Science communication in all shapes and sizes

When we talk about science communication, we are usually referring to text and audio, maybe some video, and the odd event. But there are many more ways to convey science to different publics. Here, we showcase those who have broken the mold to come up with innovative ways to communicate science.

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Many commercial escape rooms offer a lab escape experience (I have not done one, but something tells me they generally involve a nutty professor, white lab coats, and lots of Erlenmeyer flasks). Whether these classify as science communication is up for debate. But there are also more educational and evidence-informed escape rooms. The program of the latest Day of Science (Dag van de Wetenschap) event in Flanders and Brussels included seven escape rooms covering topics such as space, chemistry, and technology.

If you are looking for inspiration, the blog She Loves Science has some tips for making your own science escape room.

Dance

What happens when you put a bunch of researchers on a dance floor? It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it turns out it can lead to beautiful things. When biologist and science journalist John Bohannon was tasked with organizing a party in 2008 for a bunch of PhD students in biology, he challenged them to explain what they were working on without using words. To give them an incentive, he had persuaded Science, where he worked, to donate a year-long subscription to the winner. The Dance your PhD contest was born. Today, the competition is sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (the publisher of Science) and SandboxAQ, an AI and quantum technology company.

\ Still from the Dance Your PhD entry of Olivia Gosseries © Olivia Gosseries

In 2018, neuropsychologist Olivia Gosseries of the University of Liège won in the biology category and was the audience favorite with a dance based on her research on measuring consciousness after severe brain injury. KU Leuven researcher Ines Van Keer represented our country in the finals in 2017 with a dance about her research on factors influencing the development of children with cognitive and motor impairments. 

Do you think you can get as far? You can submit your dance to the 18th edition of the competition until February 20, 2026. If your dancing skills are limited to shifting your weight from one leg to the other, you can also enter in the new AI category and generate a virtual science dance.

Hike

Several studies and tons of anecdotal evidence from creatives have shown that walking stimulates creative thinking, while being surrounded by nature calms your nervous system. In the Netherlands, the Young Academy has its own walking group that organizes so-called Slow Science Hikes. The hikes are meant to foster interdisciplinary conversations. Academics from across the country are welcome to join, and they always start and end at a train station to make sustainable transportation possible.

Walking is also used as a science education technique. In so-called card hikes, people follow a predetermined trail. Along the way, they come across signs with questions or thought-provoking brain snacks. The topic can be, but does not have to be, related to the immediate environment.

Laugh

If you’ve never seen a Philomena Cunk show, drop everything you’re doing and find Cunk on Life on Netflix. Created by Charlie Brooker (the brain behind Black Mirror) and starring British actress Diane Morgan, Cunk on Life is a mockumentary featuring an ill-informed reporter who interviews real experts about world history, science, and philosophy. It doesn’t immediately make you think of science communication, but the experts do share their knowledge, and Cunk’s absurd questions make you think about what and how we know things about the world. Added bonus: it probably reaches a completely different audience than your average history documentary. 

Drink

When the European Space Agency announced the launch of its Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission in 2023, they celebrated with an unusual contest: fans were invited to create mocktails inspired by the mission. The #SpaceJuice competition received seventy recipes for juices, smoothies, coffees, and ice teas with flavors that represent Jupiter’s icy moons.

The winning mocktail by Margherita (!) Gagnoni was inspired by the geology of Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, and combines European and tropical flavors with spirulina, an ancient algae that represents possible life conditions on the moons.

\ Space juice © ESA Margherita Gagnoni 

Crochet

The yarn community seems to overlap quite a bit with the science community. A quick internet search for ‘science knitting’ and ‘science crochet’ reveals an entire world of science-themed wearables, artworks, and educational tools (anyone up for dissecting a crocheted mouse?). 

The Crochet Coral Reef stands out as one of the most ambitious yarn-based science communication projects. Created by sisters Margaret and Christine Wertheim of the Institute of Figuring in Los Angeles, it is a massive collection of crocheted corals, made in response to the global climate crisis and as a way to redefine the value of traditionally female handicraft.

Many of the corals have a hyperbolic shape to represent the curved shapes of corals, sea sponges, and kelps. As a result, the reefs are also used to explain and raise questions about mathematical principles.

The reef has been showcased in museums and galleries across the world. The artists also support satellite reefs made by local communities, there are currently over fifty. More info on crochetcoralreef.org.

In conclusion, there is a format for everyone. I hope these examples have inspired you to come up with new ways of telling your science stories. And if you do so, please let us know at contact@bescicomm.be.