FAIRY GODMOTHERS OR FORAMINIFERA? USING STORYTELLING TO COMMUNICATE MARINE SCIENCE

Storytelling represents one of the oldest, most social forms of communication. It therefore can offer a unique, personal approach to science communication and to establishing a dialogue between scientists and the general public. “Once Upon a Time… a Scientific Fairy Tale” draws upon the versatility of storytelling to promote scientific knowledge to children and adults through illustrated short stories and poetry. The project was organized in 2016 by an international group of marine science PhD students and postdoctoral researchers at the University of Bremen. In 2017 the first “Once Upon a Time…” volume was published with funding from the “Show your Science” competition sponsored by the German science communication foundation Science in Dialogue (Wissenschaft im Dialog). The 12 stories and poems in this volume relate various marine science themes – from marine biology, ecology, and geology to human interactions with the oceans. The stories aim to convey, in a clear and engaging way, scientific content inspired by the authors’ (the scientists’) personal research and passions. The “Once Upon a Time…” volume was published as an illustrated, free to download e-book in English, German, and Spanish. In order to reach a wider readership, the e-book is also being translated to Italian, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Hebrew, Filipino, Korean, and Russian. To promote the volume and science communication, the “Once Upon a Time…” group does readings of the stories and poetry in local schools and libraries and at science events. In addition to publishing a second volume (in progress), the group is seeking international collaboration with teachers, citizens, and scientists to expand the scope and readership of the “Once Upon a Time…” scientific storytelling network.