Catherine Nguyen is a recent PhD graduate from the University of California Riverside, and currently serves as a lecturer in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside. As the daughter of refugees who grew up in a lower socioeconomic community, Catherine recognizes barriers to scientific understanding in immigrant communities, including cultural, language, age and financial barriers. Through her work as scientist and communicator, C
atherine strives to engage with the public through forming connections with audiences related to their lived experiences. Catherine also co-hosts a podcast called “Across the Cline”, with another YVoS alumni, Jessica Maccaro (YVoS Spring 2021), focusing on a voyage into what unites us in science and will leave you wondering what else can be found just…Across the Cline.
For her outreach project, Catherine is working on developing a Dungeons and Dragons module in which players can assume the role of hormones and work together, using their various hormone-specific powers and abilities, to save a dragon from a sickness or disease. This is a very unique form of science communication, with very few sci-comm focused D&D modules out there, combining tabletop RPGs with real-life scientific topics, to engage players in both science and fantasy. The goal of this project is to create a fun and creative form of science communication that isn’t necessarily directed towards folks already interested in science, but welcome new audiences to the world of sci-comm, including D&D players specifically and tabletop role player gamers in general. Stay tuned for when the module is completed and available for gameplay!
