Welcome to the Organization for Tropical Studies Multimedia Science Storytelling 2018 field course!
We believe in bringing the beautiful stories behind science/scientists to the world! Effective science communication achieves the goal of knowledge transfer. But great science communication captures the imagination and inspires. Great science communication takes advantage of one of the oldest human traditions - storytelling! And hey, there is science behind it - our brains induce oxytocin production when we are exposed to well crafted character-driven stories and oxytocin makes us donate to charity, cooperate with others, and be generally better humans. If that wasn’t benefit enough, character-driven stories that emotionally resonate with audiences also improve understanding of complex science concepts. In fact, great science communication is so important that it was even highlighted in the esteemed scientific journal PNAS! We didn’t need research to tell us that narratives are more engaging, but the research is clear - stories resonate more than data. Every 21st-century scientist can and must become an expert communicator! Hence a course focused solely on science communication! Course Objectives (1) To provide scientists with skills to communicate to diverse non-science audiences through writing, audio, and video a. Story first b. Audio production (podcast format) c. Video production (short films) (2) To produce and share stories about science and develop a portfolio. Coordinator: Jane Zelikova, Ph.D., University of Wyoming Faculty: Morgan Heim Independent conservation filmmaker, photographer, storyteller Flora Lichtman Host, Every Little Thing, Gimlet Media Pat Walters Producer, Radiolab Molly Webster Producer, Radiolab Visit the 2015 course website to read, hear, and watch the stories the students produced in the previous course. And check out the OTS grad course Vimeo channel to see other student films. |