The Fleet Science Center again gets in on the action at the pop culture, science fiction and fantasy event of the year, Comic-Con International: San Diego 2023.

The Fleet’s involvement with Comic-Con underscores its mission of connecting everyone to the power of science and meeting communities where they live, work and play. 

Fleet Panels
Two thought-provoking Fleet panels dig into relevant societal topics.  Ambassadors from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Initiative, which includes participants in the Fleet’s New Science exhibition, will participate in the panels.

Ms. Marvel and the Power of Representation explores how the television series, whose protagonist is a Muslim-American girl, makes strides toward changing worldviews. Panelists will discuss what it means for Muslim-American girls to see this representation, tapping into ideas of inclusion and intersectionality. In addition, panelists will delve into the specific realm of diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. 

The seven panelists bring expertise from the realms of data science and aerospace to biophysics and neuroscience—and insights from their lives seeking and finding representation. 

Thursday, July 20, 10:30 a.m., Room 29CD

Dr. Evil, or Scientists as Villains in Pop Culture investigates why we find scientists portrayed as villains in popular culture. Panelists will shatter some stereotypes of the evil scientist and explain why this trope actually is much less likely in reality than in fiction. The expert panelists will discuss ethics, motivations, and what scientists really want us to understand about them and their work. 

The five panelists bring not only their expertise in STEM but also their extracurricular interests, demonstrating that scientists are people who want to make the world a better, more just place. 

Sunday, July 23, 2:30 p.m., Room 29CD

The Worst-Case Scenario: Survival Experience
Also at Comic-Con will be Quirk Books, publisher of the best-selling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series and inspiration for the Fleet’s wildly popular summer exhibition The Worst-Case Scenario: Survival Experience. 

Additional Panels
In addition, the Fleet is proud to be in collaboration with the STEAMpop Network, which also includes Cosplay for Science and StarWarsologies, for four other panels exploring the intersections of science and pop culture. 

• Fear & Fungi: Science of The Last of Us
  • Thursday, July 20, 11 a.m., Omni Grand Ballroom DE, 4th Floor
• Indiana Jones: Archaeology, History & Punching Fascists
  • Thursday, July 20, Noon, Room Grand 10, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina
• Star Wars Andor—Making a Rebel, Making a Rebellion
  • Friday, July 21, 7 p.m., Room 7AB
• The Science of Superpowers
  • Sunday, July 23, 2 p.m., Room Grand 10, Marriott

For Media
To learn more or schedule an interview with a subject matter expert, please contact Fleet Science Center Communications Specialist Suzanne Sanders at (619) 238-1233 ext. 804 or ssanders@rhfleet.org.  

Información y entrevistas en español también están disponibles para los medios necesarios.

Additional Information
For more information about the Fleet at Comic-Con, please visit fleetscience.org/blog/2023/07/fleet-back-san-diego-comic-con-2023 
To learn more about Comic-Con International: San Diego, please visit comic-con.org/cci
For B roll, please see

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGeq-6SXRbk&t=23s
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ikCnY_FF_I
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W73EJyzFGzE

About Comic-Con International: San Diego 2023
The SAN DIEGO COMIC CONVENTION (Comic-Con International) is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation organized for charitable purposes and dedicated to creating the general public’s awareness of and appreciation for comics and related popular art forms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums and other public outreach activities which celebrate the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture. For more information, please visit comic-con.org.

About IF/THEN
IF/THEN® is a bold initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies activating a culture shift among young girls by opening their eyes to STEM careers. The three-prong strategy includes (1) Funding and elevating women in STEM as role models, (2) Convening cross-sector partners in entertainment, fashion, sports, business and academia to illuminate the importance of STEM everywhere, and (3) Inspiring girls with portrayals of women in STEM through media and learning experiences to pique their interest in STEM careers. This program is encapsulated in the vision statement: “IF she can see it, THEN she can be it.” Visit ifthenshecan.org.

About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science, as well as Science Translational Medicine; Science Signaling; a digital, open-access journal, Science Advances; Science Immunology; and Science Robotics. AAAS was founded in 1848 and includes more than 250 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world. The nonprofit AAAS is open to all and fulfills its mission to “advance science and serve society” through initiatives in science policy, international programs, science education, public engagement and more. For the latest research news, log onto EurekAlert! (www.eurekalert.org), the premier science news website, a service of AAAS. For additional information about AAAS, see www.aaas.org.

About Quirk Books
Founded in 2002, Quirk Books publishes a highly curated list of entertaining, enlightening, and strikingly unconventional books for adults and children in a number of genres and categories. Quirk publishes books that are meant to be shared and discussed—books that are objects of desire—and that have the potential to reach the widest possible readership because of their positioning and packaging. Some of Quirk’s best-selling titles include Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Grady Hendrix’s genre busting horror novels My Best Friend’s Exorcism and The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, the legendary mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Baby Owner’s Manual, and The Astrology of You and Me. While headquartered on a cobblestone street in historic Old City, Philadelphia, Quirk’s books are distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House and available wherever books are sold. Visit quirkbooks.com.

About the Fleet Science Center
Since 1973, the Fleet Science Center has been a central link between science, schools and scientific organizations, collaborating with the communities that call San Diego County home. Its mission is simple yet bold: to realize a San Diego where everyone is connected to the power of science. The organization delivers on this mission through engaging experiences and culturally driven education programs in neighborhoods throughout the county and the historic Balboa Park flagship location. The Fleet creates places of inspiration by collaborating with communities to support and grow STEM talent in San Diego. From interactive exhibits and school field trips to free science programs, the Fleet is forward-thinking and consistently evolving to create positive change in the world. To learn more, visit fleetscience.org. 

About Balboa Park
Located near downtown San Diego, Balboa Park is the largest urban-cultural park in the United States. First established by the City of San Diego in 1868, it is also one of the oldest city parks in the nation and is the most visited single destination in San Diego. Its 1,200 acres include 17 museums, many gardens and attractions, the San Diego Zoo, miles of hiking trails, and multiple athletic complexes to explore and discover. For more information, visit balboapark.org.