Women scientists land the Hero punch in new comic series

Bengaluru: Science communication is getting the light treatment at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) where stories of select women scientists are being made into a series of comics.

The Bengaluru-based institute has collaborated with Tinkle Comics to showcase the life and work of 10 women scientists at the institute. Packaged as a special series, these stories are told to inspire; they trace the scientists’ beginnings and professional pursuits in cheery, chatty narratives. The first comic in the series – featuring Dr Deepti Trivedi who heads the NCBS facility on the Drosophila genus of flies – is out in the magazine’s June edition.

Prof Uma Ramakrishnan, ecologist and NCBS faculty, said the collaboration was in line with the larger goal to showcase the work of people who facilitate science, outside of their limited spaces of public engagement.

“They are not always in the public eye. Their work is not widely followed and theirs is a limited world. With Tinkle, we saw a fun way to break the traditional models of science communication and ensure markedly higher reach and engagement,” Prof Uma, who heads NCBS’ outreach and development division, told DH.

In the series opener, titled Meet Superwoman Deepti Trivedi!, the protagonist narrates her story to her colleagues – from a child who “never stopped asking questions” to the noted geneticist working on fruit flies.

Rupsy Khurana, science communication outreach officer at NCBS, said the idea was to go with a visual medium that can inspire youngsters to take up careers in science. “A space in Tinkle opens communication with young readers across the country. It was also an opportunity to make the whole effort special by featuring, exclusively, women,” she said.

Conceptualised as a ‘superwomen of science’ series, these comics will try to bring in a new aesthetic that breaks the rigours of conventional science communication and make reader engagement more immersive, Prof Uma said.

“Scientists are known to dictate, or teach, when they are expected to communicate. There is a need to break away from lecture-mode engagement with people from non-scientific communities. For that, we need good communicators,” she said.