over the course of the summer, i wrote six articles. for each one, i conducted interviews, researched assigned topics, and analyzed research papers. once a draft was completed, i sent it to my editor, jeremy hance, who provided me with constructive feedback that always pushed me to be a better writer. jeremy’s edits went beyond what i typically receive as a reporter, as the edits were written to help me improve as a writer, in addition to helping my article improve.

to me, this internship experience meant a place to grow and refine my scientific reporting skills. being encouraged to explore a topic in ways i find newsworthy was quite liberating. the constructive feedback genuinely improved my writing ability, while the complex topics challenged my explanatory skills.

these complex topics were the challenge of my internship experience. when you become so enveloped in a topic, you forget the baseline knowledge readers often have. explaining the relationship between rising temperatures, climate change, and a high african wild dog mortality rate becomes more difficult the more you learn. for this specific story, my editor and i went back and forth, draft after draft, attempting to adequately explain how a study approached this subject. 

a personal highlight for me was having an article republished with nowthis. when i was in high school, nowthis was a publication i came across often due to their short explanatory, and often viral videos. seeing an article i wrote for mongabay published by them was somewhat of a full-circle moment for me. the fact that another publication wanted to republish my article also meant that someone else thought my writing was at the least intriguing!

mongabay really allowed me to develop as a reporter on my own. the topics challenged me, my editors pushed me to be better, and i am finishing my internship confident in my scientific reporting ability.

to read my reporting for mongabay, click here.

1. look at how the area has changed over time due to climate change.

john sutter, a documentary filmmaker and national geographic explorer, spoke at the 2021 planet forward virtual summit on his current project. sutter used the visual history of one area to tell the story of climate change. sutter showed how the prized catch-of-the-day fish from the 1960s were larger and nearly unrecognizable to the fish we see today, through comparisons of photographs and documents from over the years.

2. talk to the people directly affected by climate change.

al roker, “nbc’s today show” weather forecaster, uses his platform to travel the globe and amplify the voices of those directly affected by climate change. as a member of nbc’s climate unit, he interviews those experiencing changing landscapes and weather phenomena in their backyard. during the summit, roker highlighted the importance of having your environmental storytelling represent and reflect your diverse audience.

3. listen, explain and interpret the data for your audience.

phoenix mayor kate gallego battles the effects of rising temperatures 145 days of the year where her city faces temperatures in the triple digits. gallego’s goal is to shape climate-friendly policy while implementing safe and protective measures for her citizens to combat the heat. by collecting data on phoenix’s annual rising temperatures and creating projection models, gallego incorporates the information into a city-wide objective of making phoenix a “heat ready city.” by informing the public on what the data and the models indicate, phoenix residents can better prepare while phoenix city officials implement protective measures to help alleviate the threat of phoenix’s scorching temperatures.

4. feature voices from younger generations.

it is essentially common knowledge that the younger generations will bear witness to the worst climate change has to offer. for planet forward student contributors william walker and adora shortridge, they use their platforms to inspire hope and shed light on fresh ideas on methods of combating climate change. during their question and answer session with summit host, frank sesno and george washington university’s national geographic visiting professor of science communication lisa palmer, walker and shortridge discussed their research on playground temperatures in arizona. by highlighting younger voices and showing the impact they create, a more personal connection can be made with younger members of your audience.

5. connect climate change to current events and trends.

the final keynote conversation of the summit was with newly appointed environmental protection agency administrator michael s. regan. regan is the first black man to lead the department, and an alumnus of north carolina agricultural & technical state university and george washington university’s trachtenberg school of public policy and public administration. regan’s position at the environmental protection agency connects a story about climate change to politics, health and much more. if the goal is to make climate change more relevant to your audience, connect it to other issues and topics your audience may find relevant or interesting. ultimately, climate change affects everything.

after the summit, planet forward hooked me in with its mission, and i wanted to learn as much as possible about the art of environmental communication. i produced content for planet forward and my university’s sustainability department, and to my surprise, two of my stories were finalists for the 2020 storyfest competition. to gain more academic training, i enrolled in science reporting with gw’s national geographic visiting professor lisa palmer. this was the first reporting class i took at gw, and i gained valuable skills in environmental science communication and writing.

professor palmer gave the class valuable insight as an accomplished environmental writer, and she brought in a variety of speakers in the field of science communication. one speaker in particular was a representative of mongabay, an international news site known for its environmental and conservation reporting. as someone particularly interested in communicating international issues that don’t typically receive mainstream media coverage, i always admired mongabay’s niche reporting and wanted to gain experience with them one day.

that day came sooner than i had expected. professor palmer encouraged me to apply for an internship with mongabay, and a month later i was offered a role. at first, i was slightly intimidated because i was their only summer intern and had only taken one reporting class prior. studying international affairs, i didn’t have the traditional training that most journalism students receive during their undergraduate years. i knew i would have to really dive into the role at mongabay and learn the art of desk reporting as i went.

the skills that professor palmer taught me in science reporting helped me tremendously with my stories. for my first three stories, my editor, jeremy hance, assigned me to write articles based on recent environmental and conservation research. i covered the discovery of a new crocodile species in new guinea, the dramatic decline of a keystone peccary species in mesoamerican forests, and the dangerous impacts of climate change on canada’s unique glass sponge reefs. one of my most enjoyable tasks was interviewing the scientists themselves, as they were so passionate about their research and gave me useful insight that their research reports did not provide.

my story about the keystone peccary decline, in particular, gained much international traction, as one of the first articles that sounded the alarm on this groundbreaking discovery. in fact, the story made mongabay’s list of most popular articles published in july, amassing more than 40,000 views online. to this day, it blows my mind that someone like me, with such little reporting background, could write stories that reach such a wide and international audience.

after three research-based articles, my editor decided to shift gears and assign me a more “human-centric” piece. my next story — also my favorite story of the internship — was an interview with an indigenous environmental leader named levi sucre romero from costa rica. for the interview, i interviewed romero about how environmental destruction and covid-19 have impacted his community, as well as how they are coping with the pandemic and sustainably managing their forests. levi provided me with so much wisdom and insight from the interview, his most important message being that governments must include indigenous knowledge to better conserve the planet—as well as prevent future pandemics.

as a filipino-american, i expressed to my editor how i also was interested in philippine environmental issues and would love to cover a story on the country. because mongabay covers the philippines extensively, he connected me with mongabay’s philippines editor to find a story. the editor assigned me an investigative piece about the potential lifting of governmental protections on the pristine bantayan island group, focusing on its harmful effects on the islands’ water supply. writing this story was particularly fulfilling, as i got the chance to interview bantayan locals and connect with environmentalists from my home country.

what’s next? i am ecstatic to be a planet 世界杯欧洲预选赛免费直播 for the 2020-21 school year, and i also will be a media engagement intern for the international food policy research institute, writing blogs and designing communications strategy with a focus on sustainable solutions to end global poverty. my work at mongabay has also gotten me interested in the environmental conflicts that indigenous communities face, and so i will be conducting research with the state department this year, focusing on researching these conflicts in southeast asia.

i am so grateful to planet forward, professor palmer, and mongabay for providing me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. my journey in environmental communications has only just begun.
 

healthy you: surviving a pandemic is a co-production of the george washington university milken institute school of public health and the school of media and public affairs.

this year’s competition wasn’t announced from the stage at the planet forward summit as usual, in the name of social distancing. but we still wanted to share with you the amazing stories entered by students from every region of the united states in our competition this year — and, of course, announce our grand prize winners.

you can watch our videos below to see the variety of stories, and students from universities across the country, and which outline their outstanding work. and, learn who our judges have selected as the best piece of student-created content for 2020.

without further delay, we are thrilled to announce our planet forward storyfest 2020 award winners in the videos below.

best-written article

and the winner is: greta hardy-mittell, carleton college. “a society for the birds”

best multimedia / podcast

and the winner is: avery van etten, northwestern university. “sea-level rise threatens the florida keys” (3-part series)

best photo essay

and the winner is: cate twining-ward, george washington university. “clinging onto chimps: why you should think of chimpanzees during the climate crisis”

best short or shareable video

and the winner is: jake meyers, university of arizona. “can urban farming feed the future?”

best video

and the winner is: sarah sem, george washington university. “what’s the beef with meatless burgers?”

fan favorite award

and the winner is: deepti bansal-gage, george washington university. “wait! before you squish that bug….”

thank you!

storyfest could not happen without the tremendous support from our sponsors, including: lindblad expeditions, discovery, comcast, the walton family foundation, national geographic, the food and agriculture organization of the un, the arizona state university global futures laboratory, 3 degrees, middlebury college and, of course, the george washington university.

also, please make sure to mark your calendars for our rescheduled 2020 planet forward summit, which will be held oct. 8-10 at the george washington university. we look forward to seeing you there.

as sesno observed the world around him changing, he sensed the need for effective environmental science communication and awareness by covering some amazing stories. sesno believes that stories speak to people. 

“you give a person a piece of data and maybe they’ll remember it or memorize it,” sesno said. “but embed that data in a story and people will remember it — and understand the context of why it matters.” 

sesno wanted to find a vehicle where students learn and participate. “a place where we could engage faculty and researchers to be on the frontline of knowledge,” he said, explaining his vision. “a place where i could use my media skills and push ideas out to the wider world.” hence came the idea for planet forward in 2006.

he always believed that student-generated content came from both the heart and the head, looking back to his time as a student storyteller. sesno went to wilton high school in wilton, connecticut, where he, at the age of 15, was writing about numerous controversial topics. in fact, he soon became the co-editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper and was invited to speak to the board of education about an op-ed piece he wrote. he discovered the power of story and the impact even writing in a high school newspaper can have in the community: “(storytelling) is both powerfully influential and creatively engaging.” 

thus, he wanted students to be the principal storytellers at planet forward: “these students, who have a stake in the future, generate stories from their campuses and communities in very real ways.”

as an explainer of sustainability, sesno takes sustainability for granted. “to not live sustainably is to not live,” sesno said. he was inspired — in part, by richard attenborough, the documentary “planet earth,” and national geographic, among others — to be a storyteller around sustainability and to tell stories about science, breakthrough, and discoveries. “those are the stories i want to tell and want people to know,” he said, his passion for the subject reflecting in his voice.

although planet forward has come a long way since 2009 and moved to an online storytelling platform from a tv special, sesno believes that the basic idea of storytelling around sustainability has survived — and thrived. “(planet forward) can sustain over time and reach more people,” said sesno, who thinks stories can be timeless. “we still go to plays written by the guy named will shakespeare,” he said with a laugh, as he moved on to describe some of his timeless stories from the past.

in 1977, as sesno started applying for jobs after college at local newspapers and radio stations, he accepted a job at wcfr radio – a local radio station in springfield, vermont – where he was soon promoted to be the news director. although it was a small job in a small town, he still believes that that job taught him the most. he found himself going to just about every city or town council meeting, school board meeting, and even meeting influential people in town to cover interesting stories, while finding ways to connect with the community. it had an incredible impact on him as a 22-year old: “it’s one heck of an experience for a young journalist,” said sesno. 

sesno is a man who constantly likes to challenge himself. as one of the four applicants out of over 400 selected for an internship at the voice of america, sesno left the job at wcfr and moved to washington, d.c., in the fall of 1978. he had the good fortune of getting the internship at a time when the cold war was happening. “it was the job of the media to tell people the truth about what was happening,” said sesno, who worked within multiple departments as an intern. however, not feeling challenged enough, he moved on to work at the associated press network in d.c. after six months.

within a few weeks at the ap, a job soon opened at the london office. fluent in french and spanish, the associated press thought, “why don’t we send frank to london?” shortly thereafter, he was named ap’s overseas correspondent for london in the fall of 1979. although it might be a dream job for a young journalist, sesno felt challenged and pressured at various points, but found it equally rewarding, as he was there in london at a tremendous time.

he distinctly remembers the time when he had to dash down to rome after pope john paul ii had been shot in 1981. “there were thousands of people at st. peter’s square praying and showing incredible emotion for their religious leader,” sesno said. “that was a very powerful and emotional experience.”

before moving back to d.c., in 1982 as the white house correspondent for ap, sesno covered the falkland islands war – one of the most transformative stories for him. he saw a big lie told by a corrupt government to a well-educated country and people believed that big lie. he learned how a population could be lied to by the argentine government – an unelected military junta – who watched the people die as the country went to war. 

his overseas experiences at the ap changed him. “they made me a journalist, confronted me with the full range of human potential, vulnerability, and failings.”

in 1984, sesno was traveling all over america doing a series of specials for ap when he moved on to working at cnn. “in october of 1984, cnn was hiring people who had great faces for radio, and i was one of them,” sesno said with a laugh. the world was just getting cable during that time and cnn was not making a profit, being only 4 years old. while at first, no one was watching cable tv, soon, the world was watching. 

he walked further up memory lane and palpably remembered the words, “mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall!” as if it had been imprinted on his memory from 1987. in fact, his mind is deeply imprinted by all the experiences he has had as a journalist that he would not trade for anything. it was not until 1989, when he was working as the white house correspondent for cnn, when he was amazed to see the berlin wall come down. 

“sometimes i feel a little like forrest gump to realize that i was there for these amazing things. i still feel that way as i still do some of that,” said sesno, with a hint of wonder to his voice.

to have had a career spanning over three decades – having his own talk show, “late edition with frank sesno” for 7 years, winning an emmy award among several other accolades, and covering some powerful stories of strength and heroism – sesno has become more hopeful about the future of the world.

standing at the west end of the capitol building white house, sesno remembers seeing america’s first black president-elect take the oath of office in front of a gigantically diverse audience. as president obama reflected on the experience this country had gone through, sesno said he felt spellbound: “to see this country elect somebody named barack hussein obama was a phenomenal moment in history.”

sesno has no doubts about the impact storytelling can have on people to continue to find smarter and innovative solutions for problems the world is facing today. 

“human beings are an ingenious species,” sesno said, talking about harnessing the power of humankind. “we defy gravity every day. nobody would have imagined these things.” 

as planet forward continues to grow, sesno said: “to me, having a project like planet forward is a win at so many levels. the students win as they tell a story that empowers so many people. the university wins as it uses its platform to positively influence those students and the wider community. the community wins as it gets information through the storytelling from students. 

“i win because i get to be the orchestral leader of the most inspirational and interesting experiment i can imagine.”

as a dedicated storyteller, sesno continues to inspire young people to address the challenges of feeding and saving our planet. by combining intellect and imagination, sesno intends to create an experience that will both inform people and engage them. he continues to share ideas and innovations of people who are doing amazing things to inspire them. as he wound down narrating his story, he mentioned something he wants people to remember: that times are desperate for our planet. 

“the clock is ticking. but first, know that (climate change) is the challenge of our times,” he said, closing his travel diary. “second, don’t give up. and go to work.”

yet scientists, like teachers, have lives outside the four walls of their work domain. media often focuses on the difference between those who practice science and those who don’t, rather than the things we might have in common, like family, sports, and love for pizza.

while this seems trivial, making the humans behind science more relatable is important for getting different kinds of people involved with science. dr. tesla monson, a postdoctoral scholar at the university of california, berkeley, maintains that this idea is key for people to realize that there is a pathway for everyone, especially for those less inclined to view themselves as potential scientists, into the field.  

one goal of monson’s podcast and radio show the graduates is to illustrate the different ways graduate students got involved with science. the show is a platform for these students to explain their research and its importance to radio audiences, all while giving them an opportunity to get to know them on a personal level.

highlighting that scientists don’t get involved with the subject at the same stages in their life is an important part of diversity in the scientific community, explains monson: “the last thing we want is for people to think, ‘i can’t understand biology right now, so i can never be a scientist.’”

monson felt the same way as a high school student and undergraduate: the way she was taught science was rigid and memorization-based rather than a creative and flexible process. framing of science — and scientists — as tough, cold, and disconnected, compounded by the fact that many underrepresented populations can’t view themselves as scientists, discourages participants in the field.

representation of real scientists and their stories can change that. the more we identify with someone, the more we understand where they come from and why they do what they do.

the perception of scientists isn’t the only problem in science communication. currently, many attempts at science communication have failed because of an audience disconnect problem. sara elshafie, a graduate student at uc berkeley, maintains that unsuccessful science communication is due to those disseminating the information failing to recognize how its consumers will perceive it. elshafie is involved with science communication through the creation of a workshop series, “science through story,” geared toward using storytelling strategies in science communication.

“the science itself is important,” she argues, “but the most important thing is making it meaningful to the audience.” information that the audience feels, rather than simply understands, has more of an impact.

it can be hard to make a significant impact when you cast a wide net, so elshafie advises targeting communication for a specific group. targeting communication towards a specific audience can seem paradoxical, but can often have better impacts than just the “general public.” it has a greater chance of making a lasting impact and a well-crafted piece might even have spillover effects into other demographics.

science communication is not only about getting views, it’s about getting people to care about issues enough to do something about them. thus, a better strategy is needed than the one for clickbait. it can be hard to balance thoughtful communication in the era of mass media, when it is hard to resist turning to sensationalism to get readers’ attention.

an effective and honest strategy involves consideration of how your words can be interpreted while critically thinking about how to use these words to better connect with consumers.

“it’s more about the audience than the speaker,” elshafie concludes, “and the ultimate goal is to make it meaningful to the audience.”

monson experienced a similar problem with audience relatability when she taught a class on human variation at berkeley. the biology class, touched on many controversial topics such as clinical obesity, skin pigmentation, and evolution. in a 300-person class, there was a potential for great social, cultural, and political diversity among students.

“i couldn’t be flippant with my language,” monson said. “for example, i couldn’t casually say that creationism shouldn’t be taught in schools — i had to be considerate of how students’  individual backgrounds lead to different interpretations of my words and find a respectful way to convey that.”

whether it’s through writing or through teaching, those with the responsibility of delivering information also have the duty to ensure that it is communicated in an honest, meaningful way.

what about the consumer’s duty? we should, as consumers, demand factually accurate information about the things that matter to us, such as our communities, environmental health, and governmental affairs. if we don’t care about the quality of our information, it means other people can change the way we think and act through how we learn about these issues.

it’s impossible for everyone to have a comprehensive technical background on every subject, so it’s important that we have accurate and high-quality information filters. the biggest thing preventing us from caring about an issue is lack of knowledge about the problem.

in a country where public opinion matters, it is important to have a scientifically literate citizenry that is aware of the problems our nation faces. it is imperative our community members feel empowered to be advocates for real change. many issues are preventative, and it is incredibly important to get people to care about them before it is too late.

we consumers should change the way we think of science. instead of something abstract and inaccessible, science should be thought of as a creative process. the only thing blocking someone from science is lack of wonder. science is tinkering and experimentation, with the end goal of truth above all else: pipetting in the lab, traveling to rainforests, and publishing papers are just a means to an end. most consumers won’t have much of a science background beyond their long-forgotten high school chemistry and biology lessons. it can be hard for readers to get past the jargon, to separate fact from opinion, and to see who is genuinely intentioned in communicating the truth. in this situation, maintains elshafie, it’s great to be skeptical. “if (something) doesn’t satisfy your curiosity, keep searching,” she advises. “and if you do that, you’ll find you have a lot in common with scientists.”

while on track with the goal of becoming “the world’s most sustainable town,” kalu yala got hit by a four letter word that challenged their mission, while temporarily stymying respectability and enrollment at its educational institute. in the damp environment of a rainforest town, the four-letter word is not “rain,” but a more-than-devastating factor that started with the wet season in fall 2016.

this quartet of letters temporarily washed away much of the participation in this eco-community concept of real estate entrepreneur jimmy stice.

the word is “vice.” its creation, “jungletown.” “jungletown” is the product of filmmaker ondi timoner, a series filmed in fall 2016 featuring kalu yala through the dramatized stories of disgruntled interns at the remote, sustainable enclave in a hard-to-reach valley of panama.

once the “docu-series” hit the internet in spring 2017, kalu yala was berated with some image-crushing accusations, many baseless in the eyes of staffers at kalu yala. articles and posts online began to circulate, calling kalu yala founder jimmy stice a “conman” and “controversial” and kalu yala “neocolonialist” and a “cult” on reddit.

flash forward to spring 2018 and the enrollment is dramatically smaller. at an institute that would proudly host nearly 100 students, it was graced by only 17 young, new trainees this spring. but stice and the kalu yala staff see enrollment re-gaining traction for summer with an emphasis on student innovation.

tara mclaughlin, president of kalu yala, describes “jungletown” as “a great example of media gone wrong.” mclaughlin, who grew up in central america and now works with the students and residents of the town, harped on the role of media in kalu yala’s worldwide appearance.

at the institute, there are more than a dozen programs offered to the interns to give them hands-on experiences while contributing to the progression of the town. programs include engineering, political science, media arts, biology, culinary arts, and many more.

and this is where the media arts team comes into play –– this creative group at kalu yala acknowledged the dangers of having an outdated website while facing the internet onslaught of trolls, bad press, and hurtful words. they are launching a dynamic revamp of their website with new material produced by interns and staff –– a hard task to continuously conquer when relying on internet support powered by solar panels. ironically, vice contributed $60,000 for the creation of the panel array in the middle of the jungle during one of their filming sessions.

in a struggle to properly inform their audience with relevant information, mclaughlin lauds the work of the interns working in the media arts department at kalu yala. “the media content that we’re trying to put out there is solely to combat the negative crap that has come out of this ‘jungletown’ experience,” mclaughlin said.

“so, we’ve been trying to combat that through our own media campaign, that’s why the media program this semester has been so amazing, that’s why ruby got a standing ovation,” mclaughlin noted.

ruby foster is an intern who created this video for kalu yala during her internship in spring 2018. 

at the end of the 10-week internship program, students had the opportunity to present the deliverables from their student-led project in their time in panama.

“it’s like super bowl week for me,” stice said excitedly in passing, prior to the presentations. all of the hard work from every aspect, whether it be media, agricultural, work done at the distillery, educational efforts, etc., is put on display for the entire town to rouse excitement and forward progress as the semester ends.

the media team had their own presentation the night before, screening their videos and photographs taken during their adventures in the jungle.

the media team was led by kalu yala media lab director taylor epps for spring 2018. the texas native was the first “completely unaffiliated” director for the media lab department in the town –– she arrived at the town only a few weeks prior to the new students. she knew nothing about “jungletown” at this point.

“when i first came on, i realized very quickly that there were some people that immediately associated me with ‘jungletown,’” epps said. “because i was media, i had that ‘media’ target on my back and so that made people uncomfortable so i had to work a little harder for people to trust me.”

she discussed the role of their media in the environment, particularly about how to understand the dynamic between producing media while being conscious of the sustainability of the project.

“that was the biggest part of our journey: how your voice is affecting your environment, knowing what that voice is, why people should be listening to it,” epps added. “you have the product, but tell me more about how it affects the environment…what’s the tangible outcome we’re working toward.”

epps said that she did not want her students to go forward without being able to identify the tangibility of their outcomes, particularly their carbon footprint.

jessica wiegandt is a junior at brevard college who came to kalu yala to satisfy her interest in outdoor journalism while in search of a media internship. at college, she is majoring in wilderness leadership and experiential education and english with an emphasis in journalism. during spring at kalu yala, wiegandt worked on stockpiling blog posts to promote an active blog even after the students complete their 10 weeks.

a barrier the media interns dealt with was working around their environment, as the town is solar-powered and sometimes faces challenging weather, which is not easy for a team focused on electronic equipment. while at kalu yala, the question of sustainability plays a key role in the work done by interns and residents.

“when you’re working with media, a lot of your stuff is just going online and so it’s not really taking up a lot of space –– it’s not going to rot away back into the jungle,” wiegandt noted. “the projects we’ve done: is it sustainable? yeah, because it’s going up on a blog to be shared and reshared… and as soon as it goes away it’s just a megabit out in the internet.”

for a small town in a panamanian valley, the internet, and the trail it makes online play immense roles. the stories that come out of kalu yala have a widespread reach, as the staff has discovered in light of the release of “jungletown.”

“we just had to admit the power of video,” founder stice said. “and second of all, third-party perspectives are worth a hell of a lot more than first-person perspectives.”

“and that’s where, for me, the students are the secret sauce, because if ruby foster was being paid by jimmy stice to make a video about how kalu yala is, i would think the video is pretty much just propaganda,” he said.

for stice, the work produced by the media team was not only impressive, but it also will help combat the internet trolls, while the town regains a credible voice online.

“vice pretty much invalidated me as a character –– my voice has a lot less weight than it used to have, so i need people to speak for me and the best people who can speak for you are the ones who aren’t on your payroll,” stice said.

the next steps for kalu yala are to utilize the student-produced work to create an understandable, actual portrayal of the eco-town with a mission online while drowning out the “trolls” and bad press about the place through search engine optimization (seo).

“right now we are recovering. we got punched in the face by a monster 10 months ago – vice took a very direct shot at us,” stice said. “i have learned a lot about media and online and content value and seo and reputation offenses.”

———

about the author: medill student colin boyle can be reached at colinbphoto@u.northwestern.edu and on twitter: @colinbphoto.

he captures the potential of this form of media in order to show people what the inside of a melting glacier in iceland or the deteriorating reef ecosystems of the south pacific look like.

giving a viewer a 360 degree experience complete with sound effects and movement provides a powerful communication platform with which to evoke emotions from the viewer and thus make that viewer care about these problems.

the future of ar/vr is incredibly bright and is developing rapidly with the power to make huge impact in environmental storytelling.

up next: the explorer’s story: sven lindblad >

these techniques are so important because they translate science and data into easily consumable stories.

while the story, “greenland is melting away,” includes a written article, the important information that appeals to the viewer’s emotions is in the infographic that combines the footage of a drone and satellite. the viewer can see the researchers’ tents set up near the river, and then zoom out and see that it is not just this one river, but many rivers melting greenland from the inside out.

this is layered with data, relaying all of the surprising and important facts about how much water each river carries, and the impact these rivers have on the land mass of greenland and salinity of the surrounding ocean.

up next: reality revolution: how ar/vr can create empathy, urgency, and a new sense of place >