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WORCESTER — You might call Annabel Gong a STEM champion. The young scientist who studies sharks finds innovative ways to excite and interest people in science, tech, engineering and math, and to provide gender minorities working within STEM fields novel ways to connect.

A master’s student at the University of San Diego, Gong studies leopard shark behavior. It’s this work with sharks that inspired Gong’s mission to break down barriers to understanding STEM. It’s a goal shared by the EcoTarium and its new STEM conversation series titled Women and Gender Minorities in STEM.

Gong, who is nonbinary, will talk about their important work with sharks and conservation in a pre-recorded presentation on Monday, March 22. The EcoTarium will post the presentation on its website. Gong will then follow up with a live, virtual Q&A on Thursday, March 25, at 4 p.m. Gong’s conversations are the second in a series slated to run throughout the summer. All are free and open to the public.

“Changing the societal mindset around sharks is incredibly important,” says Gong. “Creative ways to communicate why we should care about sharks is extremely integral to my research because that’s the whole point — I want people to care about what I research so that we can show the public why sharks are so important to our ecosystems, and so that we can conserve their populations and protect their lives. When people can relate to your science, people start caring.” Once people become invested, they can influence how the science impacts social spheres, policy and the wider world.

Gong connects with others through talks like this one hosted by the EcoTarium and a podcast they cohost called the “LGBTQ+ STEM Cast” that highlights LBGTQ+ voices in the sciences. They also run a storytelling event called “My Story” on the USD campus and they take the time to mentor new storytellers.

Gong’s mission dovetails precisely with important EcoTarium goals. “As a STEM-based organization steeped in nature and the environment,” says Lucy Hale, EcoTarium president and CEO, “we want to say to women and gender minorities, especially, here are careers you can go into when you have an interest or education in STEM.” Further, says Hale, in Worcester and Massachusetts at large, “there is a growing need for more kids to see themselves in STEM careers including biotech, engineering and facets of manufacturing.”

Paige Curtis, organizer of this timely series, began her career in hiking and backpacking education. She led high-end outdoor adventures all over the country, first in skiing and backpacking, and later in cycling and kayaking. She was able to link her passions to her career. “Science in the outdoor world is where I found my niche,” she says. “With this series, we can give a voice to people in STEM fields and also expose people who are in a position to go into STEM careers. There are so many options. We can help open doors to the world.”