Connecting with the Non-scientist Public: Graphic Adventures in Science Engagement

The mission to engage members of the public with science requires a multi-faceted approach. Traditional outreach methods are vital, and need to continue, but they do not usually reach very far beyond audiences who are already predisposed to seek out information about science. To reach vastly more people and bring them into the conversation about science, we need to go where they are, and that is to the rest of the broader culture, including popular entertainment such as blockbuster movies and prime-time TV, and to literary forms beyond the traditional science book. This talk will describe work in this area over many years, describing consulting on movies such as Marvel's Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, TV shows like Agent Carter, Timeless, Star Trek: Discovery, and Genius (a 10 hour show about Einstein). It will also explain the process of writing and drawing a new kind of non-fiction graphic novel featuring physics, The Dialogues (MIT Press).