Storytelling in the Sciences

Dec 29, 2025
2 min read

This quarter, I took Honors 220A: Storytelling in the Sciences. This was my first natural science honors course, so I was a little nervous at first that it'd be a bit more challenging than the others I'd taken. However, I was super excited because I'm a very science-y person, being a biology major, so I thought it'd be cool to take an honors class that overlaps with my main studies a bit more! The class didn't end up being too challenging, and I had a really fun time. Dr. O, the professor, is a really kind and funny teacher, and he cultivated a supportive and fun environment. The class was also a great assortment of people, and I always had a good time. Academically, I gained some valuable knowledge on the various ways to strategically tell a story, and how to integrate that into a scientific presentation. These skills will absolutely be super valuable in my future in the scientific field, since I know that one of the biggest struggles for scientists is effectively communicating their findings. Throughout the class, I created two major presentations when I practiced communicating scientific information through a storytelling lens. For my first project, I focused on hibernation, and for my second I described keystone species and the reintroduction of gray wolves into Yellowstone. Scientific storytelling was definitely a learning curve, as it was first challenging to find a protagonist and a story arc for concepts that seemed stagnant and simply factual (like hibernation). Eventually, I became more comfortable with shaping the science into an engaging story, and I definitely see why using storytelling techniques makes you a more effective scientific communicator. It helps people understand and remember what you're talking about, and makes them emotionally involved. I'm confident I will use the skills I learned in this class in my future career!

Presentation 1: