Award-winning scientist Katie Hinde discusses the importance of cooperation, community, and storytelling for sharing science sustainably.

For tens of thousands of years, sharing knowledge about the natural world has been part of what makes us human. Indeed, humans have many adaptations for fireside storytelling, shared experiences, artistic imagery, and "jokey joke joke jokes". And yet, too many scientists ignore the evidence and continue to inadequately blather dry facts. Such approaches do not improve scientific literacy or inspire public enthusiasm. In this lecture, Dr. Hinde presents insights from studies of human adaptations for story-telling and social learning and highlights the example of March Mammal Madness.

March Mammal Madness (MMM) is a simulated tournament of encounters between animal “combatants” presented in play-by-play narrative as though observed in real-time using research findings and natural history descriptions. MMM combines gamification, social media, community events, and artwork with salient animal-based content to reach large, diverse audiences. MMM alters google search algorithms and reaches hundreds of thousands of learners annually (~1-3% of public middle and high school students across the United States). MMM upends stereotypes to show that the sciences, and scientists, are imaginative and fun. Importantly, sharing science is most sustainable when combining good-natured competition with ancestral adaptations for cooperation, community, and storytelling.

This program is presented in partnership by the AABA Education Committee and The Leakey Foundation

This program is sponsored by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Camilla and George Smith, and the Joan and Arnold Travis Education Fund

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