Dataset Information

March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach.

ABSTRACT: March Mammal Madness is a science outreach project that, over the course of several weeks in March, reaches hundreds of thousands of people in the United States every year. We combine four approaches to science outreach - gamification, social media platforms, community event(s), and creative products - to run a simulated tournament in which 64 animals compete to become the tournament champion. While the encounters between the animals are hypothetical, the outcomes rely on empirical evidence from the scientific literature. Players select their favored combatants beforehand, and during the tournament scientists translate the academic literature into gripping "play-by-play" narration on social media. To date ~1100 scholarly works, covering almost 400 taxa, have been transformed into science stories. March Mammal Madness is most typically used by high-school educators teaching life sciences, and we estimate that our materials reached ~1% of high-school students in the United States in 2019. Here we document the intentional design, public engagement, and magnitude of reach of the project. We further explain how human psychological and cognitive adaptations for shared experiences, social learning, narrative, and imagery contribute to the widespread use of March Mammal Madness.

SUBMITTER: Hinde K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7899649 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach.

Hinde Katie K Amorim Carlos Eduardo G CEG Brokaw Alyson F AF Burt Nicole N Casillas Mary C MC Chen Albert A Chestnut Tara T Connors Patrice K PK Dasari Mauna M Ditelberg Connor Fox CF Dietrick Jeanne J Drew Josh J Durgavich Lara L Easterling Brian B Henning Charon C Hilborn Anne A Karlsson Elinor K EK Kissel Marc M Kobylecky Jennifer J Krell Jason J Lee Danielle N DN Lesciotto Kate M KM Lewton Kristi L KL Light Jessica E JE Martin Jessica J Murphy Asia A Nickley William W Núñez-de la Mora Alejandra A Pellicer Olivia O Pellicer Valeria V Perry Anali Maughan AM Schuttler Stephanie G SG Stone Anne C AC Tanis Brian B Weber Jesse J Wilson Melissa M Willcocks Emma E Anderson Christopher N CN

eLife 20210222

March Mammal Madness is a science outreach project that, over the course of several weeks in March, reaches hundreds of thousands of people in the United States every year. We combine four approaches to science outreach - gamification, social media platforms, community event(s), and creative products - to run a simulated tournament in which 64 animals compete to become the tournament champion. While the encounters between the animals are hypothetical, the outcomes rely on empirical evidence from ...[more]

PMID: 33616530

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Project description:Climate and ocean literacy are two of the most important challenges facing society today. However, many students lack exposure to these topics upon entering college. As a result, these students must rely on learning climate literacy and ocean conservation through experiences outside of those provided in the traditional undergraduate classroom. To fill this gap, we initiated a marine science professional development program to expose undergraduate students to ocean literacy principles and climate change concepts through marine ecology research and educational outreach. This study evaluates the effects of our undergraduate experiential learning for individuals involved in our research team, our educational outreach team, or both. Clemson University alumni that participated in our program were surveyed to determine educational and professional gains in three areas related to: (1) knowledge; (2) careers; and (3) attitudes. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were used to understand the relationships between gains and program type, mentor experience, and duration of program enrollment. In addition, we evaluated demographic covariates including age, ideology, and gender. Our study found that perceived knowledge of marine science and science communication skills increased with positive mentor experience. Alumni that rated their experience with their mentors highly also indicated that the program was important to their careers after graduation. Students who participated in any program for a prolonged period were more likely to indicate that marine science was important to their careers. These students were also more likely to continue their education. Additionally, we saw that a sense of belonging and identity in science, as well as the understanding of climate change threat on the marine environment, all increased with longer program involvement, more than the type of experience (research versus outreach). Overall, we found that both the research and outreach programs offered opportunities for advancements in knowledge, careers, and attitudes. These results provide evidence that experiential learning has the potential to increase student engagement and understanding of climate change and ocean literacy communication as well as a sense of belonging in science-oriented fields.

Dataset Information

March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach.

Publications

March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach.

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