Morgan McKeen
For many New Zealanders, being “gunged” on What Now is a childhood rite of passage. But for Morgan McKeen, who was happily gunged as an adult after sharing Halloween science experiments on the beloved television show, it marked an unforgettable milestone in her science education career.
“It was a total bucket list moment that reminded me of the joy, energy and playfulness that science communication can bring,” she says.
Morgan is a science communicator and educator, who founded STEM with M (@stemwithm), a social media platform dedicated to making science engaging and accessible for young people. Beginning her career as a primary school teacher before becoming a STEM specialist, Morgan’s work has since seen her deliver teacher training as a Microsoft Teacher Ambassador, presenting the STEM TikTok feed to Hon Dr Shane Reti at Parliament, and being selected for the Royal Society’s Science Teaching Leadership Programme.
This career journey began back at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, where Morgan studied a Bachelor of Education.
“This gave me a strong foundation in pedagogy, curriculum and reflective practice,” she says.
An exchange to the University of Hong Kong during her degree also helped to broaden her global outlook.
“It continues to influence how I think about innovation and culturally responsive teaching. I remain incredibly grateful for the opportunity and still regularly reflect on the insight and life experience it gave me.”
After graduating and heading into education, Morgan says her passion for technology and science eventually opened up “unexpected and exciting” opportunities in her career. She worked in corporate environments at Microsoft and The Warehouse Group, before eventually launching a home studio and building a digital platform for creating engaging science content for young people.
“The pandemic was a catalyst, pushing me to explore new ways of sharing knowledge and inspiring young minds online,” she says.
That’s not to say that stepping into the science sector without a formal science degree didn’t have its challenges.
“Navigating self-doubt in those early days pushed me to lean into interdisciplinary thinking and trust in the broad skill set I had developed.”
When Morgan eventually got to present TikTok’s STEM feed to Dr Shane Reti in Parliament, it marked a key milestone in her journey.
“It brought together everything I care about – science, creativity, youth engagement and advocacy – and affirmed that impact doesn’t require a traditional path”.
For Morgan, impact also doesn’t have to happen within the four walls of Parliament. Still teaching alongside making content, she finds educational wins as rewarding as ever.
“It’s incredibly rewarding when students grasp a concept, or when teachers reach out to say they’ve used one of my videos in class,” she says.
A former student of hers recently messaged her on TikTok to say that some of her Minecraft-themed science lessons sparked his journey into a Bachelor of Engineering.
“Those are the moments that remind me why I do this,” she says.
And when she’s not inspiring hundreds of thousands of people with dazzling science lessons on social media, Morgan is spending time reconnecting with her Ngāti Porou and Te Arawa whakapapa and getting in touch with nature however she can.
“My identity is deeply rooted in the whenua and moana, and I try to live in a way that honours that connection,” she says.
While her big dream is to one day visit Antarctica, she’s also happy to keep growing STEM with M and inspiring young people to find new connections in the world around them.
“Personally, I want to deepen my connection to te taiao, and continue inspiring young people to care for the planet through their everyday actions,” she says.