Challenging Typecasts: Science Cheerleaders

Challenging stereotypes is tough. And when it comes to pursuing a science career, the endeavor is even harder. But with the right tools, the difficult work of breaking down typecasting in engineering and other STEM careers can be accomplished. According to Science Cheerleaders, the most impactful tools they have used to combat stereotyping are the women themselves. 

“They are fantastic, real examples of women who are hugely successful in their science and cheer/dance careers,” explained Wendy Brown, director of outreach, of the Philadelphia-based nonprofit. Part of the work of the Science Cheerleaders, which is 500 women strong, is participating in community events where they perform science-themed dances and cheers and lead hands-on science activities for kids. 

Where cheer and science meet

Research has shown that representation and role models are vitally important for supporting and encouraging girls to pursue STEM pathways. One study, published in Child Development, offered a 50 year, meta-analysis of U.S. children. “The Development of Children’s Gender-Science Stereotypes: A Meta-analysis of 5 Decades of U.S. Draw-A-Scientist Studies,” examined gender-science stereotypes linking science with men. 

These stereotypes should have weakened over time because women’s representation in science has risen substantially in the United States, and mass media increasingly depict female scientists. In fact, when children were requested to draw a scientist, they depicted female scientists more often in later decades, but less often among older children. These results may reflect that children observe more male than female engineers and scientists. 

That’s where Science Cheerleaders comes in. They offer professionals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and careers. “We strive to share our stories, including our struggles and how we overcome challenges in the pursuit of our dreams in both cheer and science. We all have such unique experiences, and that helps us connect with girls who may be experiencing any number of stereotypical challenges,” explained Samantha Marsillo, director of operations for Science Cheerleaders and senior principal technical program manager at Oracle.

It remains difficult to buy into stereotypes when talking to a PhD-level engineer who is wearing a cheer uniform and holding pom poms, leaders of the Science Cheerleaders explained. And there has been a shift in public perception over the years. “When I first joined the Science Cheerleaders in 2010, I felt like I had to spend a lot of effort at events convincing people of our credentials. Once I could get past someone’s initial reaction of ‘yeah, right’ it was incredibly rewarding to watch the change in their perspective of what a cheerleader or engineer looks like. 

“And it was even more fulfilling to validate the interests of a little girl who was passionate about seemingly opposite interests like math and dance who was maybe struggling to reconcile those interests like I had. Now, people are almost always excited to see us and want to make sure their kids meet us and do our activities. People also thank us a lot for what we’re doing,” said Brown, who holds a doctorate and bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and is co-founder and director of regulatory and clinical affairs at Cartilage and an associate research and translational specialist at the University of California, Irvine.

It began without a plan

Founder of Science Cheerleaders, Darlene Cavalier, didn’t plan a career in science. A former Temple and Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader, she discovered her interest in science while leading the Discover Awards for Technological Innovation at Discover Magazine. Surrounded by scientists and inventors, she began asking how people can—without science degrees—contribute to science and policy.

That one question led her to graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania, where she discovered “citizen science”—projects where anyone can help collect or analyze data. To make those opportunities easier to find, she launched the blog Science Cheerleader. (It grew into SciStarter.org, a platform connecting millions of volunteers with thousands of citizen science projects worldwide.)

When Cavalier asked her former teammates to record short videos promoting local science projects, it caught on. Cheerleaders across the country—many working in STEM—joined her to form the Science Cheerleaders, a nonprofit that challenges stereotypes about scientists, engineers, and cheerleaders. They perform, speak, and partner on projects like Project MERCCURI, where microbial samples collected by fans and citizen scientists were sent to the International Space Station (ISS) for a microbial ecology study.

The organization is now led by Marsillo and Brown. They now coordinate performances, develop educational activities, manage public requests, and lead outreach that inspires thousands of young people—especially the more than 3.5 million youth cheerleaders in the U.S.—to see themselves in STEM. 

Those are now the primary goals of the Science Cheerleaders: to playfully challenge stereotypes, to inspire, engage, and empower young women to consider careers in STEM, and to engage people from all walks of life in science by encouraging participation in citizen science activities. “By sharing their personal journeys toward both cheerleading and science, the Science Cheerleaders show that these worlds can thrive together,” said Marsillo, who cheered for the Arizona Cardinals.

Leveraging love of dance and cheer

Leveraging the interests of girls and young women is critical to the mission of Science Cheerleaders. Further, it is the key to opening up the world of STEM. “The Science Cheerleaders are attention grabbing, friendly, and approachable," explained Brown, who was once a part of the cheer teams for the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Sacramento Kings. The organization uses fun as well as familiar topics, like cheer and dance, to open conversations in addition to defusing the intimidation of science. 



Performances include science-themed dances and cheers to get the public excited and interested in their mission. They also lead hands-on science activities on topics like heart function, computer programming, and weather. These activities highlight the stories of specific Science Cheerleaders who have activity-relevant careers and present information using easy-to-understand cheerleading analogies and personal, authentic journeys. 

They also strive to actively show that a person can be interested (and successful) in something fun and athletic, like cheer, but also want to learn more about the world and make an impact on science like many of the Science Cheerleaders are doing.

Science Cheerleaders’ database currently includes over 500 cheerleaders which gives the organization “an opportunity to work on some really cool projects,” Marsillo said. Most recently, professionals from the group were featured on an episode of “Mission Unstoppable” on CBS where a Science Cheerleader presented the physics of cheerleading and how to improve cheer stunts using science. The non-profit has also published a free e-book that explains the science and physics behind cheerleading. In the book, Pop Warner cheer teams demonstrate science in action and Science Cheerleaders explain the physics behind cheer moves.

The group has also led scientific research using citizen science. For Project MERCCURI, Science Cheerleaders collaborated with Pop Warner cheerleaders and scientists at the University of California, Davis to collect bacteria samples from high-touch surfaces, such as stadium seats, footballs, and cell phones all over the country. Excitingly, a Pop Warner cheer team collected a sample containing a previously unknown microbe. Forty-eight of these samples were flown to the ISS for a microbial playoff in microgravity. In 2011, Science Cheerleaders set the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Cheerleading Cheer with more than 1,200 Pop Warner cheerleaders at the Eastern Regional Cheer and Dance Championship. 

“Of course, we cheered for science and literally made the ground shake. A few years later, we organized a massive Cheer for Science at the USA Science & Engineering Festival where representatives from the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) were present to take seismic readings during the cheer while hundreds of classrooms across the country performed the cheer and used sensors to measure seismic activity,” Marsillo explained. While that was designed for fun, all of those classrooms became part of a long-term study with USGS monitoring tremors for years to come.

Cathy Cecere is membership content program manager.