Time: 21 minutes
“My favourite thing about nature conservation and science is sharing it with people and connecting with people about it.”
– Owen Cumming
Episode Host: Ximena Shaw
Episode Guest: Owen Cumming, Ecologist and Nature Guide
Episode Credits:
Host: Ximena Shaw
Guest Owen Cumming
Producer: Ximena Shaw
Content Editor: Ximena Shaw, Camila Pardo Uribe
Sound Editor: Matt Gill
Research: Ximena Shaw
Show notes: Ximena Shaw, Emma Gill
Audiogram created using: Adobe Podcast
Image tiles created using: Canva AI, Adobe Express, and supplied image (Owen Cumming/Australian Wildlife Conservancy)
Welcome back to The SciComm Collective! In this episode, UWA Master of Science Communication alumni, Ximena Shaw and Owen Cumming, chat about Owen’s journey after studying SciComm and experiences that have shaped his career as an ecologist and guide with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.
Ximena and Owen explore the role of science communication in working in conservation and the outdoors and what makes communicating science in nature settings different. Owen shares his experience studying wallabies for the first time, dealing with outdoor elements, and how he values connecting people with the places and species around them on guided tours to tailor their experience.
Tune in to hear about different ways that science communication skills can be used beyond ‘traditional’ SciComm roles, and the values that shape science communication in nature settings!
“Getting to know people and who they are and what brings them to that place that you are sharing with them means that you can really understand what they can get out of it.”
– Owen Cumming
Episode Links:
Australian Wildlife Conservancy – https://www.australianwildlife.org
Owen Cumming – https://www.owencumming.com.au/
Owen’s previous episode – Gossiping Geology – https://thescicommcollective.com/podcast/summer-shorts-ep5/
UWA Master of Science Communication – https://www.uwa.edu.au/study/courses/master-of-science-communication
We love hearing everyone’s stories of how they got into science communication. What about you? What brought you here? Feel free to share in the comments!
All opinions on this website are representative of individuals and are not representative of The University of Western Australia. The University of Western Australia is not liable for content herein.
