How to Collaborate with a Scientist (or Park Interpreter), Illustrated

We teamed up with park rangers and researchers to increase opportunities for sharing science. Humorous illustrations show what we learned in the process.

By: Martha Merson, Nickolay Hristov, and Chris Tullar

About this article

This article was originally published in the "Picture This" section of Park Science magazine, Volume 37, Number 2, Winter 2023 (December 29, 2023).

Image © Chris Tullar. Used by permission.

Summertime visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park wait for dusk, when thousands of Brazilian free-tailed bats emerge from their roosts inside the pitch-black caves. In the mid-2000s, scientists set up thermal cameras and computers outside the caves to estimate the bat population. Curious visitors asked them questions about their set up. The conversations faded after a brief exchange as visitors were quickly overwhelmed by the researchers’ explanations of their counting methods.

But once a park interpretive ranger joined the conversation, visitors gained a clearer understanding. The rangers and researchers recognized they had complementary expertise for talking about science with the public. Two of the scientists and I (Merson) teamed up to lead a project called Interpreters and Scientists Working on Our Parks (iSWOOP) to foster STEM learning among visitors.

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Image © Chris Tullar. Used by permission.

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Text of "Making Holes?"

setting an example

If your research calls for doing something that is typically discouraged, like making holes or collecting plants, visitors will notice and that worries park staff. Setting a bad example makes it that much harder to keep visitors from breaking rules. Putting ideas in people's heads for behaviors that could harm the park is not a show-stopper, but it is something to discuss and manage.

Talk it out with park staff. You might get a sign, an escort, or a cool magnet for your vehicle to use while you are moving about the park.

iSWOOP recognized that national parks are critically important, real-world, science “laboratories.” And park rangers have many opportunities to share that research. So we developed workshops for joint field work and professional development. Our aims were to inspire scientists and interpreters to find new opportunities to collaborate and to model how those collaborations could benefit them.

Rangers and researchers working in Indiana Dunes, Acadia, Joshua Tree, and Carlsbad Caverns national parks and Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve participated. In the process, we all found ourselves navigating institutional cultures as well as each other’s expectations. iSWOOP decided to share what we learned through lighthearted illustrations that poke fun at the ways people misunderstand each other.

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Image © Chris Tullar. Used by permission.

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Text of "Say It Back"

"in other words"

To benefit from an interaction with a scientist, become familiar with their methods in advance. Since published articles may be written with technical language or available only for a fee, start with a recent annual report filed on irma.nps.gov. Or seek out a write-up from the scientist's home organization (such as a newsletter or website).

Invite colleagues or volunteers with related expertise to the meeting so you can later confer and piece together anything that didn't make sense.

Take notes, then tell the science story back to the scientist to confirm that you have the details right.

These images capitalize on scientific evidence that humor makes learning more memorable. People seeing a funny message are more apt to share it. This is evident when humorous memes travel across social networks with ease. The iSWOOP illustrations highlight the realities National Park Service employees and scientists face. They demonstrate how to foster mutually beneficial relationships between researchers, interpreters, and other park staff. And they show interpreters how to help scientists convey their ideas to the public.

Together, interpretive rangers and researchers can inspire visitors. They can raise the profile of parks as places for answering important questions. Figuring out how to collaborate may be frustrating, but the challenges can make us laugh too. We hope these illustrations offer new and humorous ways for park staff and scientists to understand each other’s perspectives.

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Image © Chris Tullar. Used by permission.

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Text of "Make It Mutual"

share your ideas to make the message clearer

Interpretive rangers experienced in communicating with a wide range of public audiences can offer feedback on scientists’ slides or talking points. Then scientists will likely make their presentation even better in the future.

Scientists often design complex figures for presentations to peers. Show them how to simplify a figure by beginning with a simple trend line. On subsequent slides they can add information. That way, they can build a sequence that brings the audience along. A sequence both builds understanding and increases suspense.

Scientists can benefit from suggestions for visually simplifying their ideas.

The full set of illustrations is on the iSWOOP website.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the many rangers and scientists who contributed to STEM learning for visitors through iSWOOP. The iSWOOP project was made possible with support from the National Science Foundation DRL-1323030 and DRL-1514776 and 1514766. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. 

About the authors

^{Martha Merson is a STEM education researcher at TERC, a nonprofit organization in Cambridge, MA, that fosters STEM learning. Image © TERC. Used by permission.}

^{Nickolay Hristov is a scientist and learning designer at TERC. Image © Nickolay Hristov. Used by permission.}

^{Chris Tullar, who penned the illustrations, is a musician, artist, and fan of national parks. Image © Chris Tullar. Used by permission.}