The 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting: Storytelling and More

Themed “Science Shaping Tomorrow,” the 2025 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting, held February 13–15 in Boston, MA, included stories of science and its communication and advice on telling such stories. This report shares some highlights of potential interest to science editors and those in related realms. Bringing Science and Technology to Life with Short-Form Video By Abdurrahman Radwan Short-form video is going viral—even in traditional media. A workshop featuring editors from Scientific American highlighted how platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are transforming science communication and engaging younger audiences. The workshop also offered tips for scientists and communicators on how to create the most effective videos for each platform. Workshop coordinator Arminda Downey-Mavromatis, associate engagement editor, began by defining short-form video and sharing key engagement statistics. She explained that these videos last 30 seconds to 3 minutes, are shot vertically, and receive 2.5 times as much engagement as long-form videos, with a 60%–70% higher completion rate. She also noted that 64% of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials use TikTok as a search engine. Sunya Bhutta, chief audience engagement editor, compared the 3 major platforms. She highlighted TikTok’s trend-driven nature, creative editing tools, and comment-reply video feature that enhances engagement. Instagram Reels, she said, offer a polished aesthetic and benefit from being saved to Meta’s ecosystem, increasing visibility. YouTube Shorts, although simpler and lacking advanced effects, are effective for driving engagement to long-form videos, as the long-form videos can simply be cut […]