Published: March 12, 2021

The University of Colorado Boulder Libraries are delighted to support our community’s educational journey through CU Boulder Where You Are: An Online Series Highlighting Teaching, Research and Innovation, led by Chancellor Philip DiStefano.

Emily Dommermuth, Science & Engineering Librarian, has identified media recommendations that illustrate how human connections forged in scientific research collaborations can help us solve humanities’ biggest challenges. 

“I hope these recommendations inspire you to dig deeper into the contributions of scientists and engineers from diverse groups and to get involved with citizen science projects,” said Dommermuth.

Read, Watch, Listen & Play

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Select works from Ayana Elizabeth Johnson

Dommermuth is a superfan of marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s body of work. Read about Johnson’s scientific research approach and how her findings are used to build effective policy that helps conserve the ocean for people and wildlife. 

“Johnson has also written powerfully about how racism derails scientists and problem solvers of color, how valuable diverse participation is for science, technology, & policy solutions to climate change to work and how important media representation is for women of color in STEM,” said Dommermuth.

book cover

Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space

Galaxy Girls: 50 Amazing Stories of Women in Space by Libby Jackson honors the achievements of diverse women working in space sciences and space exploration from around the globe. 

It’s a beautifully illustrated resource sure to inspire you to reach for the stars!

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Hawking

Hawking, a graphic novel by Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick, delivers a portrait of scientist Stephen Hawkings’ groundbreaking work in cosmology and theoretical physics. He is considered by many to be one of the most outstanding scientists of all time.

During his lifetime, the renowned scientist was also a vocal advocate for disability rights.

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The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game is a 2014 historical drama directed by Morten Tyldum. It follows Alan Turing as he tries to crack the German Enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians. The film is based on the 1983 biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges.

Dommermuth recommends this film as an opportunity to learn about the groundbreaking contributions of people with underrepresented identities in science and technology.

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Hidden Figures

Directed by Theodore Melfi, Hidden Figures is a biographical film loosely based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book about the African American women working with NASA as mathematicians and how instrumental they were to the early years of the U.S. space program. 

Dommermuth recommends this film to see women of color working in STEM, because those able to join the field are often erased from history. 

Mission Blue

Mission Blue

Mission Blue details the career of woman oceanographer Sylvia Earl and her work to learn more about the ocean, advocate for its protection and disprove stereotypes about women’s ability to explore and conduct science.

This documentary, directed by Robert Nixon and Fisher Stevens, is available to stream on Netflix.

Mike Gil

TED Talk

Episode guest Mike Gil’s 2017 TED Talk “Could fish social networks help us save coral reefs?” details how he and colleagues explore how coral reef fish behave, socialize and affect their ecosystems. 

Watch to learn more about how different fish species communicate and what disrupting these networks might mean to reefs and the global economy's delicate ecology.

Podcast artwork

Citizen Science: Stories of Science We Can All Do Together

Citizen Science: Stories of Science We Can All Do Together, a podcast from SciStarter, spotlights how individuals and communities participate in the scientific process. Each episode emphasizes the relationships making citizen science projects possible. 

If you’re new to the show, Dommermuth recommends starting with the episodes, “EarthEcho International,” and “Citizen Science at North Carolina State University.”

Nemonet game

NeMO-Net

Try citizen scientists yourself by helping NASA explore and classify coral reefs and other shallow marine environments and creatures with satellite images from all over the world via NeMO-Net. 

This single-player game is available for download to iOS and Android devices.

Disk detective cover

Disk Detective

Search for dusty debris disks similar to Earth’s asteroid belt and gas-rich primordial disks—the birthplaces of planets—in NASA’s game Disk Detective.

This single-player game is also available for download to iOS and Android devices.

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