STEAM Superheroes: Empowering Communities

Cosmic Commander is the team lead and is based on Dr. Swati Mohan  

Character BIO:

As a kid, Swati always marched to the tune of her own drum. Her tinkering brain always wanted to figure out the world around her and go exploring.  While other girls played with dolls, Swati had a tool set, which she would use for hours making her own imaginary inventions.  Her parents still tell stories of how she’d go left when they would tell her to go right. She was constantly searching for the place that could feed her curiosity.  

A rainy afternoon spent watching television had her happening upon Star Trek.  For Swati, it wasn’t the fantastical tales that ignited her curiosity, it was the understanding that space was the mysterious place that was the ultimate exploration.  Ever since, she would  spend hours looking at the sky, learning about the different constellations and planets from their home in Bengaluru, India. Swati’s interest in  astronomy and astrophysics grew with each passing year, even after she and her family immigrated to the United States. 

Swati’s thirst for knowledge was insatiable. She would immerse herself in books about space exploration, mechanical engineering, and planetary sciences, all while juggling violin classes, volunteering, and swimming. Her dedication to learning about the latest advancements in these fields was a testament to her passion and drive. But for Swati, just enjoying the fantastical tales wasn’t enough. Her parents would always describe her as a practical child. Sure, it was fun to watch the crew of starships fly through the cosmos, using science and understanding to attempt to solve the universe’s ills. Swati needed to see how such scientific pursuits were accomplished in the real world.

This opportunity came with Swati’s visit to space camp during high school. The facility was a state-of-the-art location that allowed young and enterprising STEM enthusiasts to learn firsthand about the various aspects of the field of space exploration. Here, under the tutelage of engineers and scientists, Swati was provided with the firsthand experience she’d always sought. By the end of her time at space camp Swati realized where she wanted to be: Mission Control. She’d attended an informative lecture that spoke about how this area of the space exploration process was the nerve center for all space-bound missions. With the opening of the moon research station which provided a staging ground for more extended tours to far-flung planets such as Mars, mission control ensured that these operations went off without a hitch. Swati remembered Grace Nichelle stating during a lecture she attended: “These individuals are an important lifeline for our missions’ specialists, ensuring that everything proceeds safely and successfully. We need the best and brightest for such roles. Nothing less will do.” At the end of the lecture, she and other students were provided with an opportunity to participate in a mock Mission Control scenario, in the heart of Nichelle NEXUS’s state of the art augmented reality arena. 

Here, Swati was able to apply her years of learning to a wide range of scenarios, from directing an automated robotic vehicle on the surface of Mars to ensuring the safe arrival of astronauts to the newly built Artemis moon space station. She came away with high marks across the board, even gaining the attention of Grace Nichelle.   Her focus in college and grad school widened to include aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, control systems, and systems engineering. She’d joined the ranks of Nichelle NEXUS straight out of school, quickly rising afterwards to become one of their top mission control specialists. Swati made it a point to learn about every facet of the space mission experience, so that she’d become an invaluable member of mission control. She led the acclaimed Innovation mission to Mars and Horizon robotic drone mission to Titan, a moon of Saturn. Swati became a vital component to Grace Nichelle and her plans for democratizing safe space travel for all and sharing discoveries with the world. 

The Ideal is based on Dr. Aidyl Gonzalez-Serricchio.  

Character BIO:

The Ideal was a child of the South Bronx. In one of the most culturally rich areas of New York City, the young girl was raised building connections—connections with friends, her neighbors, the local bodega owner, everyone. She loved her borough and everything about it, especially the sense that even with all the differences of the people residing in her neighborhood, there was a collective idea that working together could improve things.

She’d seen firsthand how something great could happen when disparate parts came together, bringing their separate qualities to the table. Areas of her own South Bronx neighborhood had suffered from societal neglect. Whether it was a city that long decided to take its focus “uptown” or crime that seemed to rise with each passing year, the people of The Ideal's neighborhood agreed to come together to do something about it.

Over time, and through the collective efforts of the whole, her South Bronx hamlet was transformed for the better. This sense of culture, possibilities, and hope gave Aidyl an example of what can occur when an intricately linked group of individuals comes together to create something better.

“Todas somos parte del mismo equipo" (We are all part of the same team). Her mom would tell her when they worked in their community garden. The Ideal's fascination with how these connections could help the world at large only rose as she got older. One lifelong interest that was borne out of her mission for understanding interconnectedness, was her desire to understand what made life tick. 

She’d pester her parents with endless questions about how things on a biological level operated, leaving them puzzled. Between video games with friends, she’d talk at length about seeing the interconnectivity between things, which would get them to say, “Can we please just blow stuff up?”

It was only as she began to delve more into geekdom that her questions began to be somewhat answered. She’d grown an all-time love of Star Trek following the exploits of the Enterprise NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D. Episodes such as Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Chase” highlighted the interwoven threads she’d begun to study on a universal scale. 

The efforts of the Enterprise crew supported her idea that individuals working together could benefit the collective efforts of the whole. Though her world had yet to reach the Utopian ideals of this fictional world, Star Trek provided an example of the heights of collective goodwill to which her home planet could strive to attain. 

Star Trek also provided The Ideal with something missing from her life: support for dreaming. In her South Bronx neighborhood, she was often met with skepticism or outright disdain when she mentioned her interests in science. Relatives, friends, and even educators would usually tell her, “Yeah, that’s not going to work,” or “Why are you trying to do that “those opportunities aren’t made for us”?  It even took time for her parents to understand pursuing a career in science was an attainable career choice. 

Aspiring to do anything beyond a high school education and getting a job that paid the bills didn’t make sense to people in her life. In some cases, they would tell her that simply surviving another day in the South Bronx was what was important. To shoot for anything more was a pipe dream. 

Her interests in the sciences provided Aidyl with something more to strive for and a way to escape the tumultuous nature of her neighborhood. Her drive to succeed in science kept her safe and focused on obtaining something more than what the South Bronx could offer. 

Her interest in biology continued to grow as she sought to find out how these individual parts of the larger framework of life worked. Her parents would take her on trips to the Bronx Zoo, watching her wide-eyed reactions to the animals they’d come across. They allowed her to raise various pets, including dogs, gerbils, plants, and fish. Her scientific interests also began to extend towards social justice pursuits. She was particularly interested in environmental justice and its relationship to social justice efforts in her hometown.

Her mom stumbled upon an article on microbiology while reading a magazine at a doctor’s appointment. Here, her interests seemed to finally come together. When her mother passed along the article on microbiology after school one day, it was as if a faucet of information had been opened. All her interests in the world’s interconnectedness were seemingly represented in this one branch of science. 

With the assistance of educators who’d seen this scientific drive grow in their pupils over time, they helped her interests expand toward studying related sciences, such as molecular genetics, medical genetics, and developmental biology. The Ideal was propelled towards a college education track that helped her seek out the questions of “How is it all linked, and how can this interconnectedness ensure a better future for us all?” 

But she didn’t just stop with her study of earthbound organisms, biomes, or microbes. She expanded her studies into the vast reaches of space, understanding that the solutions to her home planet’s problems could be found in studying our interconnection with the universe. She decided to become an astronaut, expanding her studies to astrobiology. She joined the ranks of a private space exploration company, becoming one of their top-performing mission specialists, and top performing shuttle pilots. She was recruited to the ranks of Nichelle NEXUS, her missions guided by Swati as Mission Control leader. 

The Ideal became a member of the STEAM Superheroes utilizing the resources and opportunities provided to her to continue her research. Her goal is to explore the frontiers of space and our connections to this vast frontier in a quest to gain invaluable knowledge that will help our world. 

Gravitonium is based on Dr. Ron Gamble

H4x is our cyber security expert and is based on Rosa Smothers.  

Character BIO 

Rosa, also known as "H4x" on the dark web, grew up in Florida, where her parents nurtured her natural curiosity and love for technology, reading, and Star Trek. Despite facing the ongoing challenges of her disability, Type 1 Diabetes, her drive and initiative were unwavering. Her insulin pump and glucose monitor were not just medical devices but lifelines, keeping her safe and allowing her to pursue her dreams in the tech world.

She immersed herself in science fiction and history books, finding inspiration in the futuristic world of Star Trek, where technology was a force for good. Her parents, recognizing her passion for computers, bought her a used computer, fueling her interest further.

However, when cybercriminals conducted a ransomware attack against the hospital where her father was undergoing heart surgery, she witnessed firsthand the devastation of cybercrime. Determined to make a difference, she pursued a career in cybersecurity. Through hard work and dedication, she became a renowned expert in the field, using her skills to protect individuals, companies, and governments from cyber threats.

Rosa's love for animals is also a big part of her life, and her two rescue animals, a dog named Bones and a cat named Spock, play an important role in her superhero cybersecurity efforts. Bones has a keen sense of danger and alerts Rosa to any suspicious activity, while Spock is a master at finding hidden vulnerabilities, pawing at her computer screen when he senses something amiss. Together, they make a formidable team, helping Rosa protect the digital realm and save the day, one cyber threat at a time.

Jonathan Bourgh is our Villian and if you are a Star Trek fan, the last name might sound familiar. 

Grace Nichelle is named after the woman who inspired our team: Nichelle Nichols. Her likeness is modeled after her sister Marian Smothers who is our mentor.