Time: 30 min
“We are here behind the scenes to help the science be more accessible, to remind the scientists to listen to the audience.”
– Eugenie Au
The Collective: Ke Yuan, Kelly Hopkinson, Guanyu Zhai, Emma Gill
Episode Credits
Host: Ke Yuan
Guest: Eugenie Au
Producer & Show notes: Emma Gill
Audio Engineering: Guanyu Zhai, Kelly Hopkinson
Editing: Ke Yuan, Kelly Hopkinson
Audiogram: Headliner
Keywords
Science Communication, Wildlife Biology, Nature Interpretation, Kings Park And Botanic Garden, University Of Guelph, Ontario Parks, Black Bear Encounter, David Attenborough, Documentaries, Steve Irwin, Citizen Science, Coastal Snap Project, Fire Ecology, Plant Blindness, Mycorrhizal Fungi, Augmented Reality, Education, Stakeholder Analysis, Guided Walks, Social Media, Trigger Plants, Long-Term Research Projects
Show Notes
In our latest episode, Ke chats with Eugenie, UWA Master of Science Communication graduate and now a science communicator at WA’s Kings Park and Botanic Garden. We dive into her amazing journey from wildlife biology guide in Canada to her current gig in Australia. Eugenie shares some of her experiences with nature interpretation, her love for reptiles, and the wild adventures that come with leading a guided walk in the wild—watch out for those bears!
Eugenie talks about how powerful storytelling can make science easier to remember and how it helped steer her into science communication. At Kings Park and Botanic Garden, she collaborates with researchers on Western Australia’s native plants. Her job is about taking complex science and turning it into content the public can understand, like crafting social media posts, shooting videos, and even drawing plant illustrations. One of her long-term goals is to tackle “plant blindness,” which is when people forget how diverse and important plants really are.
But the job isn’t all smooth sailing. From balancing different audience expectations to juggling various communication styles, science communicators need a wide range of skills. Even with these challenges, Eugenie is passionate about making science fun and accessible, emphasising that science isn’t finished until it’s shared with everyone. This belief fuels her efforts to help people connect with and appreciate scientific research.
Check out the episode to hear more about Eugenie’s incredible journey and her thoughts on the changing landscape 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!
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