Arlyne Simon is a patented inventor, biomedical engineer and author of the Abby Invents picture book series. In each title of Abby Invents, Abby creates things kids wish existed like unbreakable crayons, foldibots and more, and she gets a patent. This exclusively designed children’s brand, focused on K-5 invention education, is inspiring kid inventors, everywhere.
FMM: You have been recognized as a trailblazing female innovator. Tell us about your background.
While a Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan (Class of 2013), I developed an expertise in protein diagnostics. I lost my great grandmother to breast cancer in 2010 and her death fueled me to use my biomedical engineering skills to help cancer patients in some capacity. After years of failed experiments, my colleagues and I created a protein microarray technology that accurately quantifies the levels of protein biomarkers in patients. We leveraged this technology to detect when cancer patients reject bone marrow transplants, and subsequently develop a life-threatening complication called graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). In 2013, I was a Finalist in the Collegiate Inventor’s Competition and in 2017 the National Inventors Hall of Fame featured me in its Women’s History Month exhibit highlighting the accomplishments of female innovators who are inspiring other women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Currently, I work in Intel’s Health & Life Science business group as a Platform Architect, designing next-generation medical imaging modalities like ultrasound machines.
FWM: When did you discover your love for inventing?
Growing up on the Caribbean island of Dominica, I never pictured myself becoming a patent-holding inventor. Very often you need to see someone who looks like you in a role before you start envisioning yourself occupying a similar space. My dad is a civil engineer. Having him as a mentor and role model was instrumental in my journey to become a biomedical engineer. But there were no inventors in my family nor do I recall ever being explicitly taught about Black inventors. As a result, it wasn’t until graduate school that I realized I loved inventing. I credit discovering my passion for inventing to my Ph.D. advisor and mentor, Dr. Shuichi Takayama. He recognized my creativity and was the first person who told me that my work was worthy of being patented.
FWM: Why is it so important for you to share your love for inventing with girls?
Girls do not need to wait until their mid-twenties like I did to know that they, too, can be inventors. Female inventors and innovators of tomorrow are in K-12 today. However, if you ask a girl to draw an inventor, most likely she will draw an old, Caucasian male with a lab coat. To dispel that banal myth of what an inventor looks like, we have to intentionally introduce girls to female inventors. Inventing is magical and the sooner girls see how inventing can be used to solve problems in their communities, the faster we close the gender gap in innovation. Else, it will take 118 years to reach gender parity in innovation.
FWM: Tell us about Abby Invents.
Abby Invents (www.abbyinvents.com) is an inclusively designed children’s brand, focused on K-5 invention education. I founded the company in 2020 with a mission to inspire kid inventors, everywhere. Centered around a curious girl inventor, Abby, kids are empowered to be creative thinkers, problem-finders and problem solvers. In each title of the Abby Invents picture book series, Abby creates things kids wish existed like unbreakable crayons, foldibots and more! In Abby Invents Unbreakable Crayons, Abby is tired of her crayons breaking so she invents the world’s first unbreakable crayons and earns her first patent. In Abby Invents The Folidbot, Abby collaborates with her cousin Miko and invents the world’s first, at-home, laundry-folding machine. You guessed it, she earns her second patent. By demystifying the patenting process to kids, the words “invent” and “patent” become part of kids’ vocabulary at an early age. Kids start picturing themselves as inventors, once again proving the mantra, “if she can see it, she can be it.” Some kid readers even regularly write letters to Abby :).
FWM: Do you have a favorite book?
Absolutely! Hands down my favorite book is Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist”. I read it every year. Each time, a new quote resonates with me. This year’s quote is “no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second’s encounter with God and with eternity.”
FWM: You also offer posters and coloring pages. Tell us more!
Abby Invents exemplifies possibility thinking. When kids proudly write their name after the phrase “Future Inventor” and actively color the words, “inventor” and “patent”, they begin to believe in the possibility of becoming inventors. Self-affirmation posters help them proclaim, “Little dreamers become great inventors.” These repetitive methods help increase the confidence in kids.
FWM: Do you have plans for expanding in 2021?
This year, Abby Invents collaborated with a nonprofit, Science Delivered, to create a STEM Trading Card deck, featuring 26 contemporary female role models in STEM. Not all girls get to meet a STEM professional but every girl has the potential of getting these cards. Cards feature women like Dr. Beata Edyta Mierzwa (molecular biologist and science artist), Jasmine Sadler (ballerina and rocket scientist) and Dr. Kristen Lear (bat scientist). This card deck launches in Summer 2021.
FWM: You are an AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassador. Can you tell us a bit about the program?
The American Association for the Advancement of Science IF/THEN® initiative aims to activate a culture shift among young girls by providing them with women STEM role models. The initiative is founded on the belief that “IF we support a woman in STEM, THEN she can change the world.”
As a AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassador, I regularly speak at K-12 classrooms and share my journey to innovation with students. In addition, IF/THEN® recently launched the IF/THEN® Collection, the world’s first, free, digital resource library that has thousands of photos and videos of diverse and powerful images of contemporary women in STEM. It will be used to modernize and advance gender representation for nonprofits, museums, schools, camps, parents, media and more.
FWM: How does it feel to be part of the #IfThenSheCan – The exhibit?
#IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit celebrates the contributions of 120 contemporary female STEM professionals and role models from several industries including entertainment, fashion, sports, business, and academia. It is a monumental exhibition of the most women statues ever assembled in one location, at one time.
When you start from humble beginnings and you wind up being part of a historical exhibit, it feels pretty incredible. Seeing statues of regular women who are scientists, engineers and mathematicians will have a lasting imprint on all the kids who visit the #IfThenSheCanExhibit. It is important for girls and boys to see the exhibit so that we can normalize women occupying prominent roles in science, technology, engineering, and math.
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