2023-06-01 21:05:10
- Communication platforms are an opportunity to explain space science to the public in simple language
- Women in the United States face increasing restrictions on their freedom and reproductive health
- Scientists are responsible for communicating what they learn from the labs to the public
- After the events of September 11, I made sure, like the people of my generation, to hide our Arab identity in order to be accepted in American society
Three reasons prompted me to conduct this interview with the Egyptian-American researcher Sarafina El-Badri. First, she has published a new book entitled, “STARSTRUCK: A Memoir of Finding Light in the Darkness,” which combines through the pages a simplified explanation. About the universe in an easy, simplified language, as it links space science with her experience as the daughter of immigrant parents, and the challenges of integration into American society, specifically the state of Texas, which is dominated by the beliefs and ideas of the white man, which was evident from her argument with one of the priests for describing the Red Sea as red in color because of God’s punishment for the people of Pharaoh who chased the people Our master Moses did not repent, and he built a negative mental image of the people of Egypt, passing through what you monitor from groups that restrict women’s freedom. The second thing is her passion for space science. In addition to her PhD studies at the prestigious UC Berkeley University, she produces and manages a number of science simplification pages on social media, achieving 50 million views on YouTube per month, in addition to the tens of thousands of followers of her pages on TikTok and Twitter. The third issue is her personal experience with breast cancer, when she discovered that she had inherited a genetic mutation from her father that increased her risk of developing breast cancer by 87%, which prompted her, in her late twenties, to perform a preventive mastectomy, similar to what the American actress Angelina Jolie did to reduce the risk of infection to less than 5%.
In the following dialogue, Sarafina talks regarding her new book and the importance of scientists talking to the public and introducing them to the feasibility of what is done in laboratories Here is the text of the interview:
First of all, why did you decide to write this book? And why now?
I noticed that there is a shortage in the number of women working in the scientific field, and I wanted to create a sense of belonging for all those who wish to achieve their dreams in the scientific field. I made sure that the chapters of the book include pages regarding my understanding of the universe and the wonderful phenomena in physics that I study, such as the expansion of the universe, and that I relate this to the stages of my personal development from a child to immigrant parents in American society, through the years of learning and the challenges I faced with breast cancer. 4 years ago, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. When I conducted a genetic analysis, I found that this genetic mutation was passed on to me from my father, which increases my risk of developing cancer by 87% during my life. Faced with that challenge, I decided to have a preventive mastectomy and felt it was important to share my story and tell regarding the stages of fear and loneliness I went through before the surgery.
I also narrated that experience on social media, and found a response from my followers, especially since many of them either had an experience with cancer or a relative who suffered from the same disease. During the recovery period from surgery, I was thinking regarding the importance of writing down the experience in a book and telling regarding my work as a researcher and producer of scientific content, and the exploration of the secrets of the universe and myself as well.
In the book, you dealt with your childhood, your keenness to hide your Egyptian identity, and your avoidance of speaking Arabic in public places. Can you explain that?
It’s really sad when I look back on that period of my life and remember what it was like to grow up in a conservative white Texas state. When I was in the third grade of elementary school, the events of September 11 happened, and there was a violent reaction once morest all Arabs and those with roots from the Middle East. At that time, like my immigrant peers, I was hiding part of my identity, part in order to integrate into society and be accepted and loved. I think that today things are much better than before thanks to social media and the discussions that are taking place in the United States regarding the racial and cultural diversity of American society. As an adult, today I feel proud of my Egyptian roots and of my relatives in Cairo whom I have visited many times.
How do you divide your time between scientific research and content production on social media?
Most of my work as a researcher depends on studying and analyzing space images. I work on wonderful topics related to the exploration of stars, black holes and all phenomena in our universe. And I have found it necessary to communicate the magic of what we are learning regarding the universe to the public on social media. In fact, I am indebted for what I learned, to the presenter of a program on a radio entitled “Space Meeting”, which I used to watch as a child every day, as the presenter used to talk every day for 5 minutes regarding cosmic phenomena such as meteorites, meteors, planets of the solar system, and others.
I fell in love with all this information at a very young age and chose my scientific path thanks to this program. Therefore I believe it is necessary to support science journalism not only in disasters but also to educate and open up new horizons for society.
How big is the difference between the content you produce for each social media platform?
In general, a YouTube video requires a lot of work compared to any other content I produce on social media platforms as it takes almost 8 hours to produce a 5-10 minute video. As for the content of TikTok, it is faster, as it does not exceed 30 seconds, during which I explain some scientific information in a simple way, and I found that TikTok is very appropriate and a larger amount of content can be produced without affecting my research work.
Other than that, I remember very well when I started writing on Twitter, I was focused on producing specialized scientific content, and over time I found it important to get out of the scope of informational narration and humanize scientific stories. I also spoke in some videos on Instagram and TikTok regarding my experiences as a researcher and the failures I face during my work. These stories break the stalemate and stereotypes regarding scientists and contribute to creating effective communication with followers.
It also contributes to encouraging people to learn and realizing that scientists also face challenges in understanding scientific topics. In addition, this content helps people understand what science is, as it is not a religious belief, but rather a series of experiments and data that pushes you towards one result or another.
I believe that these attempts have contributed over time to an increase in the number of followers, whose ages range between 20 and 40 years of both sexes, and their number is estimated at 130,000 followers on Twitter, 41,000 followers on Instagram, 91,000 followers on TikTok, and more than 50 million views per month on YouTube. I hope I have inspired other people to enter the scientific field.
Do you plan to be an astronaut one day?
This is my goal, and one of my dreams since I was a little girl, and over the past years I have participated in a simulation program to train astronauts to live with an environment similar to the surface of Mars. I also participated in zero-gravity experiments, and I am currently learning scuba diving, and I am applying for all the required training, hoping that I will be qualified one day and be selected, but of course, those possibilities are diminishing with time. It is very difficult to become an astronaut, especially since the number of people selected by NASA annually is very small. So I think the most important thing right now is not to be an astronaut but to keep learning and being open to new experiences.
Why did you talk regarding your experience with breast cancer on social media? How were the reactions?
I think it’s important to talk regarding crucial topics like life and death and how you get meaning from your life. We don’t talk much regarding these subjects because they are scary and difficult, but they are rich in life experiences worth telling. Besides, such topics related to women’s health and bodies are taboos that are not discussed in the US and there are no open platforms to talk regarding an issue like the one I experienced.
Add to this the growing role of conservative groups who restrict women’s freedoms. In view of this, I found it necessary to use social media platforms to raise awareness of self-examination and early diagnosis of tumors, as these matters are among the priorities of health care.
As for the reactions, it is to the extent of the support and support that I received and awareness of the importance of conducting genetic tests, especially if there is a family history with the disease, and estimating the risk of infection, which varies from person to person. In general, I do not encourage a preventive resection, but I must raise awareness and health follow-up. As for the decision of surgery, it is up to every person. On the other hand, I also received rejection and denunciation letters, but I did not pay attention to these messages.
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