What happens when you ask people to draw a scientist? On Saturday at ANU Community Day, we found out – and had an absolute blast! We invited future scientists, families and Canberrans to draw a scientist, and the response was fantastic. So many curious minds stopped by to pick up a pencil, challenge their assumptions and think about what a scientist actually looks like.
We even got a “Rock Star” scientist! Which ANU Earth Scientist might that be…?

The activity might seem simple, but the Draw-a-Scientist exercise has a fascinating 50+ year history in science education and science communication. Since the original studies in the 1960s, researchers have used children’s drawings to explore how cultural images and stereotypes shape our ideas about who gets to be seen as a scientist. And that is exactly what makes this little exercise so powerful: before we can imagine ourselves as scientists, we need to be able to imagine what a scientist can look like.

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by, drew, chatted and shared their ideas on Saturday. There were some wonderful – and wonderfully unexpected – scientists on our pages!
Discover the method behind the madness and the 50+ year history of the Draw-a-Scientist exercise: https://www.edutopia.org/article/50-years-children-drawing-scientists/

And if you want to ‘go pop’ with us again, join us for our next ‘Science. Art. Film.’ event during National Science Week! We’ll be screening ‘Ruben Brandt, Collector’ followed by a discussion on 26 August at 6pm at Arc Cinema. 🎬🎨🧠 https://www.nfsa.gov.au/whats-on/science-art-film-ruben-brandt-collector-4606

#ANUCommunityDay #ScienceCommunication #SciComm #DrawAScientist #STEMEducation #ScienceAndSociety @Popsicule @ Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science @ ANU College of Systems & Society @ ANU College of Science & Medicine