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SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
BATS AND THE PREVENTION OF RABIES INFECTION
As part of the projects that I was involved in while working at a university in Quito-Ecuador, I lead the execution of an educational notebook for children. Me and my team had the duty of communicating solutions to prevent rabies infection from the vampire bats to cattle and people. We decided to include the most important ecological characteristics of bats to inform about the importance of their conservation.
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This project was presented to the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador and performed by the team from "Unidad de Información Socio Ambiental at Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar in Quito. It was printed in Spanish and Shuar, the language of an indigenous tribe in Ecuadorian Amazon.
By carrying out this project, I witnessed the positive impact of science communication in people beyond science to improve the understanding of complex ecological facts. Improving my communication skills is a strong motivation to keep fighting to achieve optimal management strategies for bats, and reach audiences beyond science with conservation messages through storytelling.
See the document online here.
IMPROVING SKILLS AND MOVING FORWARD
Organization of Tropical Studies - Multimedia Science Storytelling
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A very powerful immersion to learn about science communication was in January 2018, when I attended the Multimedia Science Storytelling course organized by the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS) in Costa Rica. I felt very lucky to be inspired by a wonderful crew of professors. The course was two weeks of joyfulness, of making new friends, of non-stop learning, non-stop working and very few hours of sleeping. We learned how to produce podcasts and short videos but more importantly we learned how to tell stories about science (course website).
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A few weeks ago I was in Ecuador where I started a personal project that I hope to share soon. Stay tuned for more.
National Geographic Society - Sciencetelling bootcamp
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In March 2018, the National Geographic Society awarded me with an Early Career Grant and I became a NatGeo Explorer. Then, in September, the NGS invited me and many other explorers form Latin America to attend a Sciencetelling bootcamp that took place in in Buenos Aires – Argentina.
It was a fantastic and inspirational experience where I met new explorers and knew about their amazing projects. I think it will be impossible for me to choose one that I have liked the most; each project had its own signature, all of them started with powerful ideas, and will raise conservation efforts form different perspectives.
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During four days, we learned different techniques to disseminate our projects and to prepare our elevator pitch. The task was to talk during three minutes in front of an audience and convince them why we believe that our projects are important to keep going further. Sounds easy the idea to talk for only three minutes…. but, actually, it is tough task. As a scientist, I believe in the importance to show my projects with passion and interest, but the goal is to transmit the same passion to people that are not in the same field of expertise.
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I am now learning yo “listen” to insect-eating bats to discover if they can keep being successful finding food by producing their super advanced ultrasound calls (echolocation) despite the effects of climate change. How insect-eating bats will cope with climate change? I am still looking for the answer.
Munich Science Slam
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In October 2018, I participated as a speaker in a two-minutes talk at the Munich Science Slam in Munich - Germany. The Science Slam is a project organized by a group of young early career students that aim to improve the communication skills among scientists. They state that “Scientists need to be able to clearly and precisely communicate their findings in order to advance their personal careers, advance the scientific knowledge, and advance public awareness to increase scientific support and help inform decision and policy makers”
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My two minutes talk was about the ecological roles of Insect-eating bats and how the changes on temperature and humidity may have an impact on their success to find food. By giving this short talk, I aimed to share my science with a general public and enthrall people beyond academia into the fascinating world of insectivorous bats in order to enhance their conservation through storytelling.
It was a very motivating experience and an excellent opportunity to meet young scientists that apprehend the importance to captivate audiences with engaging stories.
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Independent collaborations:
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Revista Endémico (Chile)
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Fundación Futuro
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Humand for Abundance
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