Taste of Life: Science outreach made delicious

Moscoe, Lauren J.; Hanes, Margaret M.

doi:10.1002/ppp3.42

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Likewise, connecting with relevant audiences may be facilitated via events focused on promoting plant‐based diets and sustainable living, such as vegan fairs/food markets, or increasingly popular environmental festivals. In conclusion, there are many successful strategies for instilling fascination with plants and plant science among different public groups (Moscoe & Hanes, 2019) and we suggest that now, thanks to increasing interest in plant‐related topics, we can ensure that these strategies reach particularly responsive target audiences and consequently their success rate is multiplied.…”

Section: Action: Plant Lovers and How To Find Themmentioning

confidence: 86%

Botanical boom: A new opportunity to promote the public appreciation of botany

Burke

Sherwood

Clune

et al. 2022

Plants People Planet

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Societal Impact Statement Plants are indispensable to life on Earth. Securing our future requires protecting plant biodiversity and the development of climate‐resilient crops. Activities fostering public appreciation of plant science, and promoting plant‐related professions, are therefore critical. These efforts can be hindered by plant awareness disparity, manifesting as difficulty in recognizing the presence and importance of plants. However, interest in plants as a hobby and as lifestyle elements has rapidly increased in younger demographics over the last decade. We suggest these topics should be exploited urgently by researchers and educators to increase further the reach of science communication, thereby enhancing societal awareness of botany and stimulating interest in plant‐related degrees and career pathways. Summary Plants are the basis of life on Earth as we know it and the study of plants is essential to protect our future. Yet botany and plant science are in crisis and suffer a low uptake at the level of undergraduate degrees. Increasing science communication about exciting advances in our knowledge of plants and their importance to society may be a strategy to counteract this. Here, we comment on the recent trends in the public perception of plants and explore them using infoveillance tools. Our observations highlight that paradoxically over the last decade public interest in plant‐related topics has increased considerably, with the advent of a new type of social media influencer—‘plantfluencers’. Additionally, recent studies demonstrate that the COVID‐19 pandemic has boosted awareness of the therapeutic value of interacting with plants and their positive effect on human well‐being. We suggest that this offers a window of opportunity to develop an appreciation of plant science among the wider public, who are reconnecting with plants in new ways. Plant‐focused communities and online groups on social media platforms can facilitate engagement with new audiences. In particular, trends relating to houseplants, plant‐based diets and the benefits of interacting with plants on mental health and well‐being together provide an attractive springboard for science outreach and botany‐focused conversations. Here, we discuss these trends and make recommendations for researchers and educators.

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Section: Action: Plant Lovers and How To Find Themmentioning

confidence: 86%

Botanical boom: A new opportunity to promote the public appreciation of botany

Burke

Sherwood

Clune

et al. 2022

Plants People Planet

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“…Yet, so far, the scientific community has been relatively blind to the opportunities to extend our knowledge of biodiversity from secondary data. Therefore, we assume a ‘biodiversity blindness’, drawing on the concept to describe the public's lack of attention to the presence and diversity of plant and animal life (Moscoe & Hanes, 2019).…”

Section: The Untapped Information In Existing Biodiversity Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Overcoming biodiversity blindness: Secondary data in primary citizen science observations

Pernat,

Canavan,

Golivets

et al. 2024

Ecol Sol and Evidence

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In the face of the global biodiversity crisis, collecting comprehensive data and making the best use of existing data are becoming increasingly important to understand patterns and drivers of environmental and biological phenomena at different scales. Here we address the concept of secondary data, which refers to additional information unintentionally captured in species records, especially in multimedia‐based citizen science reports. We argue that secondary data can provide a wealth of ecologically relevant information, the utilisation of which can enhance our understanding of traits and interactions among individual organisms, populations and biodiversity dynamics in general. We explore the possibilities offered by secondary data and describe their main types and sources. An overview of research in this field provides a synthesis of the results already achieved using secondary data and different approaches to information extraction. Finally, we discuss challenges to the widespread use of secondary data, such as biases, licensing issues, use of metadata and lack of awareness of this trove of data due to a missing common terminology, as well as possible solutions to overcome these barriers. Although the exploration and use of secondary data is only emerging, the many opportunities identified show how these data can enrich biodiversity research and monitoring.

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Broadening the impact of plant science through innovative, integrative, and inclusive outreach

Friesner¹,

Colón‐Carmona

Schnoes

et al. 2021

Plant Direct

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Population growth and climate change will impact food security and potentially exacerbate the environmental toll that agriculture has taken on our planet. These existential concerns demand that a passionate, interdisciplinary, and diverse community of plant science professionals is trained during the 21st century. Furthermore, societal trends that question the importance of science and expert knowledge highlight the need to better communicate the value of rigorous fundamental scientific exploration. Engaging students and the general public in the wonder of plants, and science in general, requires renewed efforts that take advantage of advances in technology and new models of funding and knowledge dissemination. In November 2018, funded by the National Science Foundation through the Arabidopsis Research and Training for the 21st century (ART 21) research coordination network, a symposium and workshop were held that included a diverse panel of students, scientists, educators, and administrators from across the US. The purpose of the workshop was to re‐envision how outreach programs are funded, evaluated, acknowledged, and shared within the plant science community. One key objective was to generate a roadmap for future efforts. We hope that this document will serve as such, by providing a comprehensive resource for students and young faculty interested in developing effective outreach programs. We also anticipate that this document will guide the formation of community partnerships to scale up currently successful outreach programs, and lead to the design of future programs that effectively engage with a more diverse student body and citizenry.

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Taste of Life: Science outreach made delicious

Cited by 7 publications

References 10 publications

Botanical boom: A new opportunity to promote the public appreciation of botany

Botanical boom: A new opportunity to promote the public appreciation of botany

Overcoming biodiversity blindness: Secondary data in primary citizen science observations

Broadening the impact of plant science through innovative, integrative, and inclusive outreach

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