Tale of Scale
Tale of Scale is a transdisciplinary STEM teaching and outreach program that integrates astronomy, mathematics, and theatre to educate undergraduate students about understanding and communicating space science. The program joins two unlikely subjects⎯Physics and Theatre⎯to teach scale in theuniverse (from the subatomic to the extragalactic) and inspire participants to develop the tools they need to pursue STEM careers. Tale of Scale also provides strong female role models, in order to address the significant disparities that remain between race and genders in STEM employment.
This project is predicated on the belief that bringing science and the arts together provides an alternative entry point to STEM and encourages flexibility and resilience—qualities that are essential for succeeding in STEM. The goal of this project is to extend the curricular pilot of the Tale of Scale project at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) developed by Principal Investigators Dr. Jean Creighton, a NASA Airborne Astronomy Ambassador and Director of the UWM Planetarium, and Dr. Robin Mello,
Director of the UWM Bachelor of Arts in Theatre program.
Meet the Researchers
Jean Creighton
Robin Mello
Jean Creighton | Director of the Manfred Olson Planetarium
To Dr. Jean Creighton, physics is the gateway to astronomy. She studied physics at the University of Athens and went on to earn a masters degree from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a PhD in Astrophysics from the University of Waterloo. She began teaching astronomy at UW-Milwaukee in 1999 and in 2007, she took over as director of UWM’s Manfred Olson Planetarium.
Robin Mello | Director of the UWM Bachelor of Arts in Theatre
Robin Mello is a professional storyteller, certified special education teacher, and narrative scholar who has toured internationally as a teller of tales and teaching-artist for over 20 years. She is also an ethnographer who has examined how perceptions of power and gender are influenced by educational theatre and creative dramatics. Currently she teaches storytelling, theatre Methods and fieldwork, directs the K-12 Theatre Education Program and is Head of the Theatre BA Studies Area.