MAY THE FOSSILS BE WITH YOU: GEOSCIENCE EDUCATION THROUGH MOVIES

My narrative feature film, Unconformity, tells the story of a geology graduate student who struggles against sexism and mistreatment in her graduate program while she completes research in the northern Mojave desert. The film is a relatively conventional story meant to be accessible to the general public (a tale of a new friendship, persistence in the face of an unfriendly and intractable system) set against an unconventional backdrop by film industry standards.

The response to the film was unexpected in two ways. First, many viewers without a background in science or geology expressed surprise that they would take such an interest in the geology and geologists in the film. They were drawn into the story by the drama and interpersonal relationships set in academia but then were captivated by the geology in the movie, in particular getting a glimpse of fieldwork and learning about Ediacaran fossils. Second, while I anticipated interest from the geoscience community, I did not foresee that much of the interest would stem from viewers relating so personally to the protagonist’s struggles against an abusive advisor or because geologists saw the film as a potential catalyst for DEI discussions within their field, in particular for discussions about women in science.

The reactions to the movie suggest two unorthodox avenues for science communication and education, both for the general public and geoscience departments. I will discuss the potential for narrative (fiction) film to play a role in informal science education as well as the DEI initiative that resulted from interest in using Unconformity to spark discussions about equity and inclusion in the sciences. In addition, I will share what we have learned through our film promotion efforts about the ways in which geology content on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, & TikTok serve to both entertain and educate the public.