Graduate Research
Creating a Graphic Novel as a Supplementary Tool for Evolutionary Biology Education
Biological visualization is a field that creates complex life science information visuals and media. And, in the field of evolution, there is a large and unfortunate knowledge gap between academia and the general public. This gap has rarely been noted even in research on scientific literacy, and persists through current curricula. As a highly visual field of study this academic void may strongly benefit from expanded genre of visual resources such as graphic novels. However, there is little to no research on graphic novels as an educational tool in the field of biology, much less in evolution theory despite their visual nature. As such, this research project could be a step forward in opening up a whole new public-friendly, educational medium for the field of biomedical visualization.
Research questions
How has the presentation of Evolutionary Biology changed in American Public School curricullum over the last century?
How can a graphic novel be created to best function as a tool to augment evolution education for middle school students? .