Sparking climate conversations and awareness through short-form video  

Hi! My name is Caitlin Roehmholdt, and I am an incoming junior majoring in journalism! Throughout my summer internship, my primary mentor was Kathryn Royster, the head of the Communication Team at the Wrigley Institute. Her mentorship has taught me how to communicate science accurately and efficiently to multiple audiences, from individuals already well-versed in scientific knowledge to those learning about a particular topic for the first time, through my videos. 

Thanks to the Wrigley Institute and its incredible research, I have been able to develop and refine my skills in creating short-form videos that highlight incredible science. I believe science communication is vital for driving change and advancing research. Not only is it important to discuss this research, but it is also essential to do so in a way that sparks curiosity and engagement across diverse audiences. I was drawn to this internship because it offers the perfect opportunity to combine my passion for science with creative storytelling. 

I have always been passionate about protecting the environment. I grew up hiking and running in the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains, surrounded by towering trees and frequently encountering deer, bears, and various other wildlife.

However, when I first moved to Southern California, the Station Fire was burning, and it eventually consumed around 160,000 acres of land. For a long time after this fire, my hikes involved many burned trees. Sixteen years later, I am still facing the effects of wildfires, from more trees burned to entire towns lost and destroyed.

Even though this may feel hopeless to some, the best way for me to help is to create content that will spread awareness about solutions. Through my first two years studying journalism, I have written multiple articles focusing on wildfires, air pollution, and environmental regulations. I’ve found purpose in turning these complex issues into accessible stories, and with this internship, I’ve expanded that passion into short-form video content. Creating videos has allowed me to reach even more people, sparking continued awareness and conversation. 

During the first few weeks of my internship, I had the opportunity to connect with Wrigley Institute researchers and postdocs, including Dr. David Bottjer, Dr. Karen Lloyd, and Mohammed Hashim, to create short-form videos illustrating their work. To tell their stories effectively, I first immersed myself in their research, reading articles to understand their focus areas and current projects. This not only deepened my understanding of environmental science but also allowed me to translate their findings into engaging, accessible content for a broader audience. 

Throughout the internship, I have learned how to communicate scientific information through various video formats, including a completely graphics-focused video and interview-style features. For example, I created a “Fun Facts” video about Dr. Karen Lloyd’s research on deep-sea microorganisms that can absorb carbon from the atmosphere. After studying her TED Talks and reading her articles, I condensed her findings into a clear, three-minute video that describes each fact with easily digestible graphics. 

I collaborated with Dr. David Bottjer, who studies mass extinctions and is currently focused on the Pleistocene mass extinction, also known as the Ice Age, on a video we filmed at the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. He chose a fun fact and created an introduction, while I developed questions for the interview portion. The shoot gave us amazing visuals, including Columbian Mammoth fossils and the iconic dire wolf skull wall, which brought his research to life. 

For Mohammed Hashim’s work on increasing the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon using specific resins, I filmed directly in the lab to give the audience a visual representation of his work process. It was important to show the hands-on work happening in the lab to make the science feel more tangible. 

Each of these videos came with new creative and technical challenges, from learning to use new editing software to dealing with background noise in the museum and the lab. But those moments only added to the experience, as I learned and gained new skills. I really enjoyed working with the researchers, learning from them, and finding new ways to share their work with wider audiences. 

Beyond technical skills, this internship has strengthened my appreciation for environmental work and research. Creating content for the Wrigley Institute has shown me how impactful science communication can be. While creating these videos, I have continued to educate myself on solutions for climate change. Dealing with a climate crisis can feel overwhelming, but learning about the Wrigley Institute and USC researchers’ innovative work has made me feel more optimistic and excited. I hope that my enthusiasm for their work can be translated through my videos and that everyone watching them will enjoy learning about the Wrigley Institute’s work as much as I have. 

In my future, I would love to continue to work with researchers and highlight solvable problems that we can all help with to work towards a better environment. 

Watch one of Caitlin’s internship videos below.