By Chris Patrick, staff writer
Abby Lunstrum, 2016 Knauss fellow and former graduate research fellow, was having trouble explaining her research to people.
“It’s not that complicated,” Lunstrum says. “But it requires a few stepwise processes, and it’s hard to engage people long enough to focus on those steps just verbally.”
So she decided to create a stop motion animation about the role of oysters in nitrogen cycling, a concept crucial to understanding her research. She chose stop motion animation because she wanted her video to appeal to a general audience.
“I think stop motion animation is a really fun, engaging medium that encourages people to pay attention,” says Lunstrum.
As a graduate student at the University of Virginia, Lunstrum studied the impacts of oysters on nitrogen cycling and water quality. According to her, the relationship is not as simple as some might think: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm for the idea that oysters are good for water quality, and my research helps explain that we need to be careful about jumping to that generalized conclusion.”
Watch Lunstrum’s video below to learn more.
Lunstrum created her stop motion animation for Advanced Science Communication Seminar, a professional development opportunity coordinated by George Mason University and Virginia Sea Grant to help graduate-level marine scientists develop their skills in communicating to non-scientists.
