New TERC Comic Zine Illustrates Women of Colors’ Perilous Journey in Physics
Cambridge, MA, January, 2026 — TERC announces the release of A Perilous Path Through Physics: Obstacles, Supports, and Strategies of Women of Color in Physics, a comic zine that brings to life key themes from The Double Bind in Physics Education by TERC Senior Research Scientist Dr. Maria Ong. Created by researcher, educator, and artist Sophie Wang, the zine uses visual metaphor and storytelling to help readers reflect on how barriers, supports, and systemic factors shape the experiences of women of color in STEM.
Published by Harvard Education Press in 2023, The Double Bind in Physics Education follows 10 women of color over 25 years, documenting how pervasive challenges, such as navigating the intersectionality of race and gender discrimination, have shaped their academic opportunities and career choices. Through interviews with the women and those around them, the book highlights how they navigated their programs while facing persistent systemic inequities in physics, pointing to the need for institutional and cultural change.
“I wanted readers to see what the research describes — the exhaustion, the barriers, and also the moments of care and support. Turning those experiences into visual metaphors helps make their impact visible in a different way,” said Wang. “My hope is that the zine helps more people see what is happening and talk about what needs to change.”
The zine offers a visual introduction to key themes from the research. Each section names a theme, provides a short description, and includes anecdotes from study participants. These experiences are illustrated through metaphor, showing the physical and emotional journey of navigating physics as women of color. Obstacles appear as barriers along a path or weights carried on the back, while strategies and supports are depicted as guides, tools, or helping hands. The zine focuses on how added obstacles, harm from the landscape, limited access to shortcuts, and moments of support influence decisions to stay in, leave, or alter one’s path within physics.
By combining art and research, the zine makes The Double Bind in Physics Education accessible to broader audiences. Its visual storytelling invites empathy, sparks discussion, and encourages educators, students, and professionals to consider how systemic conditions shape who thrives in STEM.
“This visual companion offers another way into the work,” said Dr. Ong. “It supports reflection and dialogue in STEM spaces and helps more people engage with the lived experiences at the heart of the research.”
The zine is intended for individual reading and use in classrooms, research groups, mentoring programs, student organizations, and professional learning communities.
A Perilous Path Through Physics is free to download and share at https://info.terc.edu/a-perilous-path-through-physics-zine.