Décoder le numérique en BDDecoding digital technology with comic books thanks to a feminine point of view

The digital sciences suffer from an imbalance in parity. To rectify this, the Parity-Equality Unit of the CNRS's Institute for Information Sciences and Technologies decided, with the support and funding of its management, to highlight female researchers, academics, and engineers in the discipline. The objective was to make the digital sciences accessible by showing the diversity of the subjects it explores, which resonate with major societal issues. "We want to give a voice to today's woman scientists, and to do so while avoiding clichés," recounts Laure Thiébault, a member of the unit, which consists of scientists and communication officers. “The comic book quickly emerged as a modern and demystified medium for expression." The result is 12 portraits by the illustrator Léa Castor that embody science as it is being conducted in a number of key subjects. Published by CNRS Éditions in late 2021, Les décodeuses du numérique comic book has already sold or distributed 12,000 copies, with 3,000 sixth-formers students and one in five high secondary schools receiving it, along with complementary materials online.

The comic book was imagined by:

• Pierre Chainais
• Celia Esnoult
• Olivier Serre
• Anne Siegel
• Laure Thiébault