Many people ask me how storytelling can be used in science. Here’s the answer: You can fascinate people, take them along on your journey and you can create emotions. Storytelling is not optimized for delivering information. It’s optimized for sparking interest in that information. And for creating lasting memories.
Example: The Reef
Here’s an example of science-based fiction in miniature that provides three different experiences for different use cases.
Sadness: The death of the reef.
I took a student on her first dive not long ago. She was full of anticipation, I was too kind or too cruel to crush it. I still remember the vibrant coral reefs and schools of colorful fish that I encountered on my first dive. I almost expected to find them as we dove beneath the waves. Of course, I did not. What we found were graveyards. Corals reduced to dull, crumbling skeletons. Only two fish in sight. And a plastic bag.
Wonder: The beauty of the reef.
The sun shone from a cloudless sky, the boat bobbed gently on the waves. We dived, gliding through azure water, sunlight shifting in ribbons around us. Schools of fish darted beneath us, then between us, flashing all the colors of the rainbow. My student pointed out a clown fish, grinning. Then, the reef came into view, stretched out below us, rising in front of us, its multitude of colors dancing like a never-ending firework.
Hope: The recovery of the reef.
It was his first dive and he kept eyeing me warily, probably bracing for the worst after hearing the others’ cautions. But he followed me until the reef came into view. I hovered above the bleached corals. He smiled at a school of fish below us, darting between the new species. Gliding past me, he pointed out the hybrid corals we hadn’t planted. Shining eyes intent on the growing patches of color. I let him draw my attention from coral to fish to coral. Vibrant as I remembered them. And I smiled back.
If you’re interested in more samples, feel free to request my portfolio. So far, I’ve worked on feature stories, news, talks, sci-fi stories, videos and games for communication within and outside of science, as well as offering training for Ph.D. and postdoctoral students. I provide content and training in both German and English.