Investigating the impacts of storytelling on freshwater restoration science and communities of practice
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Challenges Theme
Open Challenge
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Catherine Febria
Proposal
In the current UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), finding new ways to mobilize knowledge into actions are urgently needed. Social factors are important but poorly incorporated dimensions in the science and management of freshwater ecosystems, leading the Healthy Headwaters Lab (HHL) to conceptualize and employ a science communication strategy via social media platforms to engage diverse communities since 2020. By enhancing the connections between different communities, ecological science and the practice of freshwater restoration, HHL hoped that there would be greater interest and coordination of restoration actions. Social media offers a potential tool through which communication outputs can reach wide populations to raise awareness while allowing for the opportunity for productive collaboration (Pavelle & Wilkinson, 2020). HHL deployed a communications strategy based on science-based content grouped into key themes which represent nodes of information that are connected by each user and their different types of engagement. Ecologically, such interactions operate as networks and can be explored using ecological network theory. Therefore, this research aims to analyse social media engagement data from 2020-2023 which includes an embedded engagement experiment to generate and visualize ecological networks that emerge based on HHL’s storytelling strategy. I will test the hypotheses that: (1) socio-ecological networks will differ based on social media platforms, and, (2) socio-ecological networks will differ based on theme. Following an ecological model used by Hagen et al. (2018) I will analyze the emergent and thematic properties that are associated with each network and quantitatively and qualitatively describe the nature of relationships identified between and among social media posts and users. This research will help inform more effective efforts to accelerate actions on the ground, locally and globally.
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Investigating the impacts of storytelling on freshwater restoration science and communities of practice
In the current UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030), finding new ways to mobilize knowledge into actions are urgently needed. Social factors are important but poorly incorporated dimensions in the science and management of freshwater ecosystems, leading the Healthy Headwaters Lab (HHL) to conceptualize and employ a science communication strategy via social media platforms to engage diverse communities since 2020. By enhancing the connections between different communities, ecological science and the practice of freshwater restoration, HHL hoped that there would be greater interest and coordination of restoration actions. Social media offers a potential tool through which communication outputs can reach wide populations to raise awareness while allowing for the opportunity for productive collaboration (Pavelle & Wilkinson, 2020). HHL deployed a communications strategy based on science-based content grouped into key themes which represent nodes of information that are connected by each user and their different types of engagement. Ecologically, such interactions operate as networks and can be explored using ecological network theory. Therefore, this research aims to analyse social media engagement data from 2020-2023 which includes an embedded engagement experiment to generate and visualize ecological networks that emerge based on HHL’s storytelling strategy. I will test the hypotheses that: (1) socio-ecological networks will differ based on social media platforms, and, (2) socio-ecological networks will differ based on theme. Following an ecological model used by Hagen et al. (2018) I will analyze the emergent and thematic properties that are associated with each network and quantitatively and qualitatively describe the nature of relationships identified between and among social media posts and users. This research will help inform more effective efforts to accelerate actions on the ground, locally and globally.