Communicating science that betters our world stands at the core of what we do at GenoWrite. While we primarily work with life science enterprises, our messages must still resonate with the general public. Many members of our broader community lack advocates who ensure their voices are heard. In fact, we have seen this trope play out across the life sciences. Think of Rosalind Franklin, for example. She took the infamous Photo 51 which became central to how we see DNA today. Nonetheless, she only received credit for it after her death. Â
A similar fate would have befallen Angelina Hesse. Although she discovered agar’s use for growing microbes, her contributions went unsung as others drew inspiration from her ideas. That’s where Corrado Nai and his team of scientists and storytellers take centre stage. They began drafting ideas for a graphic novel about Angelina Hesse, creating many stunning visuals in the process. However, without proper financial backing, the idea would never come to fruition.Â
And we refused to let project fade.Â
Documenting the infancy of microbiology
GenoWrite previously interviewed Corrado about his mission to spread the word about the heroine of microbiology. At the time, he he ran a Kickstarter campaign that would fund the graphic novel. The artwork was brilliant, the storywriting was engaging, and the story itself was inspiring. After the interview, GenoWrite contributed to the campaign in line with our mission to translate science for the world. GenoWrite wasn’t the only backer, though. Many other organizations and companies poured out their support as well, including: Â
- The Pasteur Institute
- Hardy Diagnostics
- Multiple societies of microbiology (German, Dutch, Greek)
- And many more!
Thanks to the support of GenoWrite and many other funders like these, the graphic novel became fully funded. Since being funded, many visuals have been created. The team also created a website to further publicize Hesse’s story.
So what's next?
GenoWrite plans to continue sharing news about Corrdao Nai’s project to the world. When any news emerges, we will place them on our website. We also plan to begin a newsletter to promote and update you on all the latest scicomms projects we’re supporting.
But what can do you do right now? For starters, you can continue contributing to Hesse’s project through the Kickstarter link. You can also stay up-to-date about the novel’s progress through their website and by following GenoWrite’s newsletter. Just fill out the form at our home page and we’ll begin posting newsletter updates in the spring!
