Outreach

Tools for Communicating with Broad Audiences

To better communicate results and bring data directly to broad, public audiences, my co-authors and I use tools like ArcGIS StoryMaps (like the one embedded to the right) and R Shiny apps (there are two embeeded within the StoryMap). These tools allow us to communicate our science in a less technical way that is more accessible to a broad audience. Further, these tools permit anyone on the internet to interact directly with the underlying dataset through the R Shiny app that is a map and inspect some of our modeling results through the second R Shiny app.

University of Michigan Museum of Natural History Science Communication Fellows

In fall 2024, I participated in the U-M Museum of Natural History Science Communication Fellows program. This program uses the NSF-supported Portal to the Public framework to guide face-to-face interactions between scientists and public audiences to enhance appreciation and understand of current scientific research. I developed a mock experiment that simulated effects of warming temperatures on Bluegill growth in inland lakes in Michigan. Members of the public who came to my table measured the length of two toy fish growing in warm or cold water and graphed changes in length over time. Next, they played a game that demonstrated how increased competition may reduce food consumption. 

University of Michigan Young Science Innovators

Starting in fall 2024, I participated in U-M Young Science Innovators (U-MySci) program. U-MySci partners with a local school, the Multicultural Academy,  to bring students hands-on experiments in their classrooms taught by U-M graduate students and postdocs. These experiments connect directly into the student's current curriculum. 

The Fishologists

My partner and I manage a joint science communication Instagram account (@the_fishologists) where we post updates about our research. As a result, we've been able to engage in some outreach together, such as virtually participating in Meet a Scientist Day at Herring Gut Coastal Science Center. We taught students about invasive species generally and used a game with specific examples from the St. George River, right in their backyard, to bring those concepts home. If you want to make your own, the game was adapted from Dr. Carol Stepien at University of Toledo and here's our version.

Presentations on YouTube

Past presentations, especially those that were virtual or hybrid, are being made available on my YouTube channel! Head on over and check them out. If you enjoy them, like and subscribe to keep up with future content.