Cosplay for Science is an initiative founded by four scientists in California who wanted to bring the limelight back to STEAM careers. STEAM (not the game company) is an acronym for: Science, Technology, Education, Arts and Math. These careers are suffering from a lack of personnel despite their growth and availability. The Cosplay For Science team aims to show people how FUN these career paths can be by comparing them to pop culture themes/genres/ideas. We met with one of the founders, Gabriel-Phillip Santos, and discussed some of the efforts he and his co-founders are involved in (and have been doing) to stimulate interest in STEAM.
Mission
The mission of Cosplay For Science is simple…
Use Pop Culture Narratives to relate to science; in turn helping people find interest in STEAM with cosplay and other non-traditional methodologies tied to Pop Culture Phenomenons.
The founders and supporters of this mission are…
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- Gabriel-Philip Santos
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- Brittney Stoneberg
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- Michelle Barboza-Ramirez
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- Isaac Magallanes
Gabe told Fangirl Nation that, as a Paleontologist, he loves the history of Pop Culture themes. He has explored the paleontology of Star Wars, Pokemon and other movie/comic/game ideas to pique the interest of children and adults alike. During these events the team collects research on reactions to their presentations and, using analytics, determines the best approach to solving the conundrum that is the fulfillment of STEAM employment quotas.
Engaging Communities
Cosplay For Science isn’t just four scientists attending conventions and running panels, it’s four scientists (and their growing list of contributors) engaging audiences in an innovative/creative way. They create pop up museums that focus on connecting scientists with the people and/or businesses they are serving. These pop museums have shown the impact that Star Trek had on Technology, the Paleontology of Pokemon and even a traveling “Galactic Archive” maintained by Jedi Librarians (who showed how climate change is presented in the Star Wars Universe and explained the ideas of space travel in reality). This initiative welcomes anyone working in STEAM who wants to present ideas to the public.
The Cosplay for Science Initiative is looking to promote: coding, critical thinking, memorization, exploration and imagination. Most of their events occur in California presently but they are working on expanding their efforts into chapters that span a global community. For information on their upcoming events please visit: https://www.cosplayforscience.com/events
Pop up museum run by Cosplay For Science. Founder Brittney Stoneberg is holding a fossil.
This initiative IS ACCEPTING APPLICANTS. Please visit https://www.cosplayforscience.com/ and use the contact form to discuss how you would like to contribute to this effort. As a woman working in Technology (IT Security Analyst) I was SO EXCITED to see my passion (Cosplay) and my career (Cyber Security) could be combined and put to good use in a positive, enlightening and unique way. If you’re a cosplayer or cosplay charity who would like to offer support to Cosplay For Science (regardless of your day job) please reach out to the team on their website. Backup Jedis, Flight Crew, Aliens, Dinosaurs, Elves and MORE would certainly be welcome at these creative events! Cosplay for Science is ALSO LOOKING FOR BLOG CONTRIBUTORS so for all those folks who don’t want to be in the spot light but have interest in contributing, your work is welcome and appreciated (trust us, Gabe and team would LOVE to see your ideas).
