From Research to Action: Communicating Science Effectively for Real‐World Impact

Ecological research is vital for addressing today's societal and environmental challenges. It provides insights and solutions for the management and conservation of ecosystems, the mitigation of climate change, and the well-being of society. However, appreciation for the impact of ecological advancements often remains confined within academic institutions, governmental agencies, and the scientific community. To broaden the impact of ecological research and amplify its benefits for people and nature, effective and inclusive communication across diverse audiences and platforms is paramount. At the 2025 ESA Annual Meeting, the workshop From Research to Action: Communicating Science Effectively for Real-World Impact showcased the work of ecologists committed to making their research matter beyond the academic sphere. Sponsored by the ESA Latin America & the Caribbean Chapter, the workshop embodied the meeting theme, “Ecology is Everywhere,” by demonstrating how ecological knowledge can engage communities and prompt tangible change through the critical and inspiring lens of effective science communication. The Chapter gathered a panel of scientists who have successfully translated complex ecological concepts into formats that resonate with diverse audiences, including primary school students, museum visitors, local stakeholders, and their academic peers. Panelists provided participants with an overview of their approaches to communicating various topics in ecology, covering the creation of public-facing materials such as infographics, policy briefs, and short videos; fostering active engagement with journalists and media outlets; tailoring public talks to non-specialist audiences; and developing community-based outreach initiatives. Throughout the workshop, they emphasized principles widely recognized in the science communication literature as key to success: framing messages in ways that connect with audience values (Nisbet 2009), using visual storytelling to enhance comprehension and retention (Lazard and Atkinson 2015), and embracing multilingual communication to reach broader and more inclusive audiences (Proust 2022). For the latter part of the workshop, participants engaged in interactive group discussions to analyze real-world examples, exchange strategies, and brainstorm creative approaches to make their science more visible. These conversations reflected the growing recognition within ecology that effective communication is not simply the transfer of information, but a process of fostering dialogue and building trust across knowledge systems (Groffman et al. 2010). Here, we present a summary of the insights and experiences shared by the workshop's panelists to promote critical reflection and encourage readers to consider how intentional communication strategies can strengthen the reach and impact of their research. We also highlight the main takeaways from the workshop's group discussions, offering practical guidance and conceptual frameworks to support effective, inclusive, and impactful communication in ecology. The Kansas Ecosystems for Elementary Students (KEES) and Ecosystems of Kansas Summer Institute Programs were started by Peggy Schultz and initially funded by the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). As a scientist and parent of kids attending public schools, I was excited to get involved with these programs and help lead their effort to maintain KEES at the Kansas Biological Survey. KEES's approach to science communication in Public Schools is multifaceted. For elementary students, we bring science into the classroom through 7–8 interactive lessons, each 50 minutes long, over the course of the school year. We incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards (Lee et al. 2014) into our lessons, including cross-cutting standards, and use examples from local ecosystems to engage students in learning about topics in ecology and evolutionary biology. Some of the topics that we cover are adaptation, natural selection, soil, aquatic and soil microbes, seed dispersal, and trophic levels. For each lesson, we bring graduate and undergraduate students to volunteer as instructors and supply them with materials for experiments, modeling, and observations that they can implement in the classroom. We design the lessons with the goal of discovery: we guide kids to ask questions and find answers, a much-needed approach compared to vocabulary worksheets or “experiments” with only one correct outcome. Students really engage when they are allowed to be creative and ask open-ended questions. This approach exposes them to the scientific method and ecological concepts in an intuitive way, which is easier to build on than pure memorization of concepts and terms disengaged from critical thinking. The Summer Institute, now led by Wendy Holman at the University of Kansas Field Station, is a program designed to connect public school biology and ecology teachers with the research community. Ten high school and middle school teachers are selected from applicants across Kansas to spend 3 days at the field station with University of Kansas faculty and staff researchers. Teachers are provided with a stipend, and travel expenses are reimbursed. They learn methods and research approaches in a variety of ecosystems and use indoor or outdoor lab spaces to implement the activities. They can network and discuss ways to incorporate these approaches into their curricula. This program serves as a platform to foster connections between Public School teachers and the broader research community, offers direct educational resources to Public School teachers and students, and recognizes the vital work Public School teachers do in preparing students to continue their education. As a recent PhD graduate, current postdoctoral research fellow, and social media manager for the Great Lakes Chapter of ESA, I have the privilege of sharing my work and research with many audiences. As an early-career researcher, I participate in traditional science communication forms such as publishing peer-reviewed articles, poster presentations, seminars, and symposiums. However, these platforms tend to reach very narrow audiences within my field of research. To engage the broader public, I have turned to videos, websites, and social media, which have allowed me to move beyond traditional academic outlets and share my work more widely. As a primarily visual learner myself, I am passionate about finding the right graphics, images, and animations to convey a message. Understanding the diversity of learning styles (visual, auditory, written, and kinesthetic; Fleming and Mills 1992; Fleming 1995), and how many of us are multimodal in how we learn (Buşan 2014), I seek to include different ways of communication for the diverse audiences that may be interested in my research. These audiences can include undergraduate and graduate students, professors in and outside my field, potential funding agencies, park managers, and the general community. The way I explain my research to my lab mates is not the same way I would share it with my neighbors. Understanding who my audience is, the setting, the information to be shared, and the amount of time available is key to keeping people engaged and maximizing their understanding of my work. I have also found short videos to be a powerful way to reach diverse audiences, going beyond the reach of my talks and posters. For instance, an undergraduate student interested in joining my lab might want to learn more about my research before deciding; a potential postdoctoral advisor may wish to see my latest project at a glance, and permit agencies might need a clear understanding of my fieldwork activities. A brief 1–1.5-min video can distill years of experiments and results into an engaging, accessible summary. As scientists, we are frequently asked: So, what do you do? In my case, I could respond with something such as: I study the ecophysiology of Lepidoptera. Specifically, I study their physiological thermal limits to understand species susceptibility to climate change. I have also been developing habitat suitability models to predict future distributions of host plant–butterfly interactions across the landscape. This description of my work would be appropriate for a narrow audience of scientists. Alternatively, a short video could explain the essential background (climate change has already impacted many insect species), the main problem (we do not know how tolerant these species are to environmental change), and how, as a scientist, I am approaching that problem with my work (e.g., brief general approach/methods) and my expectations or main findings. The idea is to think big picture and focus on the main take-home message. Incorporating the appropriate images, as well as text and auditory explanations, can fit different learning styles. This can then be shared in lectures, professional websites, social media, and other platforms where a wide range of people can quickly understand what you do and why it is important. As a first-generation scientist, I often found myself digging for opportunities to engage with science in my community. It was not until I found my passion for plants that I understood the importance of connecting ourselves with nature and empowering others to do the same. By allowing non-scientists to engage with nature in a low-stakes environment, we can increase public awareness of critical ecological issues, including species extinction and urbanization. In Hawai'i specifically, our unique ecosystems are under immense threat from the effects of urbanization and development, as well as invasive pest species. In urban and suburban communities, most of the plants that exist are non-native or invasive, and while there is some demand for native plant presence, there are few opportunities for people to obtain them. In response to the urgency of land restoration and community reforestation, the Grow Aloha program was born. This program supports partners across the Hawaiian Islands to distribute native plants, every month, to community members for free. Our site at the Bishop Museum on O'ahu focuses on offering a variety of native trees, shrubs, and herbs to invite visitors to “adopt” a plant, regardless of the type or size of their outdoor space. We have a preregistration system, where people can read about the different plants we offer in advance and reserve one for themselves. At pickup, people receive their plant and gain access to our plant care website (https://growaloha.org/), which provides more information about the plant itself and how they can best care for it. By creating opportunities for residents to interact with native plants in a low-stakes and supportive environment, we are not only reforesting the land but also facilitating connections between people and nature. As a result, community members become excited about planting native plants and are more likely to support funding and reforestation policies in the future. The workshop exemplified the power of intentional, inclusive communication to make ecological research and its applications resonate beyond academia. Participants left with concrete tools and examples for translating their work into formats accessible to broader audiences, from classroom-based discovery learning and community-driven reforestation programs to digital storytelling through videos and professional websites. Conversations during the interactive sessions inspired new collaborations, including potential partnerships to train students in science communication and the dissemination of open-access resources for building professional communication platforms. Building on this success, the ESA Latin America and the Caribbean Chapter envision making From Research to Action: Communicating Science Effectively for Real-World Impact a recurring workshop at future ESA Annual Meetings. The Chapter will focus on creating a sustained space for ecologists to exchange strategies, develop skills, and highlight science communication as a core practice in ecological research. As new communication tools and platforms constantly emerge, maintaining a recurring session will allow participants to stay up to date with innovative approaches and best practices. By fostering collaboration among researchers, educators, and communicators, we aim to bridge the gap between science and society. Our goal is to empower scientists to transform their discoveries into real-world actions and meaningful engagement with diverse communities across languages and cultures. Ultimately, this workshop reinforced the idea that communicating science effectively should not be an afterthought but an integral part of doing ecology. It reminded us about the importance of ongoing reflection and innovation in communication practices, showing that even small changes in approach can make science more accessible and engaging. By perpetuating spaces that celebrate creativity, dialogue, and inclusivity in communication, we can ensure that ecological knowledge informs and inspires action where it matters most: Within our communities and across the landscapes, we strive to understand and protect. We thank the committee and members of the ESA Latin American and Caribbean Chapter for their support in preparing the workshop. We also thank the participants of this workshop; their presence was invaluable. LJ received support from Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID-Chile), FONDECyT posdoctorado 2023 Folio 3230511, and the Ecological Society of America through a Diversity in Leadership Travel Award to attend the ESA 2025 Annual Meeting. LYS-R is supported by the National Science Foundation (2208922).