Alumnus Explores Complexity of Science Communication

As part of a training project to guide emerging scientists and writers in the art of investigative environmental journalism and science reporting, a young marine scientist educated at UKZN has won recognition for a story on the improvement of science communication, published in the Daily Maverick and the Good Things Guy website.

The article by Ms Maxcine Kater headlined: Boffins vs Hacks: Solving a Bruising Battle, forms part of Roving Reporters’ New Narratives training project that Kater joined this year, and concerns the misunderstandings that can arise between scientists and journalists due to the different pace and focus of their professions and how they can better co-operate to communicate vital, complex scientific information. The article won her the New Narratives story prize.

A collaboration with Jive Media Africa, New Narratives involves monthly webinars with Oppenheimer Generations and helps young writers and scientists develop their skills, is open to participants worldwide, and caters to environmental organisations wanting to improve their media communication.

Kater is originally from Eldorado Park in Gauteng and decided to pursue a career in marine biology in primary school when she saw someone swimming with sharks in a National Geographic programme, a peaceful scene that contrasted with the imagery of predatory sharks she had seen popularised in films like Jaws.

She applied to a university that offered marine biology but was only offered a place in another programme. Seeing that UKZN offered marine biology and allowed walk-in applications, she boarded a bus to KwaZulu-Natal and applied just before the deadline, receiving her acceptance two weeks later, becoming the first in her family to enrol for a university degree.

The experience of studying Marine Biology at UKZN was another world, said Kater of the adjustment to student life. She had the opportunity to interact with different as well as like-minded people, and was exposed to a new lifestyle as a student living far from home in an off-campus residence.

She found lecturers and staff at UKZN engaging, helpful, and invested in their students’ success. Kater enjoyed the practical elements of her studies and said her student experience helped her discover more about herself. She volunteered with the Youth for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on activities like beach clean-ups, and in her honours year in 2020 she joined the Ocean Stewards programme.

In 2021 a request for story pitches about MPAs from Roving Reporters caught Kater’s eye thanks to her experience with Youth for MPAs and its focus on the meeting of environmental and social aspects. She submitted an idea, and when she learnt she would have to write the piece as well, took on the challenge with the help of Roving Reporters’ writing coaches to publish her first story. She said the organisation’s positive environment motivated her to persevere and explore different ideas.

Not considering herself a strong writer, Kater was surprised when her first article was published. It demonstrated her communication abilities and revealed more to her family about what she had studied. Her scientific background helped Kater understand and interpret science in a way that helped people comprehend something new, which she described as a powerful phenomenon. The feedback on her work from a diverse range of people showed the reach of this kind of communication.

In October 2021, Kater began an internship with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, a position she still holds in the Cape Town office in the Chief Directorate: Aquaculture Development and Freshwater Fisheries. This has exposed Kater to the world of work and provided a unique learning curve, adding social and economic aspects to the laboratory training of her studies. It has opened her eyes to opportunities beyond the laboratory, such as science communication and environmental entrepreneurship.

She has continued writing articles, assignments, and other tasks, scheduling this for evenings and weekends, and is open to considering a full-time career in science communication.

Kater hopes to expand her career in marine science practice and to study further one day, not least because this will give her a full graduation ceremony that the COVID-19 pandemic prevented her from experiencing.

Words: Christine Cuénod

Photograph: Supplied