Keegan Leibrock
Welcome to Longitude Sound Bytes where we bring innovative insights from around the world directly to you.

Hi, I’m Keegan Leibrock, Longitude fellow from Rice University studying economics and political science. I will be your host for today.

Today, we are exploring the approaches of individuals to contemplation, experimentation and communication in scientific and creative fields.

For this episode, I had an opportunity to speak with Dr. Scott Solomon, a specialist in evolutionary biology and science communication, and a professor of Biosciences at Rice University.

We started our conversation with Dr. Solomon telling me about an expedition he is about to embark recreating Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle. Please enjoy listening.

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Scott Solomon
This is super exciting. So, I was invited to participate in part of a two-year voyage that is recreating Charles Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, which, of course, was the trip that Charles Darwin did as a recent college graduate, that, in many ways kind of inspired his theory of evolution by natural selections. The expedition that I’m joining, it’s called the Darwin 200 project. It is, as I said, it’s a recreation in a sense of his voyage on the Beagle. And what that means is that there is a ship and it’s actually a historic tall ship, built in 1918, called the Oosterschelde, up from the Netherlands. It is this beautiful wooden sailing ship with three masts. It’s a schooner, it’s not exactly like the Beagle, it’s actually about twice as long as the Beagle. A little more spacious, and it’s got all the, you know, modern navigational equipment and safety stuff, which I’m grateful for. But they are, over the course of two years, traveling around the world and visiting most of the major ports that the Beagle voyage visited almost 200 years ago. I will be joining the expedition in Uruguay, and then sailing along the coast of South America for about a week, down along the coast of Argentina, to a place and Patagonia called Puerto Madryn.

My sort of reason for wanting to join this expedition, I mean, there’s a lot first of all. It’s going to be an incredible adventure and incredible experience but I’m really excited about the opportunity to kind of reflect on what Darwin’s experiences were like, and get just a small taste, you know, of what Darwin may have experienced at that time. And to really think about sort of how the world has changed in those almost 200 years. I mean, not only do we have, obviously a lot more technology, bigger and fancier and faster boats, but we also learned a lot about evolution, about natural history, about biology, about the world that we live in, and how we’re connected to it, and what we are doing to it. And so actually, a big part of this expedition is about conservation efforts. So in each port, that the journey visits, they’re partnering with local groups and local researchers to basically support conservation efforts that are taking place in each of these places. So I’m really excited about getting to help with those and learning a little bit more about the projects that will be happening in the ports that I’ll be visiting. But another aspect of it is outreach. And that’s something that I, you know, I’m really passionate about, I think it’s really important to not only do science, but to share science as widely as possible. And that’s a big part of what they’re doing on this expedition, as well. So they’re, you know, reaching out to schools around the world, creating free resources for teachers and students, to kind of help to inspire young people to be excited about exploration and discovery, and nature, and wildlife, and science. And all of these things that back in the Age of Discovery was something that you know, people paid a lot of attention to, and today, you know, it kind of, can be forgotten, I think sometimes. So, I’m excited about that aspect to to kind of help to, you know, share the wonder and awe that we experienced as biologists when we go out to these wild places, and try to learn something about this incredible world we live in.

Keegan
Your work extends beyond traditional research, and you’ve been actively involved in different avenues of science communication. So, can you expand a bit on what sparked your passion for communicating science to a broader audience?

Scott
Yeah, absolutely. I think part of it is that, you know, when I was young, I would read books or magazine articles, watch, you know, nature documentaries, and was part of what got me excited about nature and biology and science in the first place. During my education, I like most scientists, I think, you know, we tend to sort of learn the science and learn about how to communicate to each other, through peer-reviewed research publications and presentations at scientific meetings. And that’s super important. We have to be able to share our science with each other. But at some point, as a graduate student, it occurred to me like, you know, maybe there is a way to share this beyond just my small circle of colleagues and peers. You know, I’ve always liked writing just as a creative outlet. And I thought, you know, maybe I can write about science in a way that would connect with a broader audience, but I had no idea how to do that. And so for lack of any better idea, I just walked into the office of the student newspaper at the university. This was at UT Austin, where I did my PhD. And I just asked them Like, hey, you know, do you guys have anybody here that’s writing about science? And they said, no, why don’t you do it. And so that was sort of how I got started writing about science in a way that was, you know, accessible to a broad audience. So they matched me up with an editor who kind of trained me on how to write articles in a way that was appropriate for a newspaper. And off I went on my first assignment, which was really fun. It was an expedition that I joined, that was looking for cave salamanders in the caves in the hill country near Austin. And so I joined some people that were, you know, putting on their wetsuits and snorkel masks and swimming into this cave in search of these rare, endangered salamanders. And then I got to write an article about it. And I was like, Alright, this is great. Like, how can I do more of this? So that was how I started. And you know, since then, I’ve kind of explored a wide range of different ways of trying to share science, share the excitement, the wonder, the just, you know, things that are so cool about science, and about the scientists that are doing the work. I think it’s really important to kind of help people understand. Science isn’t just this like thing that happens, it’s people are doing science. And those people’s stories are often really fascinating.

Keegan
When communicating these complex scientific concepts to lay audiences, what approach do you find to be most effective throughout your work? And how do you tailor your message to make it accessible without oversimplifying the science behind it?

Scott
Yeah, no, those are good questions. So, I mean, what I find, and this is what, you know, I think I’ve learned it’s not like my own discovery, but you got to tell stories, right? So, you really want to tell stories about the science. And it’s really at the end of the day, it’s going to be stories about the people doing the science. You know, if you can tell a good story, everybody likes a good story. And so, figuring out what the arc of the story is going to be, can be a challenge. But it’s a challenge that I enjoy. I think that’s part of the fun, creative process of writing. So, that’s the number one thing, but then you asked also about how do you make it accessible, understandable without, you know, without kind of being condescending about it, I think it’s really important to have respect for your, for your audience. And so it’s important to know who your audience is, and have a sense for what do they already know and understand. And so, you know, it’s really important to not use too much technical language jargon, explain things as you go. But at the same time, you know, treat your audience with respect and recognize that they’re smart, intelligent people, they just don’t know what you know. And so, trying to find a way to, to explain things, and not people like to say dumbing it down, you know, I always try to shy away from that, because just because you don’t know something doesn’t make you dumb. It just means that it’s not what you work on. So, you know, I think there’s always ways to kind of tell a story, explain the science, but do so in a way that is respectful.

Keegan
Absolutely. Were there other specific experiences or moments that influenced your decision to bridge the gap between academia and the general public?

Scott
Yeah, I mean, I think there’s a number of things. I think what I’ve learned is that, you know, I started off writing, and then that kind of naturally led to opportunities to do other things. Like for example, giving talks. That is something that I’ve really learned to love, because when you give a talk to a general audience, you have that opportunity to kind of see their reaction to have conversations make it a two-way, form of communication. I think it’s really important to not see science communication as a one-way street, right? It needs to be a back and forth, it’s a dialogue, we need to listen as much as we speak or write, I really enjoy kind of getting to have that give and take and hearing what other people think and just sort of seeing the reactions, hearing their reactions. So some of my favorite things that I do now in science communication involve directly interacting with the public or interacting with different audiences.

Keegan
Your podcast, the Wild World show gained attention for its engaging exploration of different scientific topics. So, what sort of brought you to start the podcast?

Scott
My podcast, Wild World or Wild World with Scott Solomon, is really, it’s a way of trying to, again, share that excitement of discovery of exploration with people who maybe you know, don’t have much experience with this. And in some ways, it really came out of the pandemic, because a lot of the teaching that I do here at Rice involves taking students out into wild places, whether it’s just right here on campus, we can do a lot with our amazing, you know, nature that we have on campus. So we do that in some of my classes, but often will go to state park or a National Preserve, or I even take students in the summer to places like Belize, about to start a new class in Tanzania. And it’s some of my favorite, you know, things that I get to do in my job, largely because of the impact that I see it having on students. I mean, it really can be, you know, what they’ve told us, it can be a life-changing experience. And during the pandemic, of course, we couldn’t do any of that. And so, I really was missing that opportunity to take people out to wild places and show them how exciting it is to be a part of the process of learning and discovering about all different sorts of things. So I thought, you know, hey, maybe there’s a way of, of doing something like that with a podcast where, okay, we don’t get to go there ourselves but we can kind of take a virtual trip someplace and hear from people who are working in these wild places about what it’s like. And so, that was what I set out to do in the podcast. So each episode is about a different place in the world and I interview a guest who’s doing some kind of fieldwork there. You know, one of my goals is I hope that that could be something that would be interesting, inspirational for young people who are maybe trying to figure out what their career path might look like to just learn about some of these less well-known, you know, ways to live your life.

Keegan
Can you share an example or experience related to one of your ongoing projects?

Scott
So my research background is on insects, and specifically ants. A pandemic project that I did was a series of lectures or talks about insects and why they matter. So it’s called Why Insects Matter: Earth’s most essential species, and it’s 24 part series that looks at all of the many reasons why insects are essential for life, as we know it, the ways that they impact us directly, the ways that we depend on them for things like food pollination, you know, the ecosystem services that they do that we don’t even think about, like breaking down waste, or, you know, dead plants and animals, but also fun things like how are insects, a part of our culture. I have a whole lecture on insects and art, literature and film. And it’s fascinating, when you start to look into it, how integral insects have been, to so many different cultures around the world throughout history. You know, so one of my goals for that project was really to try to help, maybe people who don’t think of themselves as bug people, you know, I mean, a lot of people who are like, oh, you know, ants or, or insects, yeah, I’m not a big fan. And, you know, or they might even be stronger than that, they might really be scared of them, or really, you know, just kind of grossed out disgusted by them. And that’s fine, I get it, there’s, you know, I don’t like finding a cockroach in my house either. And I definitely don’t like getting bit by mosquitoes. But what I try to say is like, like, my goal here is to, you know, help you to kind of see that most insects are not dangerous. Most insects are not doing anything negative to us. And in fact, a lot of them are doing things that are really helpful. And then just recognizing that, like, a lot of them are just doing amazing, interesting things. And so, I feel like the more that you kind of learn about this and hear about this, that kind of less gross or scary or weird insects are and the more that people can kind of learn to not just appreciate them, but to also kind of live with them. Because at the end of the day, you know, like so many things out in the natural world, insects are declining, and that should be a cause for concern for all of us, because we actually depend on them for life as we know it.

Keegan
Absolutely. You’re someone who has a lot of commitments to a lot of different things, whether it’s teaching or research or science communication. I’m sure it can be difficult balancing these different commitments that you managed to stay active. And all these areas, and how do you find that each of them enrich aspects of the others?

Scott
Yeah, that’s a good question. I mean, honestly, it’s a constant struggle to try to, you know, keep my head above water, so to speak. Yeah, I mean, what I tried to do is I tried to just compartmentalize, you know, when I’m teaching my class, I’m teaching my class. And that’s the only thing that I’m focused on. When I’m meeting with students, they have all of my attention. But when I have a moment to, you know, sit and work on a podcast episode, or to you know, write an article or the moment I’m working on a book, you know, I try to focus on those things. And so really, what I’ve learned, the older I’ve gotten is, I feel like the any sort of wisdom that I’ve achieved, I think it’s you know, about being able to accurately predict how much time something will take me. I was not good at that when I was younger. I would get it wrong a lot. But the older I’ve gotten, the better I’ve gotten that saying like, Okay, I think I can take on this additional thing. It’s going to take me approximately this much time and here’s the part of my schedule where I can slide that thing in and be able to get it done.

Keegan
For individuals who are aspiring to sort of bridge the gap between science and the public through science communication, what advice would you offer?

Scott
My best advice is just get started and do it. I think there’s a real kind of activation energy so to speak, and that like it feels like you have to like really get out over that initial hump of like, Oh, I haven’t done this before, how do I even get started? Why is somebody going to, you know, let me write an article here? or, you know, whatever it is. I would say, there’s no project that’s too small to take on. And each thing that you do will lead to new opportunities to do something else. I think once you have, you know, one or two of those things under your belt, then you can leverage that to get other bigger opportunities. So in writing in particular, there’s sort of this catch 22 of, you often you have to be published to get published. So how do you ever get started? And that’s where I say you just, you just write something. You just go it doesn’t matter what the publication is, who the audience is, if three people read it, whatever, you’re gonna learn something from it. You get to practice your craft, and you’ll have something to show for it that you can then take to the next place and say, Well, I did this thing. Maybe I could do something for you as well.

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Keegan
We hope that you enjoyed our episode. What stood out to me from this conversation was Dr. Solomon’s clear passion for accessibility of scientific knowledge. From his time writing for UT’s newspaper to today, it is clear that this passion has grown into a fully-fledged career.

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To view the episode transcript, please visit Longitude.site. If you’re a college student interested in leading a conversation like this, visit our website Longitude.site to submit an interest form or write to us at podcast@longitude.site.

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