“We're moving at a snail's pace compared to what's available out there. These kids are going to change the world if we let them. Or, they won't because we stopped them.”
“I think that the biggest issue in science it's our inability to share our stories.”
Serena has dedicated her life to advancing science and science education while working with the nation’s most promising youth. Dr. Serena McCalla was raised in New York City and fell in love with science as an elementary school student. She earned her bachelor’s degree, as a double major, in Biological Science and African American & African Studies from the State University of New York at Binghamton University with intentions to become an ER physician. However, she quickly realized she was more inspired by research than medicine. To satisfy her craving for deeper scientific understandings, Dr. Serena McCalla earned an MS degree in Hematology/Microbiology, a Ph.D. that explored the use of diagnostic tests to improve the comprehension of genetics, photosynthesis, and respiration in secondary and collegiate Courses.
Dr. McCalla’s teaching experience began shortly after earning her bachelor’s degree. In the classroom, her appreciation for the sciences became more profound as the students exposed her to nuances of various scientific disciplines including material science, nanotechnology, computer science, computational biology, and physics. Using her growing knowledge of science fields outside of her degrees, Dr. McCalla founded the iResearch Corporation while working as the Science Research Coordinator for Jericho UFSD, Jericho, NY. 
The iResearch Corporation is the parent company of iResearch Foundation, iResearch Institute, iResearch Academy, and iResearch Science. These companies help Dr. McCalla share her research practices with educators and students from around the globe. The iResearch Foundation supports underrepresented and underprivileged students’ participation in the iResearch Institute and iResearch Academy. These programs promote science research method training and review of fundamental and advanced sciences by conducting laboratory experimentation and data science/bioinformatics data analysis and research to test novel hypotheses.
Additionally, the iResearch Institute and iResearch Academy review the scientific method and research method practices through its international programs. The scientific training of these students encourages them to a) systematically address the use of the scientific method during the completion of projects, b) complete novel experimentation, and c) promote expertise in presenting and writing journal-worthy papers. Secondarily, Dr. McCalla is the Science Research Coordinator for Jericho Union Free School District (UFSD) and designed her curriculum to foster excellence in scientific research. 
The Jericho UFSD program has become one of the preeminent science research programs in the United States. Under Dr. McCalla’s tutelage, the school district is lauded annually for its exemplary performance in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and Regeneron (formally Intel) Science Talent Search (STS) competitions producing over 80 scholars and 15 National finalists. The iResearch Corporation parallels the environment Dr. McCalla built at Jericho High School and UFSD, the culture of her classroom and lab brings forth copious avenues to help students excel in science, math, bioinformatics, data science, and engineering research. She enjoys that each day provides a new opportunity to encourage students to explore and impact the future of science and society.
A natural competitor, Dr. Serena McCalla is not only a science research enthusiast and professional; she also considers herself a science geek and competition supporter. She is the President of the New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF; 2014 - present) because she believes in promoting students' academic excellence and encouraging accompanied recognition in