The idea is simple: Students who see themselves in science are more likely to imagine themselves working in the field.

To that end, a project called “ I Am A Scientist ” is giving middle and high school students the opportunity to interact with modern-day researchers — breaking down barriers like race, gender, and personal interests. It provides teachers with toolkits containing stories, posters, and career resources showcasing 22 scientists’ range of personalities, backgrounds, pathways, and passions. Many of those portrayed have Harvard connections.

“I think that a lot of us have gone onto Google search images and the first thing that comes up when you search for a scientist is a caricature of an old white man with maybe tufts of white hair on the side and glasses falling off his nose,” said Ayanna Thomas , a Tufts psychologist featured in the project.

The spark for the project came in 2016 when Nabiha Saklayen, Ph.D. ’17, wrote a blog post about not fitting into society’s dated ideas of what a physicist looks like, drawing the attention of her longtime friend, Stephanie Fine Sasse, founder and director of educational design studio The Plenary . The women found that they had faced many similar challenges, despite coming from different fields and backgrounds. Their commitment to reducing the barriers for future generations combined with their belief that STEM benefits from diversity birthed the initiative.

Albert Einstein? ... Bill Nye The Science Guy? In this video, students who struggle to name scientists off the top of their heads meet researchers and get a close-up look at the work they do.

Twelve of the 22 scientists featured in the project are Harvard-trained or -affiliated. Below are snippets of their stories.

A world traveler and adventurer committed to using science to keep all communities healthy

Noor Al-Alusi

An adventurous sports fan studying how brains grow and regenerate

Ryoji Amamoto

A soccer-playing musician who wants to know what makes humans so unique

Rodrigo Braga

An outdoors-loving explorer who is building bridges between the past and the present

Wade Campbell

A party-loving doctor who’s fighting to cure cancer in women

Yamicia Connor

A marathon-running champion for women who uses data to improve public health

Francesca Dominici

A nature-loving professor and museum curator who is fascinated by the beauty and evolution of life on Earth

Scott Edwards

A singing, dancing biologist who wants to understand where we came from

Cassandra Extavour

A soccer-playing, art-loving biochemical engineer who is changing the way we think about 3D printing

Daniele Foresti

A music-loving sports fanatic who creates new tools for studying why we age

David Kelley

A surfing, dancing entrepreneur who uses lasers to create tiny technologies for the next generation of health care

Marinna Madrid

An indie rocker and Photoshop enthusiast who uses mathematics to fight deadly diseases

Pardis Sabeti