American Way: Rocket Science

American Way published Rocket Science, about a group of professional cheerleaders that are scientists promoting science, technology, engineering and math.

If watching drones playing music is weird, hearing someone “woo-ing” about scientists — scientists in dance costumes who are members of a group called Science Cheerleader — is flat-out bizarre. And it’s supposed to be. “We want to playfully challenge the stereotypes that apply to both scientists and cheerleaders,” says Darlene Cavalier, a former Philadelphia 76ers cheerleader who founded Science Cheerleader and has been organizing the group’s appearances since 2011. Today, Science Cheerleader comprises 250 current and former professional cheerleaders, many of whom worked for NBA and NFL teams and all of whom are either pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (known as STEM) or are already working in those fields.