Japanese manga series to showcase women in the sciences
Dr Ana Verissimo from the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences is combining her love for Japanese art with her passion for the sciences by launching a campaign to create the first instalment in a new manga series.
‘STEM Heroes’ follows the adventures of four high school girls using their amazing STEM skills – Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics – in order to solve mysteries and save the day.
The Japanese comic series, which is to be released in both Japanese and English, aims to teach science and technology through the adventures of four passionate and relatable student characters.
The script for the first story is written and the artistic work to create the four main characters - Mari, Jun, Miki and Yui - has already been commissioned.
Ana said: “I’ve always loved science and talking about it. It’s great when non-scientists ask me questions and are curious about how things work. Everything around us uses STEM, from Wi-Fi, to anti-seismic buildings, to your cat’s microchip. Everyone should have access to basic knowledge on the usefulness of STEM, without all the complicated jargon.”
Ana is now seeking additional funding via Kickstarter for the project in order to cover the artistic work and the initial printing and publishing.
- The Kickstarter page is available here
- Press release
- More information about the project is available here
- The ‘STEM Heroes’ Twitter account is available here: @stemheroesmanga