Disney Science in Comics: Life in the Seas

My work focuses on the study of prokaryotes in the marine environment through biomolecular approaches and bioinformatic techniques. My main research foci are the ecology of coastal pathogens and the spreading of antimicrobial resistance in marine environments. I am also interested in the biogeochemical cycles of iron, sulfur, and nitrogen and in the geomicrobiology and microbial ecology of metal-rich and acidic environments. For years, my research career has revolved around metal-microbe interactions in complex matrices, from the bioremediation of polluted environments to finding sustainable solutions for recovering raw materials from waste (urban biomining).

I am a media and communication specialist with a broad range of experience in scientific and technological research, also acquired during the PhD carried out in Ireland.

Professor with a focus on physiological ecology, population ecology and evolution, and aquatic animals.

Selvaggia Santin is a Communication manager at Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC). Since 2005, she is a science editor for Italian scientific publishing company where she contributes to education outcome in science textbook (ebook & related new technologies support) for different ages learners. She is a consultant editor for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNESCO), she is the founder and vice-president of the Ocean Literacy Italia association, and she is involved in school publishing, educational workshops, science festivals, and interactive exhibitions. She get a Ph.D in Biodiversity and Evolution as well as a MSc in Integrated Coastal Zone Management for a Sustainable Development.

Chiara Valentina Segré was born in 1982 and lives in Milan. PhD in molecular oncology, she works in science communication. She published around 35 picture books and novels for children and received many awards, including the selection for IBBY Collection of Oustanding Books for Young People with Disabilites for Lola and I.

AnnMarie is a professor in the School of Engineering and the Opus College of Business at the University of St. Thomas. She is the founder and director of the Playful Learning Lab, which explores ways to encourage children, of all ages, to embrace playful learning. She and her students created Squishy Circuits. She is the author of “Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation.”

AnnMarie earned Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech, and an S.B. in Ocean Engineering (with a minor in Music) from MIT. Additionally, she completed a professional certificate in Sustainable Design from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

AnnMarie co-founded and co-directs the University of St. Thomas Center for Engineering Education (CEE), which offers engineering courses for P-12 educators and conducts research on engineering at the pre-collegiate level. AnnMarie’s teaching covers classes on topics such as Engineering Graphics and Design, Machine Design, Dynamics (with Circus Lab), Toy Design, Product Design for an Aging Population, Technology Prototyping (for Business majors), Environmental Sustainability/Innovation, and Brain Machine Interfaces (seminar).

She served as the Founding Executive Director of the Maker Education Initiative, where her team established the national Maker Corps program and laid the groundwork for this nonprofit.

AnnMarie lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband and two daughters. She is an amateur aerialist, specializing in static and flying trapeze, as well as juggling and cyr wheel

Andrea is a journalist who’s been dealing with environmental problems for thirty years. Based on scientific studies, he invents books, games, educational workshops and summer camps to teach children to respect the Earth.

Freelance writer and story editor.