SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
The speed of news cycles is increasing, changing the way we consume news. This is coupled with a growing trend of scepticism towards science, and an acceptance of 'alternative facts'. To reach out to the general public, who often foot the bill for our studies, it is becoming increasingly important for scientists to communicate their research in an effective and clear way. Throughout my research career, I have strived to embrace this and develop skills to disseminate my research to the wider public through channels other than the traditional scientific journals. Some examples of my science communication can be found below.
sharing science
To ensure that the outputs from our global database and review of coral restoration methods was accessible to all relevant stakeholders, I employed a multi-tiered approach to communicating the research. The review was shared as an open-access peer reviewed article, as a downloadable spreadsheet and through an interactive database. The review has been cited over 100 times in 18 months while the visualisation has been accessed over 9500 times. Click on each item for more.
Database summary and demonstration
Dryad database download
Systematic review
Interactive database
Review infographic (click to expand)
Communications package
To communicate my research on using vinegar to control Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) using vinegar, I have put together a complete communications package including a website, video and Frequently Asked Questions section.
science talk
3MT- 3 Minute Thesis Finalist, James Cook University
The Three Minute Thesis is an international competition which challenges participants to distill their body of work into a three minute talk that is catered to the general public. I was fortunate to participate in the University wide finals for James Cook University.
ABC Catalyst
My research was highlighted in a segment on the Australian Broadcasting Corporations (ABC) science television series 'Catalyst' (6min 30s into the clip).
SCIENTIFIC WRITING
Biosphere magazine - The enemy within
I was invited to write an article for the popular science magazine Biosphere. The 8-page article details some of my work on alternative methods to cull Crown-of-Thorns starfish and features my pictures throughout the article.
Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation - Vinegar - Controlling COTS at half the cost
A blogpost for Lizard Island reef Research Foundation describing the early pilot study for my work on COTS and vinegar.
You can swim- but you can't hide - Sheltering behaviour in small bodied reef fish following the death of corals
A blog post for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral reef Studies describing my reserach into how sheltering behaviour of damselfish is affected by coral mortality
SCIENCE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION
Mahonia Na Dari - Marine Conservation Education
In my role as the Resident Researcher at the Mahonia na Dari Conservation Centre in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea I frequently conducted lessons in marine conservation for local communities in collaboration with their marine education program. During my time working with this Marine Conservation NGO I was involved in developing innovative methods to teach complex concepts in marine conservation. For example, I assisted in the development of a interactive role-playing game of “Fishers” versus “Fish” to illustrate how the implementation of marine reserves can influence fish populations and subsistence fishers. The game allowed participants to experiment with different size “reserves" and seasonal closures to test how changing these parameters affected fish stocks and the catch extracted by fishers.
Web and graphic design
Website design
I have designed and developed multiple websites for individual researchers and projects (click through to view each site), and I am proficient in using many different platforms (Squarespace, Wordpress etc.).
Graphic Design
I have contributed figures and infographics to projects and peer reviewed papers, and designed a one page graphical CV for Dr. Hugo Harrison, to complement the launch of his website (above).
