Richardson Bruna partners with Nahant Marsh on science comic for young readers

AMES, Iowa — School of Education professor Katherine Richardson Bruna has partnered with the Nahant Marsh Education Center in Davenport, Iowa, to create a science comic for young learners—starring Captain, a real turtle who calls the preserve home.

The comic is the latest in Richardson Bruna’s effort to make science more accessible through comics. She previously created “Mosquitoes SUCK,” which explores mosquitoes’ role in the ecosystem, and received funding for additional science comics through the 2024 Rossmann Mannatt Faculty Development Award, which recognizes exceptional faculty work in scholarship, teaching and service.

“My goal with science comics is to help scientists communicate what they do to people who aren’t in their field,” Richardson Bruna said. “To help the public understand science, you have to make learning materials understandable and engaging.”

Nahant Marsh Education Center is a 382-acre preserve in Davenport that offers environmental education programming and focuses on wetland preservation, research and conservation. Richardson Bruna connected with the center through Ulrike Passe, an Iowa State architecture professor who has also conducted research with Nahant Marsh.

After pitching the idea to the preserve’s naturalists, Richardson Bruna led a collaborative workshop in which Nahant Marsh staff members developed storylines in two groups and combined the strongest elements into a single narrative.

The result was a draft of “Captain and Blue: A Story of Wetland Wonders,” a comic that follows Captain, a Blanding’s turtle (an at-risk species), and Blue, a great blue heron. When Captain finds himself displaced, Blue guides him to Nahant Marsh and helps him understand the wetlands around him, introducing readers to the marsh’s plants, animals, and ecosystems along the way.

As Captain shares his life experiences, Blue explains how wetlands function and why they matter, weaving in lessons about habitat loss, conservation and environmental restoration. Through their conversations, young readers learn not only about the challenges wildlife face, but also how human actions can harm or help natural environments.

“Our team worked hard to keep the story fun and engaging to a young reader, while also packing in as many educational materials on the marsh as we could,” said Madeline Kull, a natural resource crew member at Nahant Marsh. She added that the team hopes readers come away with a deeper understanding of conservation and how people can impact nature, both positively and negatively, and feel inspired to take action in their own communities.

After the draft was created, Richardson Bruna sent it to Natalie Garcia, an Oregon-based cartoonist and illustrator with whom Richardson Bruna had been previously connected. Garcia created the illustrations and communicated with Kull about edits.

“This project felt like a stroke of luck,” Richardson Bruna said. “Nahant Marsh has a Blanding’s turtle who the staff loves. When you talk with Madeline, Captain is like a friend. That made the story much more intimate and engaging.”

“Captain and Blue” also includes recognizable landmarks from Davenport and a visual journey to Nahant Marsh, helping young readers connect the story to a real place they can visit.

“Kids can read the comic and say, ‘This looks like Davenport, and this is a real turtle,’” Richardson Bruna said. “What really excites me is that it makes the science feel close and real and possible.”

Richardson Bruna hopes to continue developing similar projects, while Nahant Marsh staff look forward to using the comic in their educational programming and hope to eventually distribute printed copies to classrooms.

“I enjoy the thought of young readers experiencing our book in the classroom, then getting to come to the Education Center to see and interact with the animal they saw in the book, as well as experience some of the activities and places featured in our comic book,” Kull said.

“Captain and Blue” is available online and free to download.