LabXchange convenes a community that helps create transparency into science spaces. Our collaborator Science Communication Lab is on a mission to tell the stories of science through engaging video and written materials! We interviewed the SCL team to learn more.
The Science Communication Lab (SCL) is a community of scientists, filmmakers, and artists working together to tell the stories of science through engaging video and written materials. Our documentary and short films, online courses, and online textbook are suited for general, educational, and scientific audiences.
Our multidisciplinary approach to science communication inspires rethinking how we share the discoveries, methods, and the process of scientific exploration. Just as science is an ever-evolving enterprise in experimentation, the SCL is dedicated to experimenting with content, form, distribution, and audience-building. We value equity and inclusion in STEM and many of our initiatives support and amplify the stories of students and scientists from marginalized communities.
The SCL is a 501(c)3 non-profit that includes iBiology, The Explorer’s Guide to Biology and The Wonder Collaborative.
The Science Communication Lab (SCL) is an initiative that includes iBiology, The Explorer’s Guide to Biology and The Wonder Collaborative. We produce free and engaging scientific media for both learners and educators.
A unique fact about us is that we are a small team of trained scientists, artists, and filmmakers working together to create content that looks at science in different ways. We celebrate science for what it is and try to capture its nuance and complexity from our very different perspectives. We create a wide range of content for science interested and educational audiences, from documentary films, online textbooks, written stories, online courses, and short films and videos about research.
Science education should be engaging and convey the wonder of exploration and discovery.
The SCL is rooted in a ground-breaking partnership between the worlds of science, education, and filmmaking. Our multidisciplinary approach to science communication inspires rethinking how we share the discoveries, methods, and the process of scientific exploration. Just as science is an ever-evolving enterprise in experimentation, the SCL is dedicated to experimenting with content, form, distribution, and audience-building. We value equity and inclusion in STEM and many of our initiatives support and amplify the stories of students and scientists from marginalized communities. We approach all of our efforts with a spirit of rigorous evaluation of mission and efficacy.
We apologize if we sound a bit contrarian, but we would like to challenge some of the assumptions behind the formation of this question. Too often science is taught through a list of “who’s.” But is that really how science works? Is it a compendium of hero narratives? Or is it something much broader, more ethereal, and we would argue, more exciting?
Too often science is taught through a list of “who’s.” But is that really how science works? Is it a compendium of hero narratives? Or is it something much broader, more ethereal, and we would argue, more exciting?
We see inspiration everywhere, and recognize that scientists of all types, with a broad range of backgrounds, with formal and informal training, can play a part in the human march towards greater knowledge and understanding. We are inspired by the what, the why, and the how. We are also inspired by the who - those who choose to dedicate their lives to science. But we see that as not a single story, or even set of stories. Rather, we are inspired by the community of science in all its myriad definitions and iterations.
Scientific experimentation is an indelible part of growing up human. We think back fondly to our childhoods and reflect on how many times we wondered what would happen if we…dropped our box of crayons from the top of the stairs? Looked at a comic strip under a magnifying glass? Mixed oil and vinegar and didn’t stop shaking it? As we grew older and science education became more formal, we learned about some of the famous experiments, and then set out to do our own. But we haven’t wanted to lose the wonder and joy of discovery. These are the stories we want to tell in our videos.
Science should be for everyone! We create materials that are free, that highlight the process of science and showcase what real scientists are like. We want to provide resources for use in higher ed as well as for science-curious individuals outside of formal education contexts. For our team, it is also about the creative process of figuring out how to tell stories in an authentic way so that they reflect the process of science and the people behind it. Stories are a way to show folks - not just tell them - about the process of science, who does it, and how their experiences inform their interests and approaches to science. By creating high quality resources that showcase scientists from a range of backgrounds, we seek to show that science can be a place for everyone to participate.
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