Labster – enhancing science learning with VR and gamification
Under any definition, we think that laboratory simulations are a great way of bringing science closer to people. ‘Presence’ has been described as a crucial element for motivation and engagement, and simulations intrinsically enhance the aspect of “I feel that I am there”, especially if they are combined with virtual reality technologies. In the particular case of our simulations, even if they are specifically created as teaching tools, in addition to the immersive experience, they are built around real life stories and are meant to be engaging. With the gamification components they are also good tools for science communication at some level.
Lydia Wysocki on science comics as art-science collaborations
Lydia Wysocki is a Newcastle-based comic connoisseur who shares her experience researching, making and running workshops about comics. So far, Lydia has done three projects for Newcastle Science Comic.
Fostering a better-educated community — the Hamed Mirzaei Foundation
Dr. Hamed Mirzaei, biomedical researcher from USC, wanted to bridge the gap between the arts and sciences and created his own foundation to sponsor talent and disseminate knowledge.
Science Storytelling with Comics, an Interview with Maki Naro
“Science can be fuzzy, dark, and obtuse. There becomes a point where words fail and it’s easier to just draw a picture.” says comic artist Maki Naro who — according to Scientific American — brings “‘serious artwork’ to the…
Womengineer – working for gender equality in the engineering profession
Womengineer is Swedish non-profit organization with a very ambitious vision: “… by 2030, we want 50% of all graduated engineers in Sweden to be women”. The core of their networking activities is a website [womengineer.org] which “emphasizes…
Swedish trailblazer project has recruited women to tech university for 30 years
Lund University, Sweden, started a recruiting project in 1984 to attract more women to technical educations. Today, 30 years later, the project Flickor på Teknis (‘Girls in Tech’) is still running and with great success.
Communicating Cannabis science in a women’s professional network
Science communication, Cannabis and feminism. These three seemingly unrelated phenomena are joined together by Dr. Daniela Vergara, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado, Boulder and a director of the Agricultural Genomics…