March/April 2017

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These Superheroines Are Super Problem Solvers

Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Black Widow, and Jean Grey are just a few of the female characters that have entertained generations of comic book readers. Now, courtesy of the Society of Women Engineers, there are two more: Constance and Nano.

In order to inspire young girls to pursue engineering careers, SWE has launched a new comic book to both educate and entertain. The first issue of Constance & Nano Engineering Adventure, “Rain, Rain, Go Away!” is focused on Constance, a curious high school student who explores the adventures and problem solving of engineering with a super SHEro, Nano. The comic is designed for SWENext, a program to help teenage girls to #BeThatEngineer. It debuted in October during a SWE conference in a session about superheroines, which addressed how society’s view of the female superhero is changing and how heroines can be used to promote STEM.

In “Rain, Rain, Go Away!” Constance walks to her school bus every day, but then one day a rainstorm creates flooded streets. This flooding and traffic make for dangerous travel. When Constance meets Nano for the first time, she swoops in to literally save her life. This new friendship leads Constance on the path to learning some cool things about engineering and technology and how they affect the world around her.

Constance & Nano was brought to life by Kelly Thompson, a novelist and comic book writer who has also authored comics about the Ghostbusters, Captain Marvel, A-Force, Jem and the Holograms, and Star Wars. In a Diverse podcast with SWE President Jessica Rannow, Thompson said that she got involved in the comic book project because she believes that there should be more ways to encourage young people—particularly young girls—to learn about technology and engineering.

Constance was an existing SWE character, but Nano was created specifically for the book. Thompson developed Nano as an engineering superhero. She doesn’t have super powers, but her power is in how she uses her brain. She develops cool engineering tools like flying boots and “skin” that changes with the environment. Since Thompson isn’t an engineer, she interviewed real engineers to help her showcase how engineering can solve problems, both big and small. She also wanted to focus on Constance and Nano’s excitement for learning.

The series, illustrated by Nicoletta Baldari, will feature a diverse array of characters.

Download the Constance & Nano comic book at constanceandnano.swe.org.