SYNDEMITOWN

Will Grant, with colleagues from NCEPH and SOCO

Can video games teach high school students about public health? In Syndemitown, a collection of ANU researchers from CPAS, NCEPH and SOCO built a collection of prototype video games exploring public health thinking and how we respond to disease outbreaks. 
Their approach involves experimenting with designing a Minecraft mod that immerses high school students in the world of population health thinking. 
In this world, players take on the roles of policy maker, contact tracer, GP, engineer, and data analyst as they collaborate to combat that virus. Work continues as we explore the impact of the games with these high school students.

SCIENCE GOES POP!

Team POPSICULE and local Canberran artists

Following in-person presentations by academics and Canberran artists at “Science Goes Pop” events held at Smith’s Alternative, these series of articles brings into dialogue artistic responses to academic discourses on science and its surrounding cultural narratives.
By blending art with knowledge, visual artists can not only convey meanings of science, but also shape cultural dialogues about discovery, curiosity and interpretation – and further shape the aesthetics of science communication.
Inspired by the scholarly discussions, the produced artworks explored science through the lens of comics, artistic imagination and visual storytelling – by framing and reflecting on scientific work as both deeply personal and situated in cultural contexts, and by reflecting on the aesthetic strategies used to communicate science through visual language.

WOMEN SCIENTISTS IN AMERICAN TELEVISION COMEDY

Karina Judd, Bridget Gaul, Anna-Sophie Jürgens

Media and pop culture play a powerful role in shaping our ideas of what scientists look like. What stories are being told about women in STEM? Are they accurate? Are they inspiring? 
Popular TV shows have been guilty of reducing women scientists to comedic foils or romantic interests, rather than fully realised professionals, such as in The Big Bang Theory, Never Have I Ever and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. Humorous films tend to portray women scientists as neurotic, silly and impossibly clumsy.
While portrayals of fictional women scientists can be stereotypical, they also have the power to reflect and challenge assumptions, such as in the portrayal of Shuri in Black Panther as an active and capable engineer. Comedy has the power to challenge gender norms —but only when it’s used with intention.