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Arts & Culture

Scientists bring Comic-Con's first immersive STEAM experience to life

A few of the 65 If/Then Ambassadors and scientists running Mission Control at Comic-Con. July 24, 2026
Beth Accomando
A few of the 65 If/Then Ambassadors and scientists running Mission Control at Comic-Con on July 24, 2026.

Scientists at Comic-Con are joining forces to create Mission Control, an immersive STEAM experience and activity space at the Marriott Hotel.

STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, art, and math, and there's no better place to find the intersection of all those fields than Comic-Con.

"Comic-Con is a fantastic platform to talk about these things because there are a lot of people who are in various media pop culture fandoms, and they are so curious to learn more already. And so we could come in and talk about the real life science," said herpetologist Earyn McGee.

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Mission Control is the first immersive STEAM experience at Comic-Con. Sam Wynns is a conservation biologist and an If/Then Ambassador who helped launch it.

"We're really excited," Wynns said. "We have 65 scientists and engineers here to engage people in thematic science activities. We're in the Del Mar Room of the Marriott Hotel, which is in the South Tower. It's basically fun STEAM activities for all ages."

Data scientist Kay Savage added, "We are all part of If/Then, a group that is focused on promoting the next generation of scientists, especially promoting women in science, people of color in science, and getting a new breath of fresh air and creativity in the next group of leadership. It's the most creative expression of how to have science play with passions, which is what science is all about."

KPBS takes you inside Comic-Con, sharing stories from San Diegans alongside the fans, creators and communities who bring the iconic pop culture convention to life.

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