- Email: [email protected]
Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling
Please cite this article in press as: Muindi et al., Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling, Trends in Molecular Medicine (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001
Trends in Molecular Medicine
Science & Society
Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling Fanuel J. Muindi,1,2,* Lakshmi Ramachandran,1,3 and Jessica W. Tsai1,4 Science is fundamentally about people – the people who do science and the people who are affected by science. However, access to these human stories is limited. We argue that these narratives must be captured and shared publicly as an integral part of the scientific process.
What Does It Mean to Be a Human in Science? Storytelling in science is not a new concept. Traditional scientific storytelling communicates research data to colleagues through equations, figures, images, posters, presentations, or text. Scientists spend much time attempting to convey scientific stories in peer-reviewed scientific publications. In fact, the storytelling of scientific results has received substantial attention to the point that a growing field is discussing the science of stories in communicating research [1]. Numerous examples use storytelling to communicate specific scientific concepts and convey science to both expert and lay audiences [2–4]. However, this type of storytelling fails to answer the fundamental question: what does it mean to be a human in science? Stories are an essential cornerstone of the universal human experience. The richness and meaning of stories reveals the tremendous diversity of the human experience. There is a human in every scientist, and each individual has experiences that motivate them and drive their work. The results from their work
can impact greatly on other people and on society at large. Ultimately, science is fundamentally about people, both the people who do science and the people affected by it (https://indico.fnal.gov/event/20134/ contribution/5/material/slides/0.pptx). Thus, we argue that, in addition to the scientific stories that are traditionally told in research papers, it is also important to provide separate avenues for scientists to share the human elements behind their science. Why? By design, traditional research publications do not portray the scientist and the motivation for the research. Readers, especially the public, are left to wonder about many questions such as the following. What life experiences have shaped them to become who they are today as scientists and formulate the type of questions they ask in their research? What motivates them to pursue science? What challenges have they faced in their research? The answers to these questions reveal the scientist as a multifaceted, complex individual whose experiences should be valued as much as the data they produce. The personal stories are interesting both for scientists as well as people outside science. We strongly believe that it is crucial to capture, share, and store this aspect of science for analysis in the future. It is the humans that are asking the scientific questions: they think, feel, and are influenced by the people and events they encounter which ultimately affect their work. Science poses unique challenges that trainees and even seasoned scientists routinely face. These include but are not limited to extreme competition for research funding, financial stressors, arduous training times, pressure to publish, family pressures, mentorship
issues, and job security. Many, if not all, individuals have faced such challenges, but their stories of resilience, humility, and problem-solving are rarely shared, and scientists continue to struggle in silence, wondering if they are alone. Bringing these stories to light carries the potential to both build a strong community of support and lend much-needed awareness to combat the one-dimensional representations of scientists, the specter of burnout, and the problem of depression [5]. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the role of human stories in science – to spark interest in science and motivate students to learn in science classes – is negatively impacted by their belief regarding the necessity of exceptional scientific talent to succeed in science [6–8]. Such beliefs impede efforts to increase the number of students, particularly women and minorities, who pursue science training [9]. Previous studies show that exposing high school students to stories of scientists’ struggles improved their science-class grade performance, whereas exposing students to achievement stories did not [10]. Interviews of students in the same study reveal that stories of failure and struggle allow them to better connect with scientists. In another study, undergraduates who completed their homework with the inclusion of personal stories of scientists were better able to relate personally to scientists and enhance their scientific identity [11]. More specifically, scientific identity refers to whether an individual identifies as a scientist. Amazingly, this shift in how students view scientists was maintained for 6 months after the completion of the course, demonstrating the power of including the human dimension in coursework. Although more research is required, data thus far suggest that the inclusion
Trends in Molecular Medicine, Month 2020, Vol. -, No. -
1
Please cite this article in press as: Muindi et al., Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling, Trends in Molecular Medicine (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001
Trends in Molecular Medicine
These initiatives provide a forum by which scientists can build a strong community focused on encouragement and resilience.
Journals /Blogs
Live Shows
Concluding Remarks and Future Directions
Websites Podcasts Vlogs Programs Trends in Molecular Medicine
Figure 1. A Snapshot of Initiatives and Organizations Involved in Highlighting the Human Element of Science. The individual colors highlight the main categories of the active initiatives and organizations that were found in our research (n = 40). For simplicity, each initiative or organization was assigned to only one category: websites (35%), vlogs (10%), programs (10%), podcasts (25%), live shows (7.5%), or journals/blogs (12.5%). Note that this is only an estimate of the distribution at a given time owing to the rapid establishment of new initiatives.
of scientists’ stories in schools and research, and sharing them with the wider public, can have tangible impacts for both trainees and society at large.
Current Initiatives Several initiatives aim to reveal the scientist as both human and individual. Most of these initiatives are currently concentrated in the USA and Europe. The initiatives vary in duration of operation, size, type, organization, and approach. The majority are online platforms, and a few are fully fledged programs with on-the-ground operations. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the organizations that were found in different categories. These organizations include publications such as the Journal of Stories in Sciencei, SciWri 2
Clubii, and Female Scientistiii; podcasts such as People Behind the Scienceiv and Her STEM Storyv; programs such as Skype a Scientistvi, 500 Women Scientistsvii, and Letters to a Prescientistviii ; live shows such as the Story Colliderix and Taste of Sciencex; vlogs such as the 1000 STEM Women in Sciencexi and iBiologyxii; and a growing number of websites including #Unique Scientistsxiii, Faces of Fieldworkxiv, the Life of Sciencexv, Growing up in Sciencexvi, and the STEM Timesxvii. Social media play a crucial role in showcasing the human side of science. Several Twitter hashtags have emerged over the years, including #Storiesinscience, #ActualLivingScientist, #ThisIsWhat AScientistLooksLike, #WomeninSTEM, #PhDlife, #AcademicChatter, and #sciencetwitter, to name but a few.
Trends in Molecular Medicine, Month 2020, Vol. -, No. -
Although it is encouraging to see the rise of many initiatives focused on the human side of science, challenges remain for this growing field. One challenge is the lack of a clear definition for this field. We suggest that including the field as a subarea within science communication may be a useful starting point. Such inclusion will give the field definition and perhaps serve as a catalyst to bring together those in the field via a conference to showcase their approaches. We believe that a conference will provide the necessary space for members to connect with one another, consolidate efforts, build awareness, and work together to think critically about how to measure the intended impacts of the different approaches and initiatives. The following questions will be useful to answer. What metrics should be collected? How should the personal narratives in science be used? Who is the intended target audience? We suggest that the conference should be attended by scientists, journalists, teachers, science communicators, students, and the public. Another challenge relates to funding. At the moment, only a small number of initiatives and organizations have formal funding and most depend on individual donations. We urge foundations and federal funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to closely examine the growing field and consider providing new opportunities for funding to support the work. Lastly, some critics may believe that personal narratives in science are unnecessary because
Please cite this article in press as: Muindi et al., Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling, Trends in Molecular Medicine (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001
Trends in Molecular Medicine
science is already team-driven. However, it is worth remembering that individual scientists make up those teams. Their diverse individual stories do matter and should be shared and valued. These stories serve as a crucial reminder of our shared humanity in science.
xiv
https://twitter.com/facesfieldwork https://thelifeofscience.com/ xvi www.cns.nyu.edu/events/ growingupinscience/ xvii www.instagram.com/thestemtimes/ xv
1Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advocacy Institute, Boston, MA, USA
2Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Acknowledgments
3Office
The authors thank the inspiring members of the STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi).
4Department of
Resources
*Correspondence: [email protected]
i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii
www.storiesinscience.org www.sciwri.club https://thefemalescientist.com/ www.peoplebehindthescience.com/ https://herstemstory.com/ www.skypeascientist.com/ https://500womenscientists.org/ www.prescientist.org/ www.storycollider.org/ https://tasteofscience.org/ https://flipgrid.com/7bad90 www.ibiology.org/ https://uniquescientists.com/
of Research, Duke–National University of Singapore (NUS) Medical School, Singapore Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001 ª 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
References 1. Jones, M.D. and Crow, D.A. (2017) How can we use the ’science of stories’ to produce persuasive scientific stories? Palgrave Commun. 3, 53 2. Krzywinski, M. and Cairo, A. (2013) Points of view: storytelling. Nat. Methods 10, 687
3. Shelby, A. and Ernst, K. (2013) Story and science: how providers and parents can utilize storytelling to combat anti-vaccine misinformation. Hum. Vaccin. Immunother. 9, 1795–1801 4. Dahlstrom, M.F. (2014) Using narratives and storytelling to communicate science with nonexpert audiences. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 111, 13614–13620 5. Tsai, J.W. and Muindi, F. (2016) Towards sustaining a culture of mental health and wellness for trainees in the biosciences. Nat. Biotechnol. 34, 353 6. Blickenstaff, J.C. (2005) Women and science careers: leaky pipeline or gender filter? Gend. Educ. 4, 369–386 7. Singh, K. et al. (2002) Mathematics and science achievement: effects of motivation, interest, and academic engagement. J. Educ. Res. 95, 323–332 8. Wang, X. (2013) Why students choose STEM majors: motivation, high school learning, and postsecondary context of support. Am. Educ. Res. J. 50, 1081–1121 9. National Research Council (2005) How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom, National Academies Press 10. Lin-Siegler, X. et al. (2016) Even Einstein struggled: effects of learning about great scientists’ struggles on high school students’ motivation to learn science. J. Educ. Psychol. 108, 314–328 11. Schinske, J.N. et al. (2016) Scientist spotlight homework assignments shift students’ stereotypes of scientists and enhance science identity in a diverse introductory science class. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 15, ar47
Trends in Molecular Medicine, Month 2020, Vol. -, No. -
3
Trends in Molecular Medicine
Science & Society
Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling Fanuel J. Muindi,1,2,* Lakshmi Ramachandran,1,3 and Jessica W. Tsai1,4 Science is fundamentally about people – the people who do science and the people who are affected by science. However, access to these human stories is limited. We argue that these narratives must be captured and shared publicly as an integral part of the scientific process.
What Does It Mean to Be a Human in Science? Storytelling in science is not a new concept. Traditional scientific storytelling communicates research data to colleagues through equations, figures, images, posters, presentations, or text. Scientists spend much time attempting to convey scientific stories in peer-reviewed scientific publications. In fact, the storytelling of scientific results has received substantial attention to the point that a growing field is discussing the science of stories in communicating research [1]. Numerous examples use storytelling to communicate specific scientific concepts and convey science to both expert and lay audiences [2–4]. However, this type of storytelling fails to answer the fundamental question: what does it mean to be a human in science? Stories are an essential cornerstone of the universal human experience. The richness and meaning of stories reveals the tremendous diversity of the human experience. There is a human in every scientist, and each individual has experiences that motivate them and drive their work. The results from their work
can impact greatly on other people and on society at large. Ultimately, science is fundamentally about people, both the people who do science and the people affected by it (https://indico.fnal.gov/event/20134/ contribution/5/material/slides/0.pptx). Thus, we argue that, in addition to the scientific stories that are traditionally told in research papers, it is also important to provide separate avenues for scientists to share the human elements behind their science. Why? By design, traditional research publications do not portray the scientist and the motivation for the research. Readers, especially the public, are left to wonder about many questions such as the following. What life experiences have shaped them to become who they are today as scientists and formulate the type of questions they ask in their research? What motivates them to pursue science? What challenges have they faced in their research? The answers to these questions reveal the scientist as a multifaceted, complex individual whose experiences should be valued as much as the data they produce. The personal stories are interesting both for scientists as well as people outside science. We strongly believe that it is crucial to capture, share, and store this aspect of science for analysis in the future. It is the humans that are asking the scientific questions: they think, feel, and are influenced by the people and events they encounter which ultimately affect their work. Science poses unique challenges that trainees and even seasoned scientists routinely face. These include but are not limited to extreme competition for research funding, financial stressors, arduous training times, pressure to publish, family pressures, mentorship
issues, and job security. Many, if not all, individuals have faced such challenges, but their stories of resilience, humility, and problem-solving are rarely shared, and scientists continue to struggle in silence, wondering if they are alone. Bringing these stories to light carries the potential to both build a strong community of support and lend much-needed awareness to combat the one-dimensional representations of scientists, the specter of burnout, and the problem of depression [5]. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the role of human stories in science – to spark interest in science and motivate students to learn in science classes – is negatively impacted by their belief regarding the necessity of exceptional scientific talent to succeed in science [6–8]. Such beliefs impede efforts to increase the number of students, particularly women and minorities, who pursue science training [9]. Previous studies show that exposing high school students to stories of scientists’ struggles improved their science-class grade performance, whereas exposing students to achievement stories did not [10]. Interviews of students in the same study reveal that stories of failure and struggle allow them to better connect with scientists. In another study, undergraduates who completed their homework with the inclusion of personal stories of scientists were better able to relate personally to scientists and enhance their scientific identity [11]. More specifically, scientific identity refers to whether an individual identifies as a scientist. Amazingly, this shift in how students view scientists was maintained for 6 months after the completion of the course, demonstrating the power of including the human dimension in coursework. Although more research is required, data thus far suggest that the inclusion
Trends in Molecular Medicine, Month 2020, Vol. -, No. -
1
Please cite this article in press as: Muindi et al., Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling, Trends in Molecular Medicine (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001
Trends in Molecular Medicine
These initiatives provide a forum by which scientists can build a strong community focused on encouragement and resilience.
Journals /Blogs
Live Shows
Concluding Remarks and Future Directions
Websites Podcasts Vlogs Programs Trends in Molecular Medicine
Figure 1. A Snapshot of Initiatives and Organizations Involved in Highlighting the Human Element of Science. The individual colors highlight the main categories of the active initiatives and organizations that were found in our research (n = 40). For simplicity, each initiative or organization was assigned to only one category: websites (35%), vlogs (10%), programs (10%), podcasts (25%), live shows (7.5%), or journals/blogs (12.5%). Note that this is only an estimate of the distribution at a given time owing to the rapid establishment of new initiatives.
of scientists’ stories in schools and research, and sharing them with the wider public, can have tangible impacts for both trainees and society at large.
Current Initiatives Several initiatives aim to reveal the scientist as both human and individual. Most of these initiatives are currently concentrated in the USA and Europe. The initiatives vary in duration of operation, size, type, organization, and approach. The majority are online platforms, and a few are fully fledged programs with on-the-ground operations. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the organizations that were found in different categories. These organizations include publications such as the Journal of Stories in Sciencei, SciWri 2
Clubii, and Female Scientistiii; podcasts such as People Behind the Scienceiv and Her STEM Storyv; programs such as Skype a Scientistvi, 500 Women Scientistsvii, and Letters to a Prescientistviii ; live shows such as the Story Colliderix and Taste of Sciencex; vlogs such as the 1000 STEM Women in Sciencexi and iBiologyxii; and a growing number of websites including #Unique Scientistsxiii, Faces of Fieldworkxiv, the Life of Sciencexv, Growing up in Sciencexvi, and the STEM Timesxvii. Social media play a crucial role in showcasing the human side of science. Several Twitter hashtags have emerged over the years, including #Storiesinscience, #ActualLivingScientist, #ThisIsWhat AScientistLooksLike, #WomeninSTEM, #PhDlife, #AcademicChatter, and #sciencetwitter, to name but a few.
Trends in Molecular Medicine, Month 2020, Vol. -, No. -
Although it is encouraging to see the rise of many initiatives focused on the human side of science, challenges remain for this growing field. One challenge is the lack of a clear definition for this field. We suggest that including the field as a subarea within science communication may be a useful starting point. Such inclusion will give the field definition and perhaps serve as a catalyst to bring together those in the field via a conference to showcase their approaches. We believe that a conference will provide the necessary space for members to connect with one another, consolidate efforts, build awareness, and work together to think critically about how to measure the intended impacts of the different approaches and initiatives. The following questions will be useful to answer. What metrics should be collected? How should the personal narratives in science be used? Who is the intended target audience? We suggest that the conference should be attended by scientists, journalists, teachers, science communicators, students, and the public. Another challenge relates to funding. At the moment, only a small number of initiatives and organizations have formal funding and most depend on individual donations. We urge foundations and federal funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to closely examine the growing field and consider providing new opportunities for funding to support the work. Lastly, some critics may believe that personal narratives in science are unnecessary because
Please cite this article in press as: Muindi et al., Human Narratives in Science: The Power of Storytelling, Trends in Molecular Medicine (2019), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001
Trends in Molecular Medicine
science is already team-driven. However, it is worth remembering that individual scientists make up those teams. Their diverse individual stories do matter and should be shared and valued. These stories serve as a crucial reminder of our shared humanity in science.
xiv
https://twitter.com/facesfieldwork https://thelifeofscience.com/ xvi www.cns.nyu.edu/events/ growingupinscience/ xvii www.instagram.com/thestemtimes/ xv
1Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advocacy Institute, Boston, MA, USA
2Department
of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Acknowledgments
3Office
The authors thank the inspiring members of the STEM Advocacy Institute (SAi).
4Department of
Resources
*Correspondence: [email protected]
i ii iii iv v vi vii viii ix x xi xii xiii
www.storiesinscience.org www.sciwri.club https://thefemalescientist.com/ www.peoplebehindthescience.com/ https://herstemstory.com/ www.skypeascientist.com/ https://500womenscientists.org/ www.prescientist.org/ www.storycollider.org/ https://tasteofscience.org/ https://flipgrid.com/7bad90 www.ibiology.org/ https://uniquescientists.com/
of Research, Duke–National University of Singapore (NUS) Medical School, Singapore Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmed.2019.12.001 ª 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
References 1. Jones, M.D. and Crow, D.A. (2017) How can we use the ’science of stories’ to produce persuasive scientific stories? Palgrave Commun. 3, 53 2. Krzywinski, M. and Cairo, A. (2013) Points of view: storytelling. Nat. Methods 10, 687
3. Shelby, A. and Ernst, K. (2013) Story and science: how providers and parents can utilize storytelling to combat anti-vaccine misinformation. Hum. Vaccin. Immunother. 9, 1795–1801 4. Dahlstrom, M.F. (2014) Using narratives and storytelling to communicate science with nonexpert audiences. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 111, 13614–13620 5. Tsai, J.W. and Muindi, F. (2016) Towards sustaining a culture of mental health and wellness for trainees in the biosciences. Nat. Biotechnol. 34, 353 6. Blickenstaff, J.C. (2005) Women and science careers: leaky pipeline or gender filter? Gend. Educ. 4, 369–386 7. Singh, K. et al. (2002) Mathematics and science achievement: effects of motivation, interest, and academic engagement. J. Educ. Res. 95, 323–332 8. Wang, X. (2013) Why students choose STEM majors: motivation, high school learning, and postsecondary context of support. Am. Educ. Res. J. 50, 1081–1121 9. National Research Council (2005) How Students Learn: History, Mathematics, and Science in the Classroom, National Academies Press 10. Lin-Siegler, X. et al. (2016) Even Einstein struggled: effects of learning about great scientists’ struggles on high school students’ motivation to learn science. J. Educ. Psychol. 108, 314–328 11. Schinske, J.N. et al. (2016) Scientist spotlight homework assignments shift students’ stereotypes of scientists and enhance science identity in a diverse introductory science class. CBE Life Sci. Educ. 15, ar47
Trends in Molecular Medicine, Month 2020, Vol. -, No. -
3