The role of science in social change: with Jada Andersen
Today is the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science and to celebrate the incredible achievements and importance of women in science I had a conversation with Tiyana, founder of the Humanitarian Changemakers Network, on her podcast Changemakers Q&A.
We chat about my personal journey and experience in science, and the important role science has in contributing to social change. Click here to listen to the podcast.
Tell us about yourself. What did you study, what made you so interested in science, tell us about your honours thesis?
Hi Tiyana, thanks for having me on the podcast!
So I graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Biology and Mathematics. It was a fantastic degree for me because when I first finished high school I was very passionate about the environment and the impact we have on the natural world. I remember feeling really frustrated because I didn't know how I, as an individual, could really make a difference.
Science felt like the best course of action and a really tangible way of contributing to our understanding of what makes the world go around. I studied a whole range of things in my first year, from geography and geology to entomology (the study of insects) and pure mathematics. It really opened my eyes to what's out there and how all of these areas relate to the conversation of how humans impact their environment. I'm just about to start my Honours so I haven't dove too deep into it yet but I'll be investigating how stress impacts freshwater fish behaviour. This probably seems really random to most people but it's quite relevant when we discuss what the impact of climate change will be on freshwater ecosystems.
Climate change is already changing the freshwater environment by increasing water temperature and a whole range of other variables. This makes fish more stressed and therefore changes how they interact with each other. I'll be looking at whether behaviours like aggression and swimming will change with environment-related stress. I'm excited to jump in and test some of my hypotheses!
You’re a science blogger and communicator, what made you so passionate about making science research more accessible to a more general audience?
I often reminisce about Year 9 and 10 Jada. The way I viewed science was really stereotypical. It was for brainiacs. They were good at maths, and could recite the periodic table. I definitely didn't consider myself one of those people and I couldn't see how learning about the structure of cells or finding the hypotenuse of a triangle applied to the real world.
I was very lucky to have a mentor come into my life early on and show me how maths was used. She showed me how using mathematical models could help us understand cancer and tackle other really big, global problems. I was blown away.
Having a mentor believe in me was all I really needed. I started to see myself as a science person and I quickly realised how science is integrated in our everyday life. Regardless of our job title, background or socio-economic status, we are impacted by the knowledge and ideas that come out of science. It impacts our politics, our health, our relationships... everything. So how can we be well-informed and productive citizens of the world without staying educated on current conversations in science. That's one reason.
Another big motivator comes back to biology. Understanding the natural world and appreciating the quirks and curiosities that happen around us everyday lights up my inner child. One of the things I try to share in my blog writing is that to be a scientist, all you need to be is curious. Asking why, and investigating why things are the way they are, is science. I think approaching the world in a curious way makes us more engaged and interested in how we are impacted and impacting the Earth. That's why I love communicating science.
How do you think we can fill the knowledge gap between the general population and those conducting academic research in the sciences?
It's a tricky one. I think one of the first challenges with communicating science to the general population is to first explain what good science is. It's become really obvious with the pandemic that the general public is really quick to trust that when someone writes "Scientists say..." or "Research shows..." that what they're saying is accurate. Just because there is published research on something, or a statement that you agree with, it doesn't make it true.
There a lot of badly designed experiments out there, whether that's due to not enough replications or some confounding factor which changes the results. The other major issue is that there is a lot of bias and vested interests out there, with organisations funding research that supports their cause. So teaching the general public to research the credibility of some of the science reporting out there is a major hurdle.
The second thing is to train scientists to communicate more effectively. When you're so engrossed in your area of research it's easy to speak in acronyms and jargon. People outside of their field of research, even other scientists, will not understand what they're talking about. Being able to communicate in simple, clear language is essential for sharing research with the general public.
Not only will this encourage non-scientifically trained people to engage and learn, but it will also encourage more interdisciplinary research, as academics will be able to work together and coordinate their research.
Do you think mainstream media does an adequate job of accurately sharing new scientific information, scientific discoveries, or backing up news stories with data, as it’s relevant to current global issues and current affairs?
In my opinion it's a bit hit and miss. It's definitely heading in the right direction, but I worry that some of the reporting being done isn't engaging enough to really capture our attention. A lot of the mainstream reporting feels really dry. In a world full of TikTok and Instagram and fast-paced media, the stereotypical news-style reporting isn't reaching the people it needs to. That's why encouraging sources of authority to start officially reporting on platforms like Instagram could be a good step in the right direction.
In terms of data, a lot of mainstream media like to find throwaway statistics that give their message more authority. The issue with this is that other media will just copy and paste these statistics and share them on their own platforms and we end up having the same piece of data float around over 20 different news sites.
When reporting on science its important to acknowledge that one research paper isn't enough and doesn't provide the full picture sometimes. It's a real challenge to get this message across effectively sometimes and I think that comes down to how we educate people on science early on.
Do you think that in order to address the issues associated with mainstream media and science communication, more journalists should be trained to understand and communicate scientific information OR should more scientists be trained to communicate their discoveries to a generalised audience.
Great question! I definitely think it should be a combination of both. From the research I did when I was first looking into science communication, it seems to be a pretty even split of people coming from formal journalism backgrounds and science backgrounds.
Of course, to be a good science communicator it's important to have skills in both journalism and an understanding of the scientific method. I'm probably slightly biased but I think having a science background is more important than having a journalism background. There's something about doing your own research and conducting your own experiments that makes you appreciate the process.
Regardless, it's the communicator's responsibility to not give in to sensationalist reporting. Science news has definitely fallen into the trap of taking advantage of people's emotions. Particularly fear. If we can communicate science and results in clear, uncomplicated language so that it doesn't get lost in translation, then we've done our job.
What value do you think learning more about the natural sciences has for changemakers, especially those like myself who studied/work in the humanities or social sciences?
I think learning about the natural world gives us a more wholesome view of our role in the world. As humans, we like to think of ourselves as the centre of the universe. But when you realise the complexity and value and beauty that you find in nature, I find it gives me more perspective on our relationship with the ecosystems we live in. Obviously I'm more biology-focused so the connection is more obvious but I imagine this also goes for other branches of science.
Beyond that, it's also important to have a solid understanding of our role and influence in climate change. Humanitarians should remember that much of the injustice and inequality in the world is perpetuated by the environment that communities live in. Movements like Intersectional Environmentalism are raising this issue again and again. We can't tackle humanitarian issues in isolation. They need to be approached from all angles, and science helps with that.
What message do you have for budding young Aussie’s (especially young girls) who are passionate about changing the world AND interested in science?
Go for it! The more people, from all backgrounds and perspectives, we have the better we can be at addressing questions and issues that impact everybody!
My advice? Ignore the stereotype of what a scientist should be, should look like, should do, and blaze your own path. Find friends and mentors that can support you when things get tough. Being a scientist, an activist, a communicator can catch up with you and having people to share and collaborate with will make you a better scientist.
What have you personally noticed about the differences between men and women in science? Have there been gaps in the number of male vs female students at university? What about lecturers, researchers and academics?
It definitely varies from field to field. In biology, classes were pretty much 50/50! I made a lot of friends, both male and female across all of my biology courses.
Maths was a different story. In the first year there were lots of girls, since the University of Sydney made it compulsory to complete a few maths courses in first year. Once I decided to continue with maths in second year though, the number of girls dropped off dramatically. In some tutorials I would be the only girl, and in lectures there would only be a handful of females.
From observation, it seems that once girls commit to doing maths or more maths-heavy sciences they seem to go the distance to make it as academics. That's purely an observation. I know and have been taught by a few really successful female mathematicians and it's nice to see some representation in the teaching staff.
Can you speak on the underrepresentation of BIPOC women, or LGBTQI+ people in the sciences?
I definitely don't want to speak for BIPOC women or the LGBTQI+ community, but I know that there is still a serious lack of representation in academia, particularly in science. I know that the University of Sydney and other such universities are making the conscious steps to make studying science as accessible as possible but there's still a long way to go.
Again, I think it goes back to breaking down public perceptions of what a scientist looks like. We seem to have this idea that only old heteronormative white dudes in a labcoats can be scientists.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
If there's one thing that I'd love people to take away from this is that anyone and everyone can be a scientist. Giving yourself the chance to ask why and not be afraid to be wrong are the best things you can do to be an informed and able scientist and humanitarian.
If you'd like to check out some of my science writing, where I talk about wacky animals, current research, and interview scientists out there doing real research you can check out my blog at jadaandersenwrites.com that's jada (j-a-d-a) andersen (a-n-d-e-r-s-e-n) writes (w-r-i-t-e-s) .com or you can follow me on Instagram at jad andersen j-a-d-a-n-d-e-r-s-e-n .
I'm also a regular writer for the Humanitarian Changemakers Network, so go check out some of the work that the Solutions-Media team and I produce and let me know what you think!
Thanks for having me on Tiyana!