Young reporters take on Comic-Con, blending science with storytelling
Teen girls in the BE WiSE program interviewed scientists, engineers and pop culture creators during a hands-on science communication workshop through the Fleet Science Center.
Written by Lauren J. Mapp, Edited by Kate Morrissey
Author’s Note: Mapp volunteered as a journalism mentor to help guide the young reporters during Comic-Con weekend.
Two teenage girls stood in front of “Phineas and Ferb” show creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh at San Diego Comic-Con last month, one filming as the other interviewed the animators.
The teens’ mission? To tell science, technology, engineering and mathematics stories through the lens of pop culture as part of the Fleet Science Center’s BE WiSE program, or Better Education for Women in Science and Engineering.
The pair — Caitlyn Stevenson and Arthi Chandra — were among four girls selected to serve as youth reporters during the convention as part of the museum’s effort to support young women as they explore science careers. Through interviews, videos, blogs and panel coverage at Comic-Con, the students explored how science intersects with media and entertainment.
As young people interested in science, some of the questions hit a personal note.
During their interview with the animators and three STEM professionals who pitched their “best invention ever” during the panel that followed, Chandra asked the panel whether teens have a place in science and engineering. Impact Observatory machine learning scientist Gracie Ermi didn’t hesitate in her response — she said uplifting young voices is a part of her mission.
“Your ideas are going to be solving all the big problems that we’re up against right now,” Ermi said.
While Chandra and Caitlyn covered animation and innovation, their fellow BE WiSE reporters turned their focus to the future of artificial intelligence.
Phoenix Wilson, 13, and her teammate interviewed Marvel “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” writers James and Sharla Oliveralong, along with a panel of scientists and scholars exploring the future of AI.
A rising eighth grader and first-time BE WiSE participant, Phoenix said the experience helped her build communication and collaboration skills while working alongside her partner.
“We can definitely have different ways of thinking, different ways of comparing. I might be a little bit more professional, she might be a little more casual,” Phoenix said. “Sometimes conflicting with those can make it a little bit difficult to get across both ideas, but we were just making sure to work together.”
Chandra said the experience was a perfect combination of her two passions: environmental science and journalism.
“It's something that is really close to my heart, and really close to what I really want to do in the future,” the 17-year-old rising senior said.
Through the Fleet’s BE WiSE program, middle and high school girls participate in monthly workshops, mentorship and career exploration.
Sometimes that means talking with female scientists working in local biotech labs while other times they meet professionals who work in administrative roles like finance, communications and human resources.
“We know that not all the girls will end up in a STEM career, but we still want to nurture their love and curiosity about STEM, and there's still roles they can play in STEM companies,” said Andrea Decker, scientist engagement manager.
Decker said the program aims to build confidence, explore scientific curiosity and find community with other girls and young women interested in science fields.
Ahead of Comic-Con, the Fleet’s social media and marketing team trained the girls on their approach to crafting blogs, videos and posts.
“Besides having them explore something that they may want to do in the future, this is also giving them that freedom and that creative ownership,” said Sandy Valdivia, youth engagement manager. “There's more to it than just posting a video online. There's more to a piece than just writing what comes to your head.”
Caitlyn, 15, said that so far, the BE WiSE program has helped guide her away from her original plan to pursue a career as a scientist or mathematician and toward what she now feels is a better fit — aeronautical engineering. As one of the student reporters last week, it also means she gets to practice one of the hobbies she has pursued over the past three years.
“I realized that this would be a really good opportunity to improve my skills as a video editor, and also just an opportunity, in general, to have fun at Comic Con, because I've never been before,” Caitlyn said.
Chandra, who has participated in BE WiSE since seventh grade, said the program has been “eye opening.” She said she recommends it to any San Diego girls interested in science.
“This program gave me so much direction and so much support to see so many different young women, different ages, different interests, fields and all of these things just come together and really share their love for learning and communicating,” she said.
