Fashioning the Future With: Claudia Antolini

Space fans and scicomm supporters are in for an out-of-this-world STEM treat today because we have Dr. Claudia Antolini on the blog! Claudia's PhD from SISSA in Trieste, Italy is in astrophysics, and her research involved dark matter. As you might have guessed, Claudia is extremely well traveled with previous academic postings in China, Austria, Germany, and more. She also speaks three languages. Globetrotting gooseberries, how groovy is that?

What's more, Claudia is an outspoken advocate for inclusion in the sciences. She's a member of The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research in STEMM (TIGERS). TIGERS is all about supporting equality, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and equity. The group actively pursues its goals through a variety of campaigns to achieve real change in academia. Rock on, TIGERS! Naturally, Claudia is also a STEMinist (read on to hear her thoughts on STEMinism!) and an amazing role model for others who want to help make the world a better place for everyone with a desire to pursue STEM and/or medicine. In fact, on social media, Claudia makes it her mission to amplify diverse voices in the sciences. Her feed is a bastion of inclusive awesomeness, fun science facts, and uplifting commentary. If you haven't already, Follow Claudia ASAP. It will make your feed a better place.

We were thrilled to ask Dr. Antolini all about astrophysics, what her fave space fun fact is (spoiler alert: it involves the galaxy and fresh fruit), and what science communication means to her. Meet Dr. Claudia Antolini, sensational scicommer, rad role model, and awesome astrophysicist!

When did you first know you were a scientist?

Actually, I don’t really know! I was a very curious kid growing up, and my career goal when I was 14 was to become a theatre actress. (I still perform as an actress and a singer whenever I can). I think it happened a bit later in my teenage years, I felt that my way of making sense of the world was through physics. 

What first drew you to astrophysics?

I remember reading an article about the Cassini mission when I was about to finish secondary school. I was going through a hard time and I found myself having completely forgotten about everything that was so heavily on my mind because my head was flying to Saturn!

Do you have a favorite space fun fact you enjoy dazzling people with?

The centre of our galaxy contains molecules that would smell like raspberry to our nose! 

What is your favorite celestial object and why?

I think it’s all the objects in the Hubble Deep Field (that turned 30 years old in 2020) observed a tiny patch of apparently dark sky. After some time, a multitude of stars and galaxies appeared where we initially couldn’t see anything! I find this extremely fascinating.

Just slightly broader: Do you have a favorite mystery of the universe?

In the recent years, astronomers have detected an increase in the expansion of the Universe: it becomes bigger and bigger in a way we don’t understand. The main idea is that some sort of mysterious force, Dark Energy, is behind it — but we don’t know what that might be or how it could work! I did my PhD research on one of the ways in which Dark Energy could be measured.

Your job as a science communicator is awesome. Can you walk us through a day on the job?

The thing I like the most about my job is that it changes a lot and there is no typical day! I generally organise events, which means taking care of a number of different aspects: looking after the logistics, recruiting speakers, sourcing props, building experiments, and then of course being there on the day to make it happen. Other days I write reports about what was done, why, and what was achieved. Sometimes I train people to become science communicators, and sometimes I receive training about things I don’t know. I love the fact that I get to share my days with people that have different skills from me — sometimes I teach something, and sometimes I lear

What is your favorite part about working with the Cardiff Science Festival?

The fact that it’s a grassroots science festival. The committee is formed by a team of seasoned science communicators that wanted to give Cardiff and the local communities its science whirlwind. We all contribute as volunteers to build something that enriches the community and empowers as many people as possible to think of themselves as scientists.

What is your personal philosophy as a science communicator?

I do my best to start a dialogue between experts and non-experts. I start from the assumption that I will learn and share, not teach. To me, the most important thing is to let everyone come up with their own questions, because curiosity is the fundamental attribute of a scientist and a universal human experience. And that it’s perfectly OK to admit that you don’t know, that’s when you start finding out the really interesting answers.

What does it mean to you to be a STEMinist?

I am a STEMinist (joining together “STEM”, Science Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and “feminism”) because I believe that everyone belongs in science regardless of their gender, skin colour, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, social status, ability/disability. STEMinism to me is about building a healthier environment in the sciences and building each other up. We have to deconstruct centuries of discrimination and oppression. The way I try to do it is by supporting marginalised people and lift the voices that are less heard.

Can you talk a bit about your involvement in The Inclusion Group for Equity in Research in STEMM (TIGERS)?

The TIGERS are a great group! They push me to think how to build a healthier research environment and bring different voices together. It’s a very diverse group and I hope I can contribute to the working groups about gender and mental health in academia.

Who (modern day and/or historical) inspires you?

People ask me a lot who was the female scientist I looked up to growing up, and certainly I was inspired by Marie Curie (the only female physicist I can remember seeing on a textbook growing up). I must say though that one of my main role models is Virginia Woolf, especially after reading her essay “A Room of One’s Own” about the fact that a woman needs her own space and independence. I thought of my education as what I was building for myself: starting with the “room” of my bachelor’s degree, and then expanding it step by step.

What advice do you have for girls (middle and high school) who want to become astrophysicists?

Do it! Space is a great adventure. You might hear some naysayers that you’re not good enough, and you might doubt yourself. But you are good enough. You’ll have to study hard and learn how to code. And also, the most important thing of all, is that we don’t get to the stars unless we get there together. Listen to people that have different experiences than you, and always support each other. There are many things that we need to improve, and together we can do it.

Normally, we ask, ‘What are some hobbies you enjoy in your free time?’ However, given the pandemic and need for social distancing, how are you spending your free time these days?

I am a huge fan of Japanese animation, and the first anime I’ve ever loved was Sailor Moon when I was a little girl. I’ve been rewatching it — all 200 episodes! Who knows, maybe my love from space came a little bit from there too.

Do you have any favorite STEM characters in books/movies/other art forms?

Two among my favourites are Ripley from Alien and Princess Bubblegum from Steven Universe. They are very different from each other — Ripley is a woman of action, quick to think and very assertive, while Princess Bubblegum focuses a lot on experiments and finding out ways to improve the lives of people around her (and loves pink!). I think there is a lot to learn from both of them.

If you were a superhero, what would your go-to wearable tech device be?

A jet-pack, so I would be able to fly. Powered by clean energy!

To learn more about Dr. Claudia Antolini, follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.