Natalie Portman And Marvel Announce STEM Field Mentoring Program For Girls
Natalie Portman is doing well by promoting the newest Thor sequel. Portman and Marvel have just announced that they’re a part of a mentoring program, which gives girls the opportunitiy to interview professional women in science, technology, math, and engineering, and even gives them some extra encouragement for doing so. Basically they’re looking for the next Jane Foster, which is the character that Portman plays in the Thor series.
The part contest part program is geared towards American girls in grades 9-12, and with resources, girls will be able to find a woman working in the STEM profession that interests them. Through this experience Portman and Marvel hope girls will get tips for the future, for instance, how to interview their mentors and how to present themselves for future gigs.
Through this activity the girls will put themselves in the race for a huge prize. The prize is a trip to Los Angeles, where a screening of Thor: The Dark World will take place as the El Capitan theater. The chosen girl will get to go on opening day and attend the screening, and will get to be a part of a documentary short which will be shown right before the film.
In order to be eligible for the big prize, the STEM girls will have to make a five-minute video introducing their love of science, their experience interviewing their mentor from STEM, and the steps they will take in the future to procure a career in a STEM profession.
It’s not surprising that Natalie Portman would be on board with this project. Portman in the past has been extremely vocal about the lack of roles women have in the Marvel universe.
Of the future for women in the Marvel universe, Portman said:
“There are definitely many strong women, but it will be exciting when there is a central female character which I think is coming – I have heard is coming – and, of course, also a central non-white character will also be exciting. Title characters.”
Thor: The Dark World hits theaters on October 30, 2013.
