Students and teachers gathered at Palawan State University on August 18 for a Science Communication Workshop held as part of the Department of Science and Technology-MIMAROPA Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week.
The workshop aimed to equip young participants with the skills to translate complex scientific research into engaging and accessible stories through visual media and storytelling.
Palawan State University President Dr. Venzon L. Limpiada delivered the welcome remarks, setting an encouraging tone for the participants.
Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, a renowned entomologist, spider expert, and Professor 12 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, led a session on human-centered science storytelling.
Barrion-Dupo emphasized the difference between simply presenting academic data and practicing effective science communication. She demonstrated how humanizing scientific concepts can make complex information more relatable, engaging, and easier to understand.
Advocacy filmmaker and communication lecturer Seymour Sanchez, meanwhile, shared practical approaches to communicating scientific topics through documentary filmmaking. He explored various cinematic styles and narrative structures that aspiring filmmakers can use to effectively tailor scientific stories to different audiences.
Both Barrion-Dupo and Sanchez are members of the 10th Indie-Siyensya Board of Judges.
Following the interactive sessions, DOST-Science Education Institute Supervising Science Research Specialist Juan Antonio Tuazon introduced the Indie-Siyensya Film Festival, the Philippines’ premier science filmmaking competition that promotes science appreciation among young people and filmmakers through visual storytelling.
The workshop encouraged participants to explore filmmaking and storytelling as powerful tools for making science more accessible, relatable, and meaningful to wider audiences.
