By Shelby Lohr. April 3, 20223

The Council on Science and Technology hosted a four-day science storytelling workshop led by Daniel Cohen, Assistant Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton and Annetta Black of Odd Salon.  Cohen and Black emphasize the entertainment value and information-sharing potential when conveying research in both professional and casual settings. The program’s participants spent the week training in principles of narrative structure and developed a toolkit to frame their research in a way that sparks audience imagination.

Through the workshop, Celeste Rodriguez discovered avenues to “make [listeners] excited” about scientific research. For her final project, Rodriguez studied the history of cell migration and, ultimately, the history of electricity. She grew interested in the story of Reymond Dubois, a Frenchman who discovered endogenous electrical fields in human bodies through his work with frogs. Dubois’s experiments supplied texture to Rodriguez’s presentation.

 “It’s perfectly possible to create an interesting story without compromising the scientific message you want to portray.”

Going into the training, Shaurya Aarav felt skeptical that scientists could cater to listeners’ interests while also properly representing their research. Through the workshop, however, Aarav realized that “It’s perfectly possible to create an interesting story without compromising the scientific message you want to portray.” Through the program’s exercises, Aarav constructed a compelling presentation built on a foundation of facts.  
Going into the training, Shaurya Aarav felt skeptical that scientists could cater to listeners’ interests while also properly representing their research. Through the workshop, however, Aarav realized that “It’s perfectly possible to create an interesting story without compromising the scientific message you want to portray.” Through the program’s exercises, Aarav constructed a compelling presentation built on a foundation of facts.  

Students left the training feeling better prepared for colloquium talks and conversations related to their research. Some of the students took this inspiration and decided to further the mission of the science community: after concluding the training, Aarav started recording video and audio clips of graduate students discussing his research.

While this training enables STEM students to more confidently present their research, the training also offers the opportunity for scientists to rebuild trust and interest in research, more broadly. Science tends to privilege logic over narrative, but academics can harness the principles of storytelling to complement their work and better appeal to potential skeptics. 

Lab Tales is funded by the National Science Foundation and has run in the summers of 2021-2023 with plans to continue the series in the future.