ABC7 Unite: Twins keep remote students worldwide engaged in biology

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Twins use YouTube to keep remote students engaged in biology

A set of twins from Manhattan are committed to expanding their love for biology education, and the brother and sister have created a YouTube channel.

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- A set of twins from Manhattan are committed to expanding their love for biology education, and the brother and sister have created a YouTube channel to teach dissections and engage students who are learning remotely due to the pandemic.

Their videos are so enticing that hundreds of colleges and high schools around the country and the world are now using them for teaching.

At just 17 years old, Jaeah and Jae Kim are biology whiz kids. In their East Harlem bedroom, the Hunter College High School students have started somewhat of a biology lab and studio setup.

After fully researching and scripting the procedure, in this case dissecting a cow kidney, their YouTube videos on their website Oh Worm! have become huge hits.

"It's a way to inspire people to be more interested, more passionate," Jaeah Kim said.

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The idea was born during quarantine, when the duo realized remoting learning was causing students to learn disproportionately and lose interest.

"We try to make our videos engaging and humorous," Jae Kim said.

Their parents support their passion for preserved animals of all types, and the videos are done on their own time in addition to their school lessons and homework. Their efforts are paying off.

"We were all just kind of amazed, like, wow, this is great that they they're able to do this in their own home," Hunter College High School biology teacher Bradley Scalise said. "And, you know, whereas maybe not a lot of parents would let their kids. Mine certainly wouldn't."

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The twins have around 49 videos posted that are being used as teaching instruction in 500 colleges and high schools -- including their own on the Upper East Side -- across the country and even the world.

"We do a lot of outreach emails," Jaeah Kim said. "Also, a lot of teachers find us through our YouTube channel."

Chicken wing dissection:

Frog dissection:

"It's humbling to see a bunch of people from Norway and bunch of people from India," Jae Kim said.

Hoping to be physicians and researchers one day, they are inspiring others to reach horizons at a time when many of need it the most.

"Remote learning, it can be boring and uneventful," Jae Kim said. "But I think it's a great time to really explore a lot of things, whether it's academic or not academic."

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