ABOUT BARE BONES SOLUTIONS
Our vision: To give people who prepare bones more power & control
Steve began testing bone degreasers in January 2024 because his girlfriend banned the use of ammonia as a degreaser in the house. Unbeknownst to him, this was the start of a journey with a simple sounding goal: If we know more about what happens in the degreasing bucket, we can better control it.
Starting in Winter, 2024, testing began as a passion project to explore degreasing bones. At this point, there was no concept of making products or a company. Results and progress were made public, and volunteers sent specimens from across Canada to help find a better way to degrease bones. By spring, a small network had formed across North America, offering informational support, chemicals and specimens. Steve partnered with a skilled chemical company to create a degreaser specific to bone. After months of difficult work consulting academics, deep dives into tangentially related literature and testing formulae, a formula emerged that satisfied his high standards. In late August, 2024, a successful alpha test had been conducted. Canadian bone preppers once again answered the call and a beta test began. Dozens of specimens were tested successfully over four months. The company was incorporated in late November, 2024. The conclusion in December 2024 was one of sweeping success. The oldest specimens are now over two years old with no sign of degradation.
Bare Bones Solutions gratefully recognizes significant volunteer contributions from testers, collaborators and supporters. These products are used by MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta in their bone preparations.
Our products are proudly made in Alberta, Canada and enthusiastically tested across Canada. Work on other innovative bone specific products is being explored with collaborators around the world.
Our Team
About Steve
President and Head of Research
Steve Kary, BSc holds a double major in Biology and Earth Science (2008) from University of Alberta. The focuses of this degree were entomology and paleontology. He founded what became Bare Bones Solutions in late 2023. He has worked as a paleontological consultant for over a decade, publishing on fossil echinoids, and as an archaeological field technician. He oversees product development and research. He believes that collaboration accelerates creativity and progress.
About Kayla
Vice President, Operations and Marketing
Kayla Chase, PhD, holds a degree in neuroscience (2012) from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is currently working on her MBA at the University of Calgary with a focus on commercialization. She has over 10 years of experience spanning academic research and the pharmaceutical industry, having worked across several therapeutic indications in two countries. She joined Bare Bones Solutions in early 2026, and ensures the company runs efficiently, scales effectively and grows sustainably. She believes that progress requires both courage and curiosity.
About Tobi
Lab Manager
Tobi Roth, BSc, is a recent graduate (2025) from Mount Royal University. The concentration of her degree was Ecology and Evolution. Her interests include entomology, microbiology, and osteology. She founded what became Bare Bones, joining in spring 2024. As Bare Bones primary preparator and a researcher, Tobi executes many of Bare Bones experiments. Her experience includes specimen preparation at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and assisting Beaty Science Museum. She values applying cross disciplinary methodology as an avenue for research.
Tobi has returned to Mount Royal University for further education.
About Ally
Biochemist
Ally De Jonge, BSc, holds a degree in Biochemistry (2023) from the University of Lethbridge. Her degree focused on protein chemistry and structure. This understanding of collagen structure, protein stability, lipids, and chemical interactions is central to understanding bone. Her degree also has a significant archaeology component, including two field schools. She worked as an archeologist in the field for 3 years at sites in British Columbia, Alberta and Jordan. Ally started as a consultant with Bare Bones Solutions in autumn 2025. She values lateral problem solving to find unorthodox solutions.
Ally currently works as a field archaeologist.
About MacKenzie
Artist in Residence
Mackenzie Roth, BFA, graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts (2022) with a major in Glass Blowing with a minor in Jewelry and Metals. She is a tattoo artist and multidisciplinary artist with a passion for installation sculpture, physical media, experimental works and oddities of the natural world. She has developed artworks and protocols for tattooing and working with demineralized bone. Additionally, she has created explosion mounts and display features for specimens. Mackenzie feels she cannot truly identify herself within one style of artwork, and finds herself drawn to nostalgia.
Mackenzie works at Smilin’ Buddha Tattoos in Calgary, Alberta.
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