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STEM Tuesday Science in Fiction Books– Craft and Resources

By on December 19, 2017   /   Common Core & NGSS, Science in Fiction, STEM, STEM Tuesday, Writing  

There are two things you need to do to ensure proper use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in fiction.

  1. Obtain an advanced degree in nuclear computational physics C++ programming or an equivalent field.
  2. Obtain a federal or privately funded grant to research the molecular neurological factors and biochemical pathways necessary for the incorporation of STEM into story.

Wait! Don’t leave!

I’m only joking. I’m a microbiologist, not a comedian (if you hadn’t noticed). I’m also a writer so the representation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics is important to me. Nothing rings my own readerly bell more than a seamless use of STEM in fiction and I believe it is vital to show STEM topics outside of a nonfiction or textbook scenario.

Remember back in the day when you were in that algebra or physical science class? Do you recall the question that ran through your young, the-world-is-my-oyster brain?

WHEN AM I EVER GOING TO USE THIS STUFF IN REAL LIFE?

The answer is one we didn’t like back then and we probably still don’t like today…

You are going to encounter this STEM stuff all your life.

It’s everywhere. Even in our entertainment.

STEM in fiction further defines the subject through the power of story. That magic of story we Homo sapiens have shared from our first breath. Shared experience. Shared truths. Shared hopes. Shared knowledge.

STEM fiction is a gateway into the world of STEM for young readers. STEM-based fiction and science fiction show possibility. The melding of facts and story through our STEM lens peers forward to what can be. To explore possibilities. To dream. To take what we know and throw it into the pot to create a future built on past discovery.

BUT STEM IN MY FICTION? SERIOUSLY?

Okay, okay! I know! The STEM fields are based on fact. It’s using data and observation to draw conclusions about the world we live in. It’s formulas, white coats, statistical analysis, publications, lines of code, blueprints, lectures, etc. STEM has always been labeled as serious, strict, narrow, and just a tad bit snooty and full of itself. But is that all science and technology and engineering and mathematics are?

No way!

These STEM fields are living and breathing and growing and discovering. STEM is disciplined creativity at its finest. STEM skills enable one to ask, “Why?”, then go figure out “How”, and eventually figure out a better way to move forward.

This sounds very similar to classic fictional story structure.

Problem/Solution/Improve = Setup/Confrontation/Resolution.

How can we include STEM topics into fiction without it sounding like a 1950’s textbook pontificating that, maybe someday, we will explore our moon?

  1. Mix the STEM with the narrative.
    We don’t need to know all the details. It’s not a standard operating procedure manual. It’s a story. We don’t really need to know exactly how Ellie’s grandfather, Melvin, was transformed in Jennifer Holm’s THE FOURTEENTH GOLDFISH. We only need to know it had something to do with his work as a research scientist, a new species of jellyfish, and an unfortunate (or fortunate depending on which side of the fence you sit) experiment.
  2. Story Logic
    The science, technology, engineering solutions, and the mathematics using in the story world must be logical. It must make sense. This doesn’t mean it has to be true to what we know to be true. It means it has to be logical within its context and can’t just be thrown in to solve the story problem deux ex machina-style.
    Think about how well the magic system in the Harry Potter series work. Why? Because J. K. Rowling did such solid work behind the scenes to build the magical world, we don’t even question the validity of the system by the time we get through SORCERER’S STONE.
    Whatever the genre, STEM works! It can even be completely made up stuff. STEM principles work as long as they fit logically and are ground in the foundation of the story world.
  3. Setting
    A solid fictional setting is as much of a story’s character as an actual character. A good story environment is created by the author from information gleaned by observation of actual environments. STEM basics!
    Think about the setting Kate Milford constructs in GREENGLASS HOUSE. The architectural design of the house, the engineering principles of the lift, the meteorology, and the cartography. All crafted at such a stellar level, you can feel the impact of the setting as you read.
  4. Character
    Similar to the setting. Same rules apply. A fictional character is created from observations an author makes over time.The data is analyzed and manipulated to build the precise character needed.
  5. Plot
    The three-act storytelling structure is ingrained into our western culture psyche. It is almost as old as stories themselves. Our minds expect a story to follow a certain path and adhere to defined beats. Now, that sounds eerily similar to the way we do STEM, doesn’t it? Two of my favorite craft writing books are STORY ENGINEERING & STORY PHYSICS Physics by Larry Brooks. In both books, Mr. Brooks breaks down the nuts and bolts of how to build a story and how to make the story sing to the reader.
    The Hero’s Journey narrative pattern, made famous by Joseph Campbell, is built upon psychology. Carl Jung Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology first defined the archetype in literature.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, the observed data weigh heavily on the STEM inclusion side of the fiction argument. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fit into the world of fiction just as snugly as they fit into the nonfiction world. STEM not only adds depth to fiction, it also acts as a gateway to introduce readers to STEM topics. And that itself is as important as the entertainment value of a story.

STEM in fiction just makes good stories even better.

EXTRA! EXTRA! Breaking News from the STEM Tuesday news desk!

The National Science Teachers Association just released their Best STEM Titles list for 2018. Definitely worth the click to check out these great STEM books!

I hope you are enjoying the STEM Tuesday series on the Mixed-Up Files blog. I am! And as we highlight science in art, don’t forget to also put some art into your science. Science needs creativity as much as creativity needs science.

Until next time…STEM On!

Mike Hays

The O.O.L.F. Files

This month’s STEM Out Of Left Field (O.O.L.F.) Files looks at some cool ways science and technology work their way into our everyday lives. Everything from a blog series where experts weigh in on how to best use science to write sci-fi and fantasy to classic lectures from three heavyweights in their fields to a new annotated version of the classic book that birthed a genre.

Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University. I don’t know where to even start with ASU’s CSI. So much crazy-awesome information, so little time! Check out CSI’s new version of Mary Shelley’s groundbreaking Frankenstein to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its publication. Particularly interesting are the discussions about gender and the trials Mary Shelley faced as a woman author in 1818.

The Science in SciFi blog series hosted by Dan Koboldt. A great resource for writers where experts weigh in on topics relevant to science fiction and fantasy. I’ve been fortunate enough to pen three posts for the series. Keep an eye out for Fall of 2018, when Writer’s Digest Books will publish an anthology of Science in SciFi blog posts titled, Putting the Science in Fiction.  I was fortunate to have two of my posts selected for the anthology.

How America’s Leading Science Fiction Authors Are Shaping Your Future by Eileen Gunn (May 2014) from Smithsonian Magazine.

From Science Fiction to Science Fact: How Design Can Influence the Future by Patrick Purdy (June 2013) from UXPA.

Science influenced by science fiction by Bruce Sterling (September 2010) from Wired.

And to wrap up the O.O.L.F. Files this month, a throwback to this 1985 look on science and society. THE IMPACT OF SCIENCE ON SOCIETY by James Burke, Jules Bergman, and Isaac Asimov (1985)  PDF link from NASA 

Mike Hays, O.O.L.F. Master

 

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Be Good to Your Brain – Read!

By on December 18, 2017   /   Articles  

You’ve no doubt heard this before, but it bears repeating — one of the best things you can do for your brain is read. Cereal boxes will do in a pinch, but mostly, it’s about books. This is especially important the older a person gets. I’ve been reading (haha) a lot about this topic and not just because I’m getting older (another haha). The truth is, reading is like a multi-faceted workout for our brains — weight training, cardio, yoga, and Pilates all in one. From mental stimulation to stronger thinking skills to memory improvement, the benefits for our brains are numerous.

One of the most interesting recent findings is that the storytelling aspect of a novel engages a broad range of brain regions. Neuroscientists have discovered that reading a novel can improve brain function by enhancing connectivity and increasing blood flow to the area of the brain associated with language. Even better — this area stays heightened for several days after reading.

When you read a book, especially a novel, your brain has to remember a variety of characters, their backgrounds and individual traits and nuances, as well as the arcs and subplots in the story. Every new memory forges new pathways in the brain and strengthens existing ones, which assists in short-term memory.

Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health found that people who read just 30 minutes a day lived on average two years longer than those who didn’t read at all. Reading, as well as a large vocabulary, may give us something called ‘cognitive reserve’ — the brain’s ability to repair damage caused by stroke, dementia, or decay. Studies also have shown that reading can slow the process of dementia, and possibly even prevent it.

A recent Psychology Today article cited a study in which researchers measured changes in brain connectivity before and after reading a novel. MRI scans revealed heightened connectivity after reading, specifically in the areas of the brain associated with language, comprehension, sensations, and movement. The movement finding was surprising, but the researchers thought that perhaps, the act of reading actually “puts” the reader in the body of the protagonist.

Reading has been shown to improve focus and concentration as well. Most of us check email, reply to a text, post something on social media, and work on a task all in the span of a few minutes. This type of multi-tasking behavior can raise stress levels, lessen focus, and cause brain overload, but reading does just the opposite. Reading allows our brains to concentrate on the words without other sensory input. And reading does something practically no other medium can do — in the absence of a spelled-out conclusion to a story, our brains automatically imagine and create one.

While novels have great benefits for our brains, so obviously do nonfiction books — filled with facts and knowledge — and poetry. A recent study on the effects of poetry on our brains found that it elicits strong emotional and physical responses in readers such as facial expressions and goosebumps. These responses occurred most frequently at the end of a stanza or at the end of the poem.

What more proof do you need? Open up a book and get your brain in shape for now, and the future!

 

 

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Book Fairs: Forging Connections Between Authors and Readers

By on December 15, 2017   /   Articles, For Librarians, For Teachers, For Writers, Publishing & Promotion  

As an author and as a parent, one of the school activities I love most is the book fair. This chance to watch our readers as they browse books and talk about what they’re connecting to is invaluable; it provides a unique peek into what they love about books and characters that I don’t get anywhere else. Obviously, there are other tools and even metrics to measure what’s resonating with our middle grade readers, but book fairs are just special.

Recently, in an effort to enhance the book fair at my children’s school, I piloted a new program called “Meet the Author.” I stole the idea from another book fair I had worked with in Oro Valley, AZ, where their week-long event included two full days of classroom visits from authors whose books were being sold at the fair.

It was a wonderful way to immerse the students in the whole process of publishing—from the crafting and editing of a book to the actual purchase. The visits also offered readers who were able to purchase the authors’ books a tangible reminder of the visit—personally autographed books! The difference between these and the typical author school visit was that it all happened in the classrooms, which provided a more intimate visit than is usually manageable when you pack an entire grade level into a large room.

The event took a lot of heavy-lifting: months of organization and two long days of managing a roster of authors and parent volunteers who could escort our visitors around the school. But oh, the results. Kids were excited and energized; brand new authors were born in every classroom. It was truly wonderful to watch.

When I imported the idea to our school here in northern Virginia, I started small: no budget and only one author for one grade level presentation. I had to depend on the kindness of an author who would be willing to speak for free and still be willing to sign books afterward. That author was Leah Henderson, author of ONE SHADOW ON THE WALL.

Leah was fabulous. Her presentation was interesting, engaging, and interactive. The children loved her slide show, which included photos of Senegal, where her novel is set. They really plugged into her questions, competing with each other to identify which of her geographically diverse photo slides were in Africa.

Even better? Our 6th graders gained a valuable and exciting connection between the book they saw on the shelves at the book fair and the in-person visit from the actual author—the face of the artistry behind the pages.

“Whenever someone can build a connection with a book they’re more apt to pick it up the next time they see it—often curious what other connections they may make. Having a ‘Meet the author’ event before or during a book fair is a wonderful way for students to hear the behind the scenes in an author’s book journey.”

                                                     –Leah Henderson, ONE SHADOW ON THE WALL

It’s important to note here that the experience itself—an author visit—wasn’t new for us, nor would it be for most schools that want to try this. Our school in particular is very fortunate in that we have an active librarian who schedules author visits as often as her budget allows: we’ve met some pretty amazing, well-known writers. But this was unique in that the author’s work was on sale at the book fair, so everything happened in real time: students saw the book on the shelves at the fair and heard about it in person. They got to interact with the author. Many bought the book and got it signed, much like bookstore signings, which not all children get to attend.

One student said afterward, “It was very interesting to hear how she was inspired to write the book and I liked that she focused on that instead of giving spoilers about what the book was about. That was really good.”

Another said, “I was interested to find out what it takes to get a book published. It takes a lot longer than I thought, and I didn’t know that before we listened to Ms. Henderson. She was a great speaker.”

What motivated me to share this with all of you is twofold: 1) I wanted to encourage all of you who get to work with school book fairs to consider this idea (if you haven’t already); 2) I wanted to thank all the authors who are willing to cut or eliminate their speaking fees entirely when they are being courted by a local school or a speaker program with no budget. I understand that for many of us, speaking fees are a vital part of our income and we can’t make ends meet without them, certainly not when it involves travel outside our region. But the fees can also be prohibitive. I was so grateful to Leah for her generosity because I had no budget at all; any speaker fee would have come from my own pocket, which I couldn’t do. But the value of Leah’s visit was priceless for our kids, and, I can confirm, gained her some new fans. And if we’re lucky? A few new authors were born that day.

Happy Holidays to all of you, and here’s to a 2018 full of great books and good cheer.

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