This fall, Massive Science released the "Women of Science Tarot Deck". It includes such notables as Rosalind Franklin (the chemist whose work was key to understanding DNA), experimental physicist Chien Shiung Wu, and my personal fave, Annie Easley, a pioneering programmer for NASA. (Easley's card is based on this famous photo of her, which may be the most Hollywood-glam pic of a programmer taken, ever.)
The MIT Press has a list of links to sites that sell the deck right now.
Granted, science and tarot might not be the most obvious cubiclemates. But Matteo Farinelli — the artist who did the fabulous card illustrations — argues it's a tool for science reach-out:
Part of me is just really excited about updating this ancient tradition for our modern scientific culture. After all, the cards' meaning evolved throughout history and I don't see why we shouldn't be allowed to do it once more. But, as a science communicator, I also think this is a great opportunity to reach a whole new audience. In particular, I have been thinking a lot lately about how scientists should engage with spirituality (especially after reading this fascinating comic by Jordan Collver and watching this conversation on Stated Casually). I grew up atheist (or religious-free, as I prefer to say) and I always had a pretty aggressive attitude toward any spiritual beliefs. But I now understand the value of a more neutral/grey zone (or 'decompression chambers' to use Jon Perry's beautiful metaphor). If we require people to reject their whole spiritual identity in order to even start reading about science then we are excluding a whole LOT of readers! A more inclusive science communication should provide some in-between spaces where people feel comfortable exploring science, without feeling immediately challenged or attacked.
Farinelli's illustrations are truly amazing. You can see some samples from the deck on her web site; here's the one of Rosalind Franklin, and Marjorie Lee Brown, a mathematician who in 1960 was likely the first to bring computing to a historically black college …
