From a presentation to the Association of Science Communicators, April 11, 2024.
The underground life of a forest ecosystem is a busy place, with network connections like the Washington, DC subway. It is complex, diverse, and improvisational. As is communication.
When a tree falls in the forest, it begins an epic conversation of change and renewal.
A fallen log squirms with activity as a parade of organisms dismantle the old parts of the tree into building blocks for new life.
The conversation can take unexpected turns, as when a volcanic eruption smothers the landscape in ash, mud, and lava.
Circumstances change the conversation—through day and night, shifting tides, seasons, and millennia.
Ideas reassemble to create the foundation for future communications.
In science communication, it matters which ideas survive the tides of change, the heat of politics, and evolving evidence.
