The comics as a tool to inform scientific concepts about glass in an interesting and playful way
Author: Adriana Iwata – UniFederal University of São Carlos, Brazil
Co-authors:
Karina Lupetti – University
Ana Candida Rodrigues – University
Comics is an entertainment and culture form well known worldwide and has as main feature the unity between image and text. Story telling with variable themes and drawing techniques involves the reader with a dynamic plot and charismatic characters. The comics is directed for all ages and can also be used as a tool to inform about science in a funny way. The insertion of scientific concepts in an interesting and playful way to motivate and increase the interest about the scientific topics mentioned in the story, one of the main purposes of science communication. Thinking about the positive points for the use of comics in science communication, the comic series called “Glass Comics” was developed in partnership with Center for Research, Technology and Education in Vitreous Materials – CeRTEV, a research center localized at Federal University of São Carlos – UFSCar, in Brazil.
The series comprises five numbers at all. The comic is about three characters: the protagonist Vinicius, a smart and curious boy who loves playing games, his elder brother Mateus, researcher of CeRTEV and the responsible for the explanation of scientific concepts and Luísa, Vinicius’s friend and an intelligent girl who likes to tease him. Each number is a complete story and it mentions a different topic within the glass universe: the number 1 is about the definition, history and applications of glass, the number 2 explains the glass recycling process and production of a glass bottle on an industrial scale, the number 3 talks about the principle of the optical fiber and applications, the number 4 talks about bioglass and main applications in medical field and the number 5 will illustrate the Age of Glass.
Presentation type: Show, tell and talk
Theme: Stories
Area of interest: Applying science communication research to practice