Science and Story: an unlikely pair
by Morris
The last thing that marine science students enrolled in MSCI 201 Science Communication expected was a lesson on metaphors. They couldn’t see what data scouring and fact-finding had to do with narrative. But for the instructor of the course, James Borton, marrying the two disciplines was his mission.
For the entire semester, Borton and his students investigated how paper mills negatively affect the environment. (Borton is also an internationally published environmental writer.)
“Our paper focused on cancer and mortality rates among mill employees,” says sophomore Rachel Eckley from Omaha, Neb. “We looked at previously published articles regarding cancer around mills in other countries.”
Another group of students localized their research. Amanda Macek, Lindsey Sherwood, Caleb Starovasnik, McKenna Koons and Matthew Cousins ventured out to Georgetown County’s Sampit River. The group took water samples from the river and incorporated the findings into their research.
“I thought it was important to place narrative center stage into their assigned readings,” says Borton. “For nearly three weeks, I had my students read Rachel Carson’s "The Sea Among Us." As a marine biologist, she understood the role of metaphor in science storytelling.”
All the while, Borton established an incentive for the students: a chance to have their papers published in the Marine Science Today magazine. They didn’t disappoint him.
“I approached the editor and asked her if she was interested in publishing any future research papers that would be developed by my classes,” says Borton. “She said yes,” and Borton wrote an introduction for the magazine’s series.
The first student paper, published in the Jan. 12 issue, was “Mill Effluents Potentially Increase Cancer” by Rachel Eckley, Kara Criner and Stacey Reichardt. The paper shows how students were able to support the hypothesis that pulp and paper mill wastes contribute to cancer growth.
Junior Claire Engelhardt from Galax, Va., says that narrative writing improved her science communication skills for the future. “Professor Borton told us that our audiences may not always be other scientists,” she says. “My paper titled ‘Pulp and Paper Mill Pollution Effects on Estuarine Environments’ focused on the Miramichi Estuary in New Brunswick, Canada, and the Pensacola Bay in Florida. Borton helped me understand that I had to create a picture for my readers and not just state facts.”
For the marine science department, the prospect of having students publishing work before their senior year is unique.
“Usually seniors will be working on a research project, and they will have the opportunity to publish their work,” says College of Science Dean Michael Roberts. “In the marine science department, we knew the value of offering a course in science and writing. The results have been great.”
“The first day of class, Professor Borton wrote ‘carpe diem’ on the board,” says Eckley. “That stuck with me, and it set the tone for the semester. He said to seize each and every day and accomplish your dreams.”
The following is a complete list of all student papers to be published:
• "Water Quality Analysis of Effluent Discharge Effects on the Sampit River from International paper Mill in Georgetown, South Carolina" by McKenna Koons, Caleb Starovasnik, Lindsey Sherwood, Amanda Macek and Matthew Cousins
• "Mill Effluents Potentially Increase Cancer" by Rachel Eckley, Kara Criner, Stacey Reichhardt and Haley Whittaker
• "A Summary of the Negative Effects caused by Pulp and Paper Mill Effluents in Estuarine Systems" by Kristina Dedicatoria, Samantha Cook, Maria Hanlon and Austin Hamel
• "Entrance of Paper Mill Effluent Chemicals into Ecosystems and Their Subsequent Biomagnification and Interaction with Humans" by Coral Mullen, Brion Harrison, James Rupinski and Alec Schweinberg
• "Pulp and Paper Mill Pollution Effects on Estuarine Environments" by Claire Engelhardt and Mallory Mumford
• "Toxic Effects of Paper Mill Discharge: The Repercussions of a Growing Society on Fish" by Kenneth Berkle, Bridget Fallis and Megan Maloney
• "Toxic Effluents and the Effects in the Ecosystem" by Kelsey Dean, Caitlin McNamara, Meredith Boddiford and Logan Michael
Read their articles here: http://marinesciencetoday.com/2015/01/12/mill-effluents-potentially-increase-cancer/
