Science and Superheroes: UM Researcher Speaks at Comic-Con

Goulet, professor of biology at the University of Mississippi, was among 16 IF/THEN Ambassadors who put the science back in science fiction at the 56th annual Comic-Con. More than 135,000 avid fans of comic books, graphic novels, video games and anime were in attendance.

"The reason I went to Comic-Con – the reason I said yes – was initially because it absolutely aligns with why I'm an ambassador and why I've taught our introductory biology course for 25 years, because I find it thrilling to explain science and to get people excited about science," Goulet said.

"I find it challenging, rewarding and important because not everyone needs to be a scientist, yet science surrounds everything that we do."

The IF/THEN program – named for the idea that 'if she can see it, then she can be it'– brings 125 women scientists into classrooms and other gatherings as role models for young learners.

The program, launched by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies, makes its ambassadors and their work available to classrooms, media and educational partners. Goulet is the only IF/THEN Ambassador from Mississippi.

"Whether it's the STEM that creates the popular arts that we love through film and animation or the audience itself, science is a big part of Comic-Con," said Samantha Wynns, director of The EcoLogik Institute and IF/THEN Ambassador. Wynns is project manager for the IF/THEN Steam Squad – a group of STEM professionals who merge their love of STEM and passion for the popular arts – and coordinates the annual Comic-Con visit.

"Reaching people who don't know they're interested in science and sparking that lifelong passion and love of science; that's what we want to do."

At Comic-Con, the ambassadors donned cosplay featuring characters from "Inside Out 2" and other properties, and gave multiple presentations and panel discussions on how their work intersects with popular culture.

Goulet's panel spoke on disaster movies – such as "Pompeii," "Twister" or Goulet's pick, "The Day After Tomorrow" – and whether the asteroids, ice storms, mega-quakes and other natural disasters behind them could actually happen.

"When we got there, the panel was packed, so it got off to a really great start," she said. "We played clips and talked about the things that were or were not plausible and, if they weren't, why they weren't. The audience had tons of questions; they really got into it.

"There was a woman at the end, and she came up to me and said she's currently in the military and that she's thinking of getting a degree in biology. So, we got to talk through that, and it was a really amazing experience."

Such interactions – where people interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics can speak directly to experts in the field – are a key to getting the public engaged, Wynns said.

"At Comic-Con, we're reminded that there are a lot of people who don't have access to scientists, and they're so pumped to be there and to ask their burning questions," she said. "There were lines quite literally around the block and around the convention center to get into these panels."

The ambassadors also set up tables at the nearby San Diego Fleet Science Center, where Goulet talked about the real-life version of comic-book famous symbiotes such as Carnage and Venom.

"There's so much of nature in science fiction," Goulet said. "People are creative, but they usually borrow. Symbiotes are something that sci-fi borrowed from actual science.

"So, I had the children come up with their own symbiotic character – with powers and everything – but that was a way for me to introduce symbiosis, the real symbiosis, to them."

The group also attended Nerd Nite San Diego, where some of the ambassadors gave five-minute presentations on their areas of research. Each outing was designed to make STEM more approachable to a broad audience, Goulet said.

"If you can relate science to people – to what people love – then it's not as intimidating," Goulet said. "People may or may not know about symbiosis, but they know these characters. So, that's how we introduce them to the science."

Visiting Comic-Con, Nerd Nite and the Fleet Science Center are just some of the ways that IF/THEN Ambassadors have brought science to young learners. Since being named an ambassador in 2019, Goulet has had a statue of herself placed at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., reached a national audience through CBS's "Mission Unstoppable" program, spoken to countless classrooms and sat on many panels.

The reason behind the outreach is simple: Science is for everyone.

"You, yourself, are a biological entity," Goulet said. "You don't have to understand how the molecules are formed or anything like that, but if you can understand science or relate to science, then you can make informed decisions about yourself and the world around you.

"As IF/THEN Ambassadors, that's what we're doing: showing that not everyone has to be a scientist, but everyone can be."

Top: IF/THEN Ambassadors don cosplay featuring characters from 'Inside Out 2' for a session at the 56th annual San Diego Comic-Con International. They include (front, from left) Sam Porter, Tamar Goulet, Bea Mendez Gandica and Afua Bruce, and (back, from left) Beata Mierzwa, Sydney Hamilton, Jaye Gardiner, Wendy Bohon, Samantha Wynns, Ana Maria Porras, Gracie Ermi and Becca Peixotto. Photo courtesy of the IF/THEN Steam Squad