Young scientists create profiles with language that merges art and knowledge, attracting young audiences
Among teenagers and young adults, science communication shares attention with social networks. In these, the presence of science institutions and publications has grown and, in addition, young scientists committed to sharing on networks much more than selfies and makeup tutorials or your latest vacation destination. Jen Ma is one of them. The Canadian, who is doing her PhD in stem cell bioengineering at the University of Toronto, created an Instagram profile dedicated to sharing his passion for science and scientific illustration. With 3.500 followers on the network, a number that increases every day, the scientist, who defines herself on the platform as a “SciArtist”, studies art and typography to disseminate science.
Germana Barata, professor at the Laboratory of Advanced Studies in Journalism (Labjor) at Unicamp and author of the column Vancouver Diaries, published in Journal of Unicamp, is a visiting researcher at Simon Fraser University, in Canada, where she is mapping initiatives like Jen's. “We are living in a time of breaking down barriers between scientists, communicators, those passionate about science, students, journalists and the public”, she explains. “Due to their apparent simplicity, speed of information dissemination and audience reach, social networks have been attractive as a space for scientific dissemination.”
Jen's involvement with this outreach format began through her work as a scientist. “Science communication and dissemination became important to me due to two facts: a personal experience in which close friends developed disbelief in science (for example, participating in the anti-vaccination movement), and a challenge recognized by the entire field of science. regenerative medicine, in which the management of the conflict between hope and hyping is fundamental in the fight against problems such as stem cell therapeutic tourism”, he reports. “As a scientist, I am in the privileged position of being directly involved in science and having the responsibility to share my knowledge and work. But for a long time, I didn’t know what the best way to achieve that was.”
In 2016, he created an account on the photo and video sharing network to promote his work. Illustration and typography (the art of creating structures and forms in written communication, especially the creation and development of characters) were hobbies. The researcher says she was “delighted” to discover that the art community, especially calligraphy and lettering, was friendly, supportive and growing at an incredible rate. "At this point, I was already becoming interested in scientific illustration, mainly for communication between scientists. Inspired by other science communicators, like Samantha Yammine, it occurred to me that perhaps I could tweak the content, make it more accessible to the general public and share it with this community."
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Samantha is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto studying brain development and stem cell biology. In your site about science and communication, defines herself as an “enthusiastic scientific communicator”, arguing that “Science done in laboratories around the world generates new knowledge for the benefit of all people. And that depends heavily on public support,” he writes. “I believe social media offers fantastic opportunities for more people to get excited about learning science and getting the support they need. For this reason, I am very passionate about creating new lines of communication between the public and scientists using social media like Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.”
Samantha's Instagram account (@Science.Sam) has more than 25 thousand followers. There, the “science storyteller” shares her daily life in science research and dissemination. on one post with more than a thousand likes, shows a 2002 photo from the magazine Nature with brains from different animals, followed by a fun description of the morphology of the planarian nervous system and a mini-video of their regeneration process. Then, he encourages engagement from followers by suggesting that they also share which brain they think is the most cool.
In another, she discusses the perpetuated stereotypes and criticism that she – and Jen – receive for their innovative format of scientific communication. In the first image, you can read negative comments that you have already received in this regard, such as “wait, are YOU a scientist?!” and “let's not encourage this” – followed by a second image contrasting the first and showing positive messages she has received, celebrating her work as a neuroscientist and science communicator. “Encouraging”, “inspiring”, “disruptive”, it reads, among others Feedback already received by the researcher.
The post had more than 3 thousand likes and was a response to an opinion article published in the prestigious magazine Science entitled “Why I don’t use Instagram to promote science”, in written text by another postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, biomedical engineer Meghan Wright. In the article, the scientist criticizes Samantha's publicity work and the like, describing her as a “superstar" at the campus which “through visible contradiction of stereotypes about female scientists, aims to inspire girls to pursue scientific work and encourage female scientists to demonstrate their femininity in male-dominated work environments.” And he continues: “publicly documenting the cute clothes I wear and the sweet smile I display in the laboratory will not help me.”
While recognizing the positive effects of female scientists on Instagram, Wright criticizes: “It torments me that these efforts are celebrated as ways to correct the long-standing and structural forms of discrimination and exclusion that female scientists face. I wonder if our efforts should be directed toward advocating for policy changes at the institutional and governmental level.” For Samantha and Jen, both practices are not exclusive. In response article also published in Science, Samantha argues that the benefits and pitfalls of using social media in this area are analyzed based on data and evidence – through research like Professor Germana carries out in the country. Meghan is more radical: “Time spent on Instagram is time away from research and this affects women in science more than men. That's not fair. Let’s not celebrate that,” she finishes. A The scientist's position exposes one of the biggest challenges in current scientific dissemination: a profound lack of knowledge, on the part of science makers themselves, of the duty and importance of bringing science to the public.
Art, science and scientific dissemination
Samantha's work inspired Jen to combine two great passions. “It occurred to me that maybe I could tweak the content, make it more accessible to the general public, and share it with that community. Merging science and art, I thought I could captivate people even if they were not – directly – looking for scientific content”, explains the scientist. “Soon after starting this little experiment, I realized I was not alone on this journey. I've met many others who enjoy science and art, some also passionate about sharing these interests on Instagram. I've been told that my work helps others embrace their love of science and art, and my identity as a science artist is what makes me stand out from others. It is through these encouraging words that I realize that the intersection between science and art can generate value for the community.”
The intersections between science, art and scientific dissemination have been the object of study by researchers from different areas. Tânia Araújo Jorge, head researcher and current director of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC) at Fiocruz, published article about the theme, and also defends a fruitful relationship between art and science. "Human beings have never lived without using art as a form of expression, an indication that the language of art is the language of humanity itself. Therefore, and for this reason, art needs to be better understood and valued in education, at all levels of education, from elementary school, in any school, to postgraduate education, for the training of teachers and scientists with a holistic orientation. Art can interact with science as part of an explicit pedagogical strategy for the scientific education of the population.”
For the digital influencer, this union also meant personal fulfillment. “As I have struggled most of my life to bridge my interest in science and art, it is immensely rewarding to know that I can help others, especially the younger generation, bridge this divide. I believe that interdisciplinary learning and collaborations are fundamental to driving innovations and should be extended not only to scientific disciplines but also to art. There are more commonalities between science and art than most think, such as the curiosity and creativity that drive both disciplines, appreciation of the world around us, and exploration through experimentation.”.
Lately, Jen has mainly focused on @STEAMotype, a project of which she is co-founder and in which weekly typography challenges inspired by in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM, in its acronym in English). “STEAMotype strives to inspire appreciation and engagement in these sciences through art. Capitalizing on the recent rise in popularity of typography, our weekly challenges provide a platform for people, including those without a science background, to foster engagement in these areas in an accessible, fun and shareable way.”
Jen also discusses the social representation of scientists and the public's rapprochement with science practitioners. “I realize that posts that express other dimensions, through art, make people perceive me as a more real and human scientist. In a way I did not initially intend, I am promoting a more understandable and accessible image of scientists that is contrary to stereotypes – an important aspect of science communication.”
What has worked in this new model of scientific dissemination? “We're still very much in the learning phase, but we've found that popular posts typically consist of two key elements: compelling visuals and relatable content. The look is what catches people's attention. Sometimes this is enough to intrigue our audience and drive engagement. People also prefer content they can relate to, such as quotes from inspiring scientists, science puns, interesting facts about our everyday lives, or popular topics like health, nature, and space exploration.” Images are just one part of the communication carried out. “We generally share scientific information in the post description, which is more difficult to measure our audience's receptivity to different styles. We try to keep the synopsis short, use language that is easy to understand, and present concepts using storytelling techniques. Humor and analogies also help make our posts more accessible.”
Jen intends to continue investing in the model: “The response we have received so far, both on my personal account and on STEAMotype, is very positive and encouraging. The scientific community finds our approach and content accessible and helps them connect with their artistic side. Non-scientists also like our posts, describing them as informative and accessible. We inspire a younger audience, while others have told us they wish this type of content had been available when they were young. These small victories, combined with the scientists and artists I meet through my efforts in science communication, are what keep me motivated.”
For Samantha Yammine, it is also important to give visibility to local scientists who produce similar content. “I would like local scientists to feel empowered in the sense that they too can contribute to these changes in scientific culture, especially since the state of science policy in Brazil has been so challenging. I receive many passionate messages from Brazilians frustrated with the current situation of science in the country,” he says.
The mapping carried out by Germana is an attempt to give more visibility to this new profile of scientific popularizers, who no longer need intermediaries to dialogue with the public. “We want this work to be recognized, allow for more partnerships between publishers and for the interested public to have easy access to this information. It will also be a way of showing development agencies that it is necessary to allocate funds to these initiatives – or we will see beautiful work ending due to lack of funding, after all, most of them do as they do. hobby and with its own funds”, he concludes.
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