There are TV shows and movies about doctors, lawyers and cops all over the place, but no one seems to make programs about scientists or engineers. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics professionals are always talking about how they need to recruit more diverse students to enter these fields. A solution could be to portray them differently in entertainment.

Technical professionals have stories worth telling. Narrative television and film could be a vehicle for educating people about environmental issues without preaching and a way to show people what these careers look like. It just hasn’t been done widely yet.

‘The Big Bang Theory’ is cute, but it is only one show, and it relegates the characters to static stereotypes.

The absence of characters in STEM fields in TV and movies happens for a couple of reasons. First, at some point in their lives, most people need a doctor or lawyer, so watching their careers are relatable. Individuals never hire a scientist or engineer – their work remains unseen to the public.

Second, STEM jobs are also frequently more difficult to explain in laymen’s terms because they are so technical. This is why every rom-com heroine has some vague media job.

People like watching dramatic car chases, courtroom scenes and running down hospital hallways. Watching someone fiddle with a microscope or write a line of code is less enticing.

Stereotypically, scientists and engineers are portrayed as terrible communicators. They have difficulty articulating their thoughts, are shy and don’t pick up on social cues. Not only does this provide a fantastic set up for miscommunication jokes, but people love Michael Cera’s brand of awkwardness.

At the same time, people in STEM fields are frequently brilliant in a specific field that is challenging for most people. This juxtaposition can lead to a combination of insecurities and arrogance that is ripe with potential for conflict.

With research and design projects, the possibility of failure is tangible, as scientists inevitably running head-on into unknown territory underprepared. It’s not interesting to watch characters succeed. Robust characters fail.

I imagine it would be like telling stories about writers. Occasionally, they are sitting at a desk, but mostly they are on-screen meeting people or doing things that will inspire or relate to their work.

Technical concepts, especially environmental issues, are easily framed in a human context to make them engaging. You can show people breathing in toxic fumes and getting sick or a neighborhood getting flooded in a hurricane. Characters would need to talk to residents, city council and other specialists to solve problems. There is the potential to illustrate a range of perspectives.

Workplace dramas are never really about the specifics of a profession anyway – great characters make the show work. Nobody watches ‘The Office’ because they care about the paper industry. Scientists have friends, rivals, lovers and mentors just like everybody else.

I want to watch sitcoms about engineers in their first jobs making colossal mistakes and questioning their career decisions. I want a reality show about biologists collecting samples in remote locations that is really about the wacky things people do living in isolation.

There must be enough television, radio and film majors running around this campus to make that happen.

Leanna Mulvihill is a senior forest engineering major and environmental writing and rhetoric minor. Her column appears every Tuesday. She can be reached at lpmulvih@syr.edu or followed on Twitter at @LeannaMulvihill.    

Published on April 9, 2012 at 12:00 pm