LSU biochemistry alumna Kayla Cureaux exemplifies the school’s motto of building teams that win.

Cureaux graduated in 2021 and currently makes videos training the next generation of scientists.

But there is one thing that sets apart Cureaux from other scientists: she was born completely deaf.

Cureaux, better known as KayDeafSTEM on YouTube and TikTok, posts videos explaining science, technology, engineering and math concepts in American Sign Language.

ASL doesn’t include many STEM terms, so many complex words — like hydrocarbon or thermoplastic — must be fingerspelled, meaning each letter of the word is spelled individually.

Cureaux hopes that ASL will develop more terms for complex topics and she plans to help lead the charge for more Deaf representation in scientific settings.

“According to the National Deaf Center, about one in five Deaf or hard-of-hearing adults have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is far below the rate for hearing adults,” Cureaux said in an email to the Reveille.” The gap is even wider in STEM fields, where Deaf representation remains very limited.”

Despite these hurdles to her education, Cureaux’s support team from the LSU Disability Services office and her professors worked to ensure her success through accommodations, including providing interpreters and other accessibility materials.

LSU gave Cureaux access to its lab equipment during the summer so she could create her educational videos. She realized that some of the materials for STEM in ASL only focus on signing the particular concepts and not an explanation of the concepts themselves. This prompted her to take a teaching approach to her videos.

Cureaux plans to expand her program into a tutoring website and, eventually, into a hands-on program for Deaf or hard-of-hearing students. This would allow interested students to explore STEM in a fully accessible environment.

“Through KayDeafSTEM, I focus on teaching science in ASL, not just translating it,” Cureaux said. “I also provide tutoring services and workshops related to education, self-advocacy, and STEM careers. I hope to collaborate with other Deaf scientists and interpreters to help standardize STEM signs so future generations will have a richer scientific vocabulary in ASL.”

Cureaux’s channel has helped the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community by providing an outlet for scientific knowledge. She said that the internet allowed her to challenge scientific ideas and to explain complex topics in ASL, making the material easier to comprehend for the Deaf community.

“One Deaf student told me that my video on chemical bonds was the first time they truly understood the concept in ASL,” Cureaux said. “That’s what motivates me to keep creating.”

Cureaux’s love for biochemistry came from her curiosity about the human body, which stemmed from her faith. As a Christian, she believes that God formed everything in the universe, including the human body all the way down to the molecular level.

She says that science proves the existence of invisible forces that created everything in the universe.

“I study biochemistry because everything in the world, including us as living organisms, is made of atoms,” Cureaux said. “Chemistry explains how atoms interact, giving us flavors, sensations and scents. Biology focuses on life itself like blood, which represents life. Together, chemistry and biology show how everything around us is beautifully connected.”

Her favorite video on her channel is when she explained periodic trends, which are the various patterns on the periodic table that can group elements together. She plans to focus on more biochemical topics on her channel, from the body’s need for potassium to the benefits of certain acids for skincare.

“My least favorite video was actually my very first one, where I extracted DNA from a strawberry at home,” Cureaux said. “It felt a little awkward at the time, but I’ve grown so much since now. I’m more confident on camera and have improved how I film, sign and explain each concept.”

Her content encourages partnerships between Deaf and hearing scientists, evening the playing field and allowing for collaboration across language boundaries.

“My YouTube and TikTok channels help fulfill LSU’s motto by spreading STEM knowledge to the Deaf and HOH community, inspiring more Deaf individuals to pursue science, technology, engineering and math,” Cureaux said. “This builds a stronger, more diverse community of future scientists, mathematicians and engineers who represent LSU’s excellence.”