Marie Curie: Chemist, physicist, Nobel laureate…childhood playmate?
In January 2015, girls across the country will be playing with dolls based on a 10-year-old Curie, who will lead them through various hands-on activities in basic chemistry and physics through an interactive mobile app. Curie is the first in the Miss Possible line of dolls, created by Illinois engineering students Supriya Hobbs and Janna Eaves to help young girls explore the realm of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The duo waged a successful crowdfunding campaign on the website Indiegogo to launch their company. They have plans to release two more dolls with corresponding apps later in 2015: Bessie Coleman, a pioneer of aviation and the first African-American woman to earn a pilot’s license, and Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer.
“Honestly, I can’t remember a time when I wanted to do anything outside of STEM fields. I grew up with two chemists for parents, so I was surrounded by science from a very young age and loved it early on,” said Hobbs, a 22-year-old from Toledo, Ohio, who graduated in 2014 with a degree in chemical engineering. “But not everyone grows up in the same environment as I did. Often, girls don’t see many of the opportunities that are available to them, because such a small fraction of those are represented in the media. It was very important to us that girls be given the opportunity to see everything that they can do with their lives, so they can choose to pursue what they truly love.”
STUDENT ENTREPRENEURS
Eaves, 21, a native of Charlestown, Rhode Island, and a senior in materials science and engineering, met Hobbs through the Innovation Living Learning-Community (LLC), one of nine specialized communities within University Housing. Located in the Illinois Street
Residence Halls, the Innovation LLC encourages creativity and entrepreneurship by offering courses, programming and resources.
“If you are a student who thinks you might ever, at any point, want to create something, this is the place where you want to be,” said Jennifer Bechtel, the program director for the Innovation LLC who also mentored Eaves and Hobbs. “You will be surrounded by people who want to help you find what you are passionate about and want to help you accomplish whatever your big dreams may be. This is a community of people who get each other. It’s a family.”
Applications to join a Living-Learning Community are part of the general housing application. Students who are interested in an LLC are encouraged to write an essay about what they would gain from being part of the community and what they would have to offer that community.
Innovation LLC began in 2010 and has become so popular that there are more applicants than spots, according to Bechtel.
In addition to its own specialized programming and activities, Innovation LLC also partners with the Technology Entrepreneurship Center (TEC). The center is housed within in the College of Engineering but offers support to students from any major.
“Janna and Supriya were very, very involved in the community,” Bechtel said. “Both of them participated in nearly every workshop that we offered onsite. They were there early on in the development of our community. In many ways, we were able to shape our programming around their interests.”
Through Innovation LLC and TEC, the two students gained a variety of experience and education about leveraging their passions and creativity to develop ideas, and the business skills necessary to bring those ideas to market. Just as crucial to the success of Miss Possible was the community aspect of Innovation LLC.
“Living in close proximity is a key component of the community,” said Bechtel. “Ideas happen at 2:00 in the morning. A lot of times people are just hanging out and having a conversation, and they’ll say ‘Oh! What if we did this?’ You don’t know when the idea is going to be sparked.”
The idea for Miss Possible crystallized one evening as Eaves and Hobbs were discussing entries for the Cozad New Venture Competition, sponsored by TEC.
As both Eaves and Hobbs also were involved with STEM outreach activities with the Society of Women Engineers, which has a section on campus, they knew that they shared a passion for helping young children – especially girls – explore STEM fields. They met in Hobbs’ dorm room to brainstorm while sharing a box of gummy worms, and Miss Possible was born.
The two entered the Cozad New Venture Competition, which leads innovators through the development process step by step, and advanced to the finals. They shared their idea at a TEC pitching and networking event and recruited more team members, including designers, web developers and marketers. They finalized concept art, made a prototype and found a manufacturer. Then, all that was left to make Miss Possible a reality was to fund the manufacturing and distribution.
The team decided to use Indiegogo, a crowdfunding website. Bechtel, Eaves and Hobbs attended workshops and scoured crowdfunding sites looking at what made a campaign successful or unsuccessful. Bechtel produced a video for the Miss Possible campaign, which ultimately raised $85,755—more than $10,000 over the goal.
“We have been so fortunate to have received support of many kinds from the Illinois community, and I don’t think Miss Possible would exist if it weren’t for the University of Illinois,” Hobbs said.
MORE THAN A TEA PARTY
Each app will include a story of the featured woman, along with hands-on activities and on-screen games related to her field of work. For example, Marie Curie will guide children through chemistry and physics activities that they can do with materials they can find at home.
“The doll provides opportunities for imaginative play, and the app helps girls build skills and confidence,” Hobbs said. “Not only are we showing girls examples of a woman who achieved in that field, but we’re teaching them that they can succeed, too.”
The response from parents who have encountered Miss Possible through the Indiegogo campaign or through news media reports has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Hobbs.
“Many parents reached out saying that they’ve been hoping for an alternative to the dolls they see now, and are thrilled that their daughters will get to play with Marie Curie. It’s been so fulfilling to see other people get excited about our mission and our products, and the support definitely helps keep us motivated.”
Bechtel has ordered all three Miss Possible dolls for her own daughter.
“This can allow me, as someone who has never felt comfortable in the STEM arena, to be able to learn with my daughter, encourage her and allow her to realize that she can do whatever she wants to do,” Bechtel said. “We say that, but how do we provide opportunities for girls to really learn that that’s true, not just in words but in action? I think Miss Possible is great because it allows them to do something. And how’s it that much different from a tea party, really? Girls want to do things with their dolls. Why not do a chemistry experiment?
“I think if it’s just the doll or just the app, it’s not as cool. But you combine both of them together, and you combine the relationship that they have with this doll whom they feel like they can relate to, who means something to them, and the practical aspect of the app. I think it’s a great combination, and as a parent I’m excited.”
Four toy stores have already ordered dolls, and the fledgling company is working to make Miss Possible dolls available in stores around the country. It has yet to be determined which women will be featured as dolls after Curie, Coleman and Lovelace, but more are in the works. While the initial line focuses on STEM pioneers, the Miss Possible team is open to featuring women role models from any field.
“We’ve received countless messages from people asking us to make dolls of the women that most inspired them, and we would love to make them all someday,” Hobbs said.
For more information, visit their website.