Question: what would the funding mean to you?

Dawn Lau answered on 17 Jun 2016:

It would be really awesome. I was frustrated at how some kids seemed to have less opportunities to go to university and study science due to environmental factors. Such as being told “girls shouldn’t study science, that’s a boy’s subject” or “don’t go into science, go be a lawyer or an accountant instead”. I wanted to create a cute webcomic about how to provide a supportive and friendly environment for any budding scientist, and to break down the barriers that they face.

I particularly wanted the funding to carry out this webcomic project rather than an activity or a school demonstration, mainly because I think the most disadvantaged kids actually have the least chance of being able to attend these sorts of activities. For example, perhaps kids from less wealthy families might not bother attending such public engagement activities and would rather save their transportation money. Or perhaps both parents are working two jobs and the kid is left to care for their elderly grandparents all the time. But at least a webcomic is accessible to anyone with an Internet connection; it doesn’t discriminate against race, disabilities, gender, sexual orientation, or class. I would love for the funding to inspire as many people as possible and I truly believe this is one of the ways to do it.