

“Many little girls go through a princess phase. I want them to have their inventor phase—and hope that for many of them it will be a lifelong passion. It’s an audacious, complex goal, but we’re really making strides toward that vision.

Her advice to young girls looking to pursue STEM studies

“Don’t compare yourself to others and believe in yourself. I almost dropped out of STEM many times because I didn’t think I was smart enough or good enough. A lot of my classmates and even my teachers didn’t think that I belonged in the classes—and I started to believe them. It wasn’t until years later that I followed my heart and created GoldieBlox drawing from my unique perspective and some of the frustrations I experienced. By following my instincts, I found success; and learned that just because my ideas were different didn’t mean they weren’t valid.

On what inspires her about Anne Wojcicki, CEO, 23andMe

“I first met Anne at a conference when I saw her speak onstage about 23andMe, and I was just blown away by the work she’s doing. Here’s this incredible woman with a STEM career whose work has the potential to transform the world collecting data about humans and health. She’s an incredible role model who has faced obstacles, but is so passionate about what she does that she just pushes through. She’s down to earth and has a great sense of humor. I just enjoy her as a person.”

To learn more about IBM's partnership with Hidden Figures click here.