Stories of self-doubt are common amongst engineering students, a key finding of a recent study conducted by a team of researchers at Boise State University.

The students surveyed doubted their abilities. They were convinced that everybody else understood the fabric. They said they wouldn't slot in. They wondered in the event that they should quit their engineering studies and find one other major.

Many students who’ve the aptitude for a profession in engineering select to not proceed their major due to stories they tell themselves – that they don’t belong, that they will not be the “type” who might be an engineer. This shouldn’t be just an issue for college students and the engineering or STEM culture. Due to the necessity to fill a growing variety of STEM-related jobsit affects society as a complete.

We – an interdisciplinary team of researchers with backgrounds in Materials Science, Engineering training, Educational Technology And Consumer psychology – are exploring a brand new approach to supporting students who’re unsure whether studying engineering is correct for them.

With the assistance of Funded by the National Science Foundationwe've been testing a straightforward idea for 2 years. We hypothesized that the stories students tell themselves about whether or not they belong in engineering are related to their negative beliefs about their abilities. And then we asked educators at Boise State University to check a novel approach to vary those stories. While our research remains to be under review, preliminary results suggest that storytelling might be a game changer.

New task: Tell a story

Through a partnership with The Story Collidera nonprofit organization that teaches people the art of storytelling, BSU engineering faculty have begun giving engineering students a brand new task: telling stories about how they solved an issue.

Students write their stories, receive feedback to assist them develop their ideas, after which record themselves telling their work.

Towards the tip of the semester, some students present their stories in a professionally produced storytelling show. The last shows, available online, have featured stories about Exploiting potential, New starting And volunteer for unwanted work.

We conducted before-and-after surveys with 113 students and in-depth interviews with 22 students throughout the first two years—or 4 semesters—of this system. Students who participated within the storytelling project identified more strongly as engineers, had a stronger sense of belonging to an engineering community, and were more prone to report that they intend to proceed their major. The research team remains to be collecting data to search out out whether more students are literally sticking with their major and completing their engineering degrees.

One student said that writing a few time she “freaked out” in a research lab helped her prove herself as an engineer. “Yes, mistakes can happen. But that's OK.”

Positive effects of making a narrative

The storytelling exercise had several advantages. Telling a story about overcoming a challenge improved students' perceptions of their very own abilities – measured using empirically validated self-report scales.

Studies show that the dearth of diverse representations of scientists promotes a stereotypical view of engineers. Reading the scholars’ stories also reduced listeners’ stereotypes of engineers as competent, but nerdy and without empathy. Audience members surveyed after the presentations said they found engineers to be more personable and trustworthy.

Like many stories, this project has an ethical: The change in students' self-image after telling their stories, our research shows, underscores the facility of something so simple as sharing a story to create change. When educators recognize this power and encourage students to take control of their personal narrative, they will ultimately help more students succeed.

In the 15 years since joining the San Francisco Asian American drag troupe the Rice Rockettes, Chi-Chi Kago has witnessed cultural attitudes toward each drag and Asian American representation change dramatically.

Although the group has grown “old and mature,” she said, she hopes it might proceed to bring something “new and fresh” to the table.

“Are we still relevant now that Asian drag is mainstream?” Kago pondered. “I think so.”

The Rice Rockettes are the “premier all-Asian drag group in San Francisco,” says Estée Longah, a Filipino-American drag queen and house mom of the 15-member group. Although Longah says “premier” just means they're the longest-running Asian American and Pacific Islander drag group, the group is a respected institution amongst queer Asian Americans.

It was founded in 2009 by Longah and other drag queens she met while working with AAPI community groups similar to the now-renamed API Wellness Center and the Gay Asian Pacific Alliance.

Longah recalls that there weren't many Asian American drag queens in San Francisco within the mid-2000s. She competed in beauty pageants inside the AAPI community and the mainstream LGBTQ+ community and noticed a difference in the best way each of them operated. She described the mainstream beauty pageants as competitive and focused on getting the job done, while beauty pageants amongst Asian Americans provided a way of community, connection, and camaraderie that she enjoyed.

The Rice Rockettes were in a novel position once they formed. Faced with racist stereotypes that forged them as feminine, passive “bottoms,” many gay Asian men turned to hypermasculinity and rejected drag, seeing it as a stepping stone to gender transition. Several drag queens from a gaggle that predated the Rice Rockettes, the Rice Girls, also underwent gender transition, lending credence to the concept that being a drag queen is a gateway to a transgender identity reasonably than a type of self-expression in its own right.

The Rice Rockettes were founded with two goals in mind, Longah said: to offer a protected space where gay AAPI men can find out about and feel comfortable participating in drag, whether or not they want the gender transition or not, and to recreate the identical camaraderie Longah found at queer AAPI beauty pageants in order that members feel supported of their journey to pull.

“I think what the group excelled at most was storytelling and humor and a kind of crazy, unique San Francisco perspective, and those are things that really appeal to me,” said Imelda Glucose, a Filipino-American drag queen within the group.

Over the subsequent decade, the Rice Rockettes continued to fill an increasing number of bars and clubs with their shows, often acting at the Lookout, a bar in San Francisco. Community involvement was a priority at their shows, hosting fundraisers for local causes and for the victims of Hurricane Haiyan within the Philippines in 2013 and the Tohoku earthquake in Japan in 2011.

Starting in October 2013, the group had their very own monthly show called “Rice Rockettes Presents…” The group also auditioned as a dance group on America's Got Talent in 2011. Kago said that while the experience wasn't entirely positive, it was entertaining and gave the group some exposure. In 2019, the group celebrated its tenth anniversary with a celebratory show, marking the height of the Rice Rockettes' popularity, Longah said.

“We did a 10th anniversary show that was very well received. People really loved watching us play group and solo numbers and sort of a 'best of' and really challenge ourselves to do some pretty difficult things on stage to entertain the audience,” Kago said.

For the queens who joined the Rice Rockettes, the group's unique storytelling provided a possibility to specific their truths in a witty yet provocative way.

Glucose recalled a performance by her drag mother, Doncha Vishyuwuzme, who tackled the stereotype that Asian Americans eat dogs. To the tune of a catchy pop song, Vishyuwuzme revealed that she served dog parts, not chicken parts.

“The way everyone incorporates their identity as Asian into their performances and the way we make fun of the things that others who are not Asian or not part of our community have made fun of us for is, in a way, like a reclamation,” Glucose said.

Another drag queen, Kristi Yummykochi, said drag allowed her to explore her Japanese-American identity with a private number based on a story from her mother's family.

“When you do a drag act about such a personal story, you learn about it. You ask your family members, you research what happened and you ask yourself, 'What was that?', 'How can I tell this story?' And that, I think, brings you closer to your own identity,” Yummykochi said.

When the pandemic shut every part down in March 2020, the Rice Rockettes adapted by hosting two digital shows and keeping in contact with one another through monthly video chats. Although they resumed live shows in 2021, the pandemic had dealt a serious blow to San Francisco's nightlife. Due to the oversupply of drag content, there was little interest of their performances, and the high cost of living kept people from going to bars and clubs. Due to burnout, fewer queens were also willing to perform. The group then modified its direction, and the Rice Rockettes' monthly show was renamed “Estée Longah's Casting Couch,” which regularly featured members of the Rice Rockettes and other guest artists.

Longah said one among the low points within the group's history was when the Proud Boys attacked fellow member Rice Rockette Panda Dulce during a Drag Queen Story Hour event on the San Lorenzo Library in 2022.

The event was interrupted when a gaggle of Proud Boys members burst in and hurled insults at Dulce. One called her a “groomer” and one other wore a T-shirt that read “Kill your local pedophile” and had a picture of an AK-47 on it.

“The right's alarmist, downright fascist bias about who should and shouldn't exist will never override the undeniable reality that we (LGBTQ people) exist,” Dulce said in an interview with CNN.

Longah said the attack affected her deeply since it was not only an attack on a member of her group, but additionally on her drag daughter, who was not within the Bay Area on the time.

“This has really changed the way we work and our attitude towards safety,” Longah said, also advising members to return together and pay attention to their surroundings.

The group tries to tell one another about performances outside the group and, consequently of the attack, now not accepts private bookings.

Vermicelli Versace, a Vietnamese-American drag queen who joined the group in 2019, said that in light of the attack — in addition to recent drag bans and anti-trans laws and the rise of the Stop Asian Hate movement in response to attacks on Asian Americans — the group's work will not be done.

“We are here for a reason. And we are here to continue to be a light for the community,” Versace said.

Longah said many members joined the Rice Rockettes without much drag experience, and now she has seen them grow as people and develop their drag personalities to the purpose where they’ll exit and pursue their individual drag careers. This was true for Siam Phusri, a Thai-American drag queen who joined the group up to now two years. She said her happiest moment was winning Mx. GAPA in 2022, a beauty pageant hosted by the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, or GAPA.

Kago said she hopes to recruit recent drag queens and collaborate with other drag performers and groups of color. She added that the group is looking forward to celebrating its fifteenth anniversary, scheduled for Oct. 13. And while there was an influx of Asian American drag representation, Kago said the group is advocating for the art of drag for Asian Americans.

“I'm really excited by how much Asian drag representation there is right now, and I like to think that we were a little bit at the forefront of that and maybe inspired some of these other groups to start up,” Kago said. “I hope that with all this Asian representation in the world, there's still a place for us.”

As a Scientist for science communicationI even have at all times been in favour of vaccinations and trusted health workers – and I still am today. However, as a young mother, I’m faced with recent Emotions and worries as I weigh decisions about my son's health.

Vaccines are incredibly effective and have minimal risk of unwanted effects. But I started to see Why some parents hesitate due to flood of content, especially on the Internet, about possible vaccination risks.

Part of what makes misinformation about vaccines convincing is his use of storytellingAnti-vaccination activists share vivid personal experiences with childhood illnesses or alleged unwanted effects of vaccines. However, it’s rare that scientists share the identical Storytelling strategies to counteract misinformation.

In my book “Science vs. History: Narrative Strategies for Science CommunicatorsI'm exploring easy methods to use stories to speak about controversial scientific topics like vaccinations in a compelling way. For me, stories contain characters, plot, sequence, scope, a storyteller, and content in various degrees. By this definition, a story could possibly be a book, a newspaper article, a social media post, or perhaps a conversation with a friend.

While researching my book, I discovered that stories about science are likely to be general and abstract. Science-skeptical stories, alternatively, are likely to be specific and concrete. By adopting a number of the strategies of science-skeptical stories, I argue that evidence-based stories about science can higher compete against misinformation.

To make science stories more concrete and exciting, it will be important to involve people within the story, explain science as a process, and include things which might be essential to people.

Bring people into the story

Science stories often lack characters—not less than human ones. One easy approach to write higher stories is to incorporate scientists making discoveries or conducting experiments as characters.

Characters can be people who find themselves affected by a scientific topic or who wish to learn more about it. For example, stories about climate change can include examples of individuals feeling the consequences of more extreme weather events, equivalent to the devastating Impact of California wildfires on local communities.

Characters can be storytellers sharing their personal experiences. For example, I started this text with a transient discussion of my personal vaccination decisions. I used to be not a hidden or voiceless narrator, but someone sharing an experience that I hope others can relate to.

Explain science as a process

People often consider science as objective and unbiased. But science is definitely a human practice that’s continuously includes decisions, missteps and prejudices.

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance, the medical advice was to not wear masks. Scientists initially thought that masks wouldn’t prevent the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. But after additional researchMedical recommendations have been modified to encourage mask wearing to supply the general public with probably the most current and accurate information.

Explaining science as a process means that you can walk people through the sequence of how science is completed and why researchers reach certain conclusions. Science communicators can highlight how science is completed and why people should trust the means of science to provide probably the most accurate conclusions possible given the available information.

Integrate what matters to people

Scientific issues are essential, but they should not at all times probably the most pressing public concerns. In April 2024, Gallup found that “the quality of the environment” one among the least essential priorities In the US, 37% of respondents said the difficulty was very essential to them. More pressing problems equivalent to inflation (55%), crime and violence (53%), the economy (52%) and hunger and homelessness (52%) ranked much higher.

Stories in regards to the environment could make connections to higher priority issues to emphasise why the content is very important. For example, stories could include details about how mitigating climate change can go hand in hand with Improving the economy and creating jobs.

Telling stories of science

Scientists might be science communicators, after all, but anyone can tell science stories. When we share details about health online or talk in regards to the weather with family and friends, we help keep details about science circulating.

My son's pediatrician was a science communicator when she explained the vaccination schedule and offered ways to maintain my son comfortable after his vaccinations. I used to be a science communicator after I talked to others about my decision to have my son fully vaccinated in keeping with the really useful vaccination schedule and the way he’s now a healthy and comfortable 9-month-old boy.

When communicating about science topics, take into consideration adopting elements from stories to strengthen your message. Think about all the weather of a story – character, plot, sequence, scope, narrator and content – and the way you may incorporate them into the subject. Everyone can find ways to strengthen their science communication, whether of their job or in on a regular basis interactions with family and friends.

The fashion industry couldn’t exist without storytelling. Compelling and aspirational stories conveyed across runways, campaigns and social media are the stuff that makes garments fashionable and inspires a robust desire to be seen wearing them.

Fashion stories can spread positive messages about issues that affect us all. In 2020, Stella McCartney's Paris show featured models wearing cartoon animal costumes. This humorous stunt highlighted a serious aspect of the “eco-friendly” brand promise not to make use of leather, fur, hides, feathers or animal adhesives.

However, the darker and more uncomfortable truth is more often that storytelling in fashion results in overconsumption. And it defines unrealistic beauty expectations that exclude many by perpetuating Western standards of what’s normal and acceptable.

As a cultural historian who studies fashion, I consider the industry must do more to create change, and this might be achieved through stronger, more inclusive and responsible storytelling.

Fashion and world problems

According to the present fashion industry Reports, Storytelling is becoming increasingly essential as brands look to reveal their social responsibility by constructing deeper relationships with consumers. The increasing importance of storytelling in fashion might be linked to 2 themes which have dominated the social and political debate in regards to the global post-COVID recovery: the self and the society.

Consumers want more meaningful experiences that allow them to explore their identities and connect with others. Especially in times of social and political unrest, fashion is the best medium for this. The industry's global reach implies that visual cues and messages conveyed through clothing campaigns might be easily shared and understood.

The report from The Business of Fashion, The state of fashion in 2024, links the increasing importance of storytelling to consumers “being more discerning when it comes to authenticity and relatability.” People wish to buy brands that share and support their values.

The consumer group most concerned with aligning their lifestyle decisions and beliefs with the businesses that clothe them is Generation Z – people born between 1996 and 2010 – who “value being their own to pursue unique identity and value diversity.”

The increasing importance of storytelling in fashion can be related to the worldwide importance of the industry and the associated social responsibility. Organizations just like the UN are increasingly clear that the style industry will only help address the worldwide challenges highlighted by COVID if it uses its influence to alter consumer mindsets.

The unequal social impact of the pandemic highlighted long-standing inequalitieswas a wake-up call to take motion on many global problems, including climate change, overconsumption and racial discrimination. That's what the style industry does contributes 2% to global GDPa malefactor, but in addition a possible advocate for change.

The British Fashion Council Fashion Diversity Equality and Inclusion Report, published in January 2024, highlights “fashion’s colossal power to influence, provide cultural references and steer social trends.” Likewise the UN Fashion Communication PlaybookThe study, published last yr, calls on the industry to “use its cultural reach, persuasive power and educational role to both raise awareness and drive change towards a more sustainable and equitable industry”.

To achieve this, the UN report calls on storytellers, image makers and role models to alter the narrative of the style industry. They are asked to coach consumers and encourage them to alter their behavior if this will contribute to positive change.

The latest stories of fashion

Since the pandemic, there’s evidence that the style industry has begun to alter the content and type of the stories it tells, particularly by putting a human face on current global challenges. Big, deep-rooted societal problems are examined through real-life stories. This may help people understand the issues they face and their role in working to beat them.

One example is Nike Move to Zero campaigna worldwide sustainability initiative launched through the pandemic in 2020. Instead of infinite statistics and apocalyptic warnings of a dire climate emergency, Nike encourages people to: “Update“Sports equipment with maintenance and repair. Old Nike products which were recreated by designers are sold through pop-ups. When rescue isn't possible, Nike gives people options to accomplish that Recycle and donate old products.

By promoting relatively small changes that adapt a product's life cycle to consumers' on a regular basis lives, Nike's campaign challenges the standard idea of ​​clothing as latest, immediate and ultimately disposable by making change its goal.

Narrative hangers

While some fashion brands are rethinking the stories they tell, mine current bookHang-Ups: Reflections on the Causes and Consequences of Fashion's Western Centrism, explains that a few of fashion's strongest and damaging stories are deeply rooted.

Concepts defined within the 18th and nineteenth centuries – civilization, anthropology, sexology – still influence the way in which the style industry treats age, gender, race and sex. Its pursuit of newness and the way in which it pushes the concept that buying expensive brands robotically brings status can be based on traditional Western societal values ​​that fit poorly with twenty first century perspectives and priorities.

The persistence of centuries-old attitudes can be evident in Nike's Move to Zero campaign, nevertheless well-intentioned it might be. Although the initiative is clearly designed to positively influence consumer behavior, it doesn’t fundamentally address what the style industry is and does. But at the very least it’s accepted that fashion works through high consumption and the sense of status that owning and wearing a brand provides.

Throw all the pieces out

One of the important thing points I make in my book is that effective change is more likely after we understand how the industry evolved to what it’s today. This requires bolder storytelling that critiques notions of normality, acceptance and inclusivity.

An example is the Swedish brand अववाव, which is committed to “creative freedom driven by humor, entertainment and design development.” In February 2024 the brand can be Milan fashion show ended with models having trash thrown at them. This experimental performance examined dominant social media narratives by denouncing online trolls and highlighting the harm of hate speech inside and out of doors the style industry.

Of course it’s caused a stir and was covered extensively within the media. A ploy perhaps, but it surely got people talking and drew attention to designer Beate Karlsson's message about online hate. It's clear that compelling and progressive storytelling has the facility to alter minds and behavior.

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