Co-Founders and friends Jessica and Maxine met in a small university town in Germany during an international undergraduate research program. There, they discovered they were from the same county in California and a friendship was born. Both wanting to communicate science in different media, they teamed up to create a science blog with articles and images. Their goal is to explain the science behind the familiar, like that which we find in the kitchen, and the not-so-familiar, like new technologies in energy, and to do so more rigorously than the typical popular science blog. They hope to clarify misconceptions and stimulate scientific interest.

The STEM Chicks are always looking for feedback! If anything doesn’t make sense or you find an error, wish to get more resources on a topic, or have a general question or comment, please leave a comment or send an email to thestemchicks@gmail.com! You can also follow them on twitter or like their page on Facebook.

Jessica Karch

Co-Founder, Writer
Jessica’s interest and academic training lie in inorganic chemistry and chemistry education research. Specifically, she has experience in materials synthesis and analytical radiochemistry. She also likes discovering new music and long walks along the harbor. She is currently pursuing her PhD in chemistry education research at UMass Boston, where her research focuses on the intersection of sociocultural and cognitive aspects of learning.

Maxine Nelson

Co-Founder, Illustrator
Maxine’s academic and research interests lie in neurobiology. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the Gladstone Institutes of University of California, San Francisco. Her research focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. She’s also a graphic designer. Outside hobbies include painting, traveling, hiking, and listening to obscure foreign artists.