“Science snuck into my consciousness,” said Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild.
“As a kid, I spent time watching science shows on TV, but I didn’t know they were science shows and I was inspired by them,” Dr. Rae said. “It wasn’t explicit; it was entertaining.”
In her childhood, Dr. Rae watched Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom’s classic episodes with Marlin Perkins, Jim Fowler and Peter Gros. She enjoyed learning about animals from around the world, but didn’t realize that behind the scenes was a lot of science. She did know, however, she too would one day like to talk about animals on TV. Learn what it’s like to be a wildlife co-host.
“I spent a lot of time not really knowing what I wanted to be, but didn’t know that there was a science to what I wanted to do,” Dr. Rae said. “As soon as I did learn that, it really clicked — the people I watch on TV are doing wildlife ecology and conservation and there’s a pathway into that.”
How to become a woman in STEM
Dr. Rae has since spent time studying black bears in Lake Tahoe, lemurs in Madagascar and lions in Tanzania, as well as sharing stories of wildlife conservation with millions of Americans every week. All these achievements were possible because of mentors in her life who encouraged her to continue her path as a woman in the world of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Today, she hopes to inspire other women to find their dream careers in STEM fields.
“If you’re a woman and you’re interested in getting into this, know that there’s a lot of strong, female energy in science today in a way that wasn’t the case even decades ago,” Dr. Rae said.
Look for a community of women in STEM in your area. Volunteer at a science center, take a class at your community college or find a local conservation group. And, be inspired by current and historic women in conservation.
“We need anyone who wants to participate in this field to be welcomed, be involved and be empowered,” Dr. Rae said.
Overcoming imposter syndrome in STEM
If you’re experiencing imposter syndrome as a woman in STEM, remind yourself of your qualifications. This could be the degrees you’ve earned, your knowledge, experience or even energy.
“Sometimes the biggest qualification for being in a space is that you have energy for the work,” Dr. Rae said.
For Dr. Rae, a pivotal moment in overcoming imposter syndrome came from an unlikely source — the singer, Rihanna. She saw an interview where Rihanna talked about the importance of “fake it till you make it.” Though she had heard the adage before, the phrase struck her at the moment.
“I had to give a presentation, and I thought, ‘oh my gosh, I don’t even belong here,’” Dr. Rae said. “And I thought to myself, ‘fake it till you make it.’ If I were the smartest scientist in this space, how would I walk into this presentation? What would a super confident person do?”
She came to realize the intimidating presentations weren’t going away. But what if she played the role of someone with confidence? How would that person act? How would they speak?
“When I did that for a long time, I began to internalize confidence and it really has changed my whole world,” Dr. Rae said.
Dr. Rae’s path to science
Her confidence today likely would have inspired her younger self to pursue a career in STEM. Science wasn’t her strongest subject growing up, but Dr. Rae knew she had a passion for it.
“When I was a kid, the message was if you’re good at something, it means you get good grades in it,” Dr. Rae said. “So, it was very difficult and confusing to really love science, but to be kind of an average student in science.”
In college, she realized she was an experiential learner, not a classroom learner. She thrived studying living things in their environment — a perfect scenario for a wildlife ecologist.
“I had opportunities to work on environmental science outside of the classroom,” Dr. Rae said. “When I had the chance to do that, I found that I understood it well and I could explain it to other people.”
What is a wildlife ecologist?
As a wildlife ecologist, Dr. Rae gathers information about how animals interact with their environment. This information is then used by conservationists who plan out how we can help protect these animals.
“I have always done a lot of data collection and field science, so I study bears by walking into a forest and documenting where I found bear scratch marks on trees, making sure I take those GPS coordinates,” Dr. Rae said.
Other ecologists then take those GPS coordinates and create a database to see statistical patterns where bears spend their time in the area.
“There are so many different ways you can be involved in wildlife conservation and ecology,” Dr. Rae said.
Learn how you can have a career in conservation, even if it’s not as a scientist!
