Science as Stewarding Stories

In Defense of Plants Podcast: Episode 278 - Glossopteris

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a walk and wanted to listen to a podcast. I had been listening and reading a lot around social justice and equity and wanted something to listen to that was a little lighter. Based on other podcasts I had been listening to, Spotify suggested the podcast “In Defense of Plants” which I had never heard of. I downloaded and listened to an episode on the American Elm, and was delighted by it! First of all, it is hosted by Matt Candeias, a PhD candidate at the University Of Illinois, who I see as a combination of my brother Kyle and Zac Effron (or as Kyle put it “the perfect person”). He hosts plant scientists, and it is amazing to hear about their research as well as the passion they have for it and plants. This podcast and others like this do a really great job of humanizing scientists and science in general. It is one of the best methods of science communication that I have experienced.

The other day, I listened to an episode that featured Aviwe Matiwane, a paleobotanist and PhD candidate in South Africa studying Glossopteris flora from the Permian Era. Aviwe had so much energy and enthusiasm for what she studied, which alone made this topic, which I think can be seen as quite dull, super interesting and engaging. Her perspective on science and research was really refreshing to hear, and it made me think about how I view science and how I convey that to students. She brought up the idea of scientists carrying the story of the things they are studying. In particular, Aviwe talked about how no one else is studying Glossopteris, and how if she were not doing it, it’s story would be lost. This way of viewing science is very beautiful, and a perspective that I have not had about it until recently, with this episode really confirming how science can be viewed. And maybe more people view science like this than I think, although in my experience with science in primary, secondary, and even post-secondary school, I never saw this perspective being represented. Seeing science as a way to tell, honor, and steward stories of the land is something that I want my students to recognize. I want to show them how scientists have a responsibility for carrying and passing on the stories of what they study and who they learn from (human or more-than-human), and give them the tools to do so as well. For me, this changes the perspective from “doing science” to “practicing stewardship of knowledge.” I think this shift will make science more meaningful to students.

Another concept that I have been thinking about lately is diversity as strength. This came up in the Glossopteris episode when Aviwe was talking about her research group: “Everyone’s looking at different things in the lab, and that’s what makes it very interesting because we have all these people looking at all these different things. Your eyes open to seeing all these different things and you’re learning more from them as well.” The collaboration of these different scientists is leading to a more complex and nuanced understanding of ancient food webs and relationships. The idea of diversity as strength is also one that I want to emphasize more in my teaching.