 When Netflix announced “The Magic School Bus Rides Again," I remember all of my friends rejoicing. For many millenials, myself included, the original series was a highlight of our childhood and got kids interested in science. No one would mind when our teacher would pop the Magic School Bus VHS tape (or DVD) as we knew we'd be entertained. From the puns that Carlos and the original Ms. Frizzle made to the revelations Arnold and the students made, audiences would come away with knowing new information they hadn't before.
Her mantra “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!” has stuck with me from childhood till now, so you can bet your socks I was excited for the reboot. However, if you were hoping for the same 90's vibe (and animation style) from this Magic School Bus, you may be disappointed. There is change - and a lot of it. Our beloved Ms. Frizzle (still voiced by Lily Tomlin) is now Dr. Frizzle, PhD, and because she's now a professor (who has proclaimed she will be conducting scientific research) her little sister has taken over the classroom. Miss Fiona Felicity Frizzle (voiced by SNL’s Kate McKinnon) is the "new Ms. Frizzle" and I feel like she tries a bit too hard to be like the original with an abundance of play-on-words. A big difference (amongst many) is her style-- unlike her older sister, her 'themed' clothing is more muted (and confined to just her skirts), making me miss the original's whacky sense of style. Her enthusiasm for learning and adventure is infectious, however, and I'm glad that is a constant. I can’t be the only one who has watched TED talks and been in awe of the speakers’ confidence, passion and resilience to share their ideas on the big stage. And after years of watching these amazing people speak, to put it simply, I wanted to be like them! I wanted to communicate my passion for conservation science on such a prestigious platform. When I decided to take a year off between my Master's degree and pursuing a doctorate, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would've gone so out of my comfort zone and done a TEDx talk on the how female sharks and female scientists are more alike than you think. I looked at how both shark diversity and diversity in STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) role models are overlooked by the media, and why both need to change. It was recently (June 2017) released on YouTube! I’m extremely proud of the end result and I hope you will watch and let me know your thoughts. What can we, as a scientists with a platform, help those whose voices are drowned out? You can watch "Shark and Females Scientists: More Alike Than You Think" here: So, what was it like giving a TEDx talk? Exciting, exhilarating, nerve wracking. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start from the beginning...
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Hi! I'm Melissa, an Australian-based Latina science educator, podcaster, and freelance writer. I spend a lot more time on Instagram and Twitter, but blogging is my first love. Thanks for stopping by — I hope you stay a while.
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March 2022
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