My Sediments Exactly - Empowering Science Communication through Storytelling, One Quilt at a Time: An Interview with Prof. Laura Guertin, Penn State Brandywine University

Empowering Science Communication through Storytelling, One Quilt at a Time: An Interview with Prof. Laura Guertin, Penn State Brandywine University

08/23/24 • 28 min

Summary

Professor Laura Guertin, a marine geologist and earth science educator, combines her passion for science with quilting to create science storytelling quilts. These quilts serve as a unique and engaging way to communicate scientific data and concepts to non-STEM audiences. By incorporating data sets into the quilts, Laura is able to captivate and educate people who may be intimidated by traditional scientific presentations. Her quilts have been well-received by various audiences, including students, senior citizens, and community groups. Laura also encourages her students to become science storytellers by using storytelling techniques to share their knowledge with others. Through her quilts and teaching methods, Laura aims to make science more accessible and relevant to everyday life.
You can follow more of Dr. Guertin's work here.
Her work with Penn State University can be accessed here.

Keywords

science education, quilting, science communication, data visualization, storytelling, engagement

Takeaways

Innovative powerful tools for science communication, making scientific data and concepts more accessible and engaging for non-STEM audiences.
Incorporating data sets into quilts allows people to visualize and understand scientific information through colors and patterns, rather than intimidating graphs and numbers.
Quilts can serve as a bridge between science and society, sparking conversations and raising awareness about important scientific topics.
Engaging students in science education involves showing them the relevance of scientific concepts to their daily lives and encouraging them to become science storytellers.
Effective science communication requires knowing your audience and using appropriate methods, such as storytelling, to connect with them and make complex information more understandable.

My Sediments Exactly. Follow us at @SpringerGeo and Springer Environmental Sciences at @SpringerEnviro on X , formerly known as Twitter. We would love to hear from you. If you have questions, comments or would like to be featured on this podcast, please send your feedback to [email protected]

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Summary

Keywords

science education, quilting, science communication, data visualization, storytelling, engagement

Takeaways

Innovative powerful tools for science communication, making scientific data and concepts more accessible and engaging for non-STEM audiences.
Incorporating data sets into quilts allows people to visualize and understand scientific information through colors and patterns, rather than intimidating graphs and numbers.
Quilts can serve as a bridge between science and society, sparking conversations and raising awareness about important scientific topics.
Engaging students in science education involves showing them the relevance of scientific concepts to their daily lives and encouraging them to become science storytellers.
Effective science communication requires knowing your audience and using appropriate methods, such as storytelling, to connect with them and make complex information more understandable.

Previous Episode

Outing the Real Age of the Colorado River: An Interview with Dr. Shannon Dulin, University of Oklahoma

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Summary
The Colorado River, one of the oldest rivers in the world, has been the subject of a joint study by the US Geological Survey and several universities. The study reveals that the river is younger than previously thought, with its grand debut occurring between 4.8 and 4.63 million years ago. The research used paleomagnetics and magnetostratigraphy to analyze sedimentary rocks and map out the river's history. This new understanding of the river's age has implications for the tectonics of the southern US and the management of water resources in the region. In this episode, we speak to Dr. Shannon Dulin from the University of Oklahoma who is a co-author of the study to discuss these findings.

Keywords
Colorado River, US Geological Survey, joint study, river's age, paleomagnetics, magnetostratigraphy, sedimentary rocks, tectonics, water resources

Takeaways

The Colorado River is younger than previously thought, with its grand debut occurring between 4.8 and 4.63 million years ago.
The study used paleomagnetics and magnetostratigraphy to analyze sedimentary rocks and map out the river's history.
The research has implications for the tectonics of the southern US and the management of water resources in the region.
Understanding the history of the Colorado River can help in disaster preparedness and managing water scarcity.

You can find Shannon Dulin's podcast, Don't Panic Geocast Here.

My Sediments Exactly - Empowering Science Communication through Storytelling, One Quilt at a Time: An Interview with Prof. Laura Guertin, Penn State Brandywine University

Transcript

Medha Chaturvedi (00:00.544)

Why did the geoscientist bring a quilt to the field? Because they wanted to cover all the layers.

Medha Chaturvedi (00:26.99)

And welcome to my Sediments Exactly, where we take nothing for granite. I'm your host Medha Chaturvedi. First of all, I know that I haven't been able to post an episode in a month and the reason for that is that much like the continental plates, I've been moving. So it's fair to say that like Pangaea, I'm not altogether at