When people think of scientists, they somehow don’t think of women first,” says Snigdha Sehgal, a biologist and a nature educator. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated annually on February 11 was set in place to change this thought process, and tackle the gender gap prevalent across fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Contributing to such efforts is a science-filled online event for children between 12 and 15 years. The event, led by Sehgal from The Learning Forest, is not the typical Zoom session. Expect a mix of storytelling and live experiments where audiences will extract DNA from fruits using everyday kitchen items. The Goa-based biologist will also introduce stories about women pioneers in science. She says, “I want children to experience what being a scientist feels like and for that we extract DNA live!”