{"id":5718,"date":"2026-02-03T22:10:59","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T22:10:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/wrigley\/?p=5718"},"modified":"2026-02-03T22:20:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T22:20:18","slug":"from-scientists-to-storymakers-academics-turn-research-into-environmental-storytelling-narratives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/wrigley\/2026\/02\/03\/from-scientists-to-storymakers-academics-turn-research-into-environmental-storytelling-narratives\/","title":{"rendered":"From Scientists to Storymakers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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\n\n \n At the 2023 Storymakers program, Madhur Anand (far right) reads to (from left) Noa Lincoln, Ben Halpern, and Heather Leslie. Nightly “campfire time” at the Wrigley Marine Science Center is a Storymakers tradition. It helps fellows practice their storytelling skills and encourage each other’s creativity. (Photo: Nick Neumann\/USC Wrigley Institute)\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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From Scientists to Storymakers<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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\n\n \n Wrigley Institute program helps academics turn research into world-changing environmental storytelling\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n By<\/span>Kathryn Royster<\/strong>\n \n February 3, 2026<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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When it comes to environmental issues, Americans have an action gap. <\/span><\/p>\n

Numerous social studies have found that people in the U.S – regardless of background or political orientation – care about environmental issues such as biodiversity loss<\/a>, climate change, and pollution<\/a>. But those studies also show that the same people quickly deprioritize environmental concerns when asked to compare them to other important issues, such as the economy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Joe \u00c1rvai<\/a>, director of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability and a professor of psychology, has studied this challenge for years. He and his team routinely find that, even when people are concerned about the environment, they often don’t know much about environmental systems or the actions needed to protect them. Worst of all, study subjects tend to rank eco-friendly behavior change very low on their priority lists.<\/span><\/p>\n

When \u00c1rvai joined the Wrigley Institute as its first social-scientist director in 2020, he was determined to do something about this disconnect.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve met so many incredible and engaging scientists generating knowledge and solutions that could change the world. I\u2019m talking about experts in arctic ecology<\/a>, energy transitions, deep oceans<\/a>, cosmic dust. They have such amazing stories to tell, but their audiences only seem to include people who know them personally, or who see their academic talks or read their papers,\u201d \u00c1rvai says. \u201cI wanted to create opportunities for superstars like these to break out and reach a broader public through popular storytelling.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And so the Wrigley Institute launched its Storymakers program<\/a>, with the first session held in 2022. Designed and co-led by communications consultants and lead instructors Liz Neeley<\/a> and Victoria Fine<\/a>, the program accepts up to 12 fellows per year for a one-week intensive at the Wrigley Institute\u2019s satellite campus on Catalina Island<\/a>. Fellows are typically mid-career researchers at leading universities, government labs, state academies of science, and similar institutions in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo many scientists right now feel desperate to do something more to protect the ecosystems they\u2019ve devoted their lives to. This program is a precious opportunity for researchers to reconnect with their creativity and purpose,\u201d Neeley says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Making Things Personal<\/b><\/h2>\n

Storymakers focuses on narrative: how to translate findings from the fellows\u2019 research into environmental storytelling created by the researchers themselves. The Wrigley Institute encourages them to come to the program knowing <\/span>what<\/span><\/i> story they want to tell, but with an open mind about <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> they will tell it. Fellows receive intensive mentoring from program instructors, who teach workshops on narrative theory, defining and reaching audiences, writing for non-academic audiences, podcasting and audio production, and immersive and interactive experiences (such as museum exhibits or artistic performances). Featured instructors in 2025 included:<\/span><\/p>\n