Sample Projects
Puppet Shows
The Arm-of-the-Sea Theater brings the landscape of the Catskills to life through their puppet show "City That Drinks the Mountain Sky." They use scientific data to tell the story of the Hudson River's journey from a mountain top to a city tap.
Infographics
You can find many examples of conveying scientific data and information through the inventive use of images and text. Infographics have become increasingly popular, and there are a number of tools available to help you create your own:
Infographics from USDA and Science Connections.
Music
Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is a long-term ecological research site that has been collecting data for years on local environmental conditions. They collect data on everything from soil nutrient levels to water flow to earthworm population dynamics. They've created the "Hubbard Brook Listen Live" Internet Radio station, which converts current water cycle data into a forest symphony of chimes, violins, French horn, marimba and more.
Rap
"Quest for Joulelry," is an original piece from Jabari Johnson, a senior at Harlem Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts. Winner of the Science Genius Rap B.A.T.T.L.E.S. held at Columbia University, it is a clever example of combining science with hiphop.
Interpretive Dance
GonzoLabs' "Dance Your PhD" has arguably the most popular – and hilarious – examples of dances related to scientific data. For the annual "Dance Your PhD" competition, graduate students are asked to choreograph and videotape a dance that tells a story related to their PhD thesis.
"A Dusty Story," tells a story about the dust transportation common in the eastern Great Basin of Utah.
Maps
Maps have long been used as a great tool for synthesizing and conveying scientific information. Today, we commonly see maps used to show different types of Hudson River data. For example, the Riverkeeper uses this nice map to display their water quality data.
A few online map-making tools:
Sculpture
Several sculptors have been inspired by the beauty of the Hudson River, such as David Smith and his Hudson River Landscape completed in 1951.
Today, artist-turned-activist Christine Destrempes travels across the country creating her “Stream of Consciousness” project to address the importance of water at various locations.
Poetry
Tampa Estuary Program Invasive Species Poetry Contest yielded this winning submission highlighting the damage caused by exotic invaders on Florida's native habitats and species.
A Trio of Evil
Lovely but deadly the Lionfish have spread their range
Released partly thanks to a Hurricane
Once numbers of only three
Their masses are now seen from RI to Belize
Divers and fishermen have to fight back
And hold Lionfish derbies for wads of cash
All have high hopes to contain the creature
And keep it as it was- a rare aquarium feature
Bufo Toad all warty and thick
Secretes a poison that makes pets sick
Grayish-Brown with a slimy belly of yellow
He is a most repulsive fellow
Released in 1936 to control pests on sugar cane
He has now become a Florida pain
Looks harmless enough with no knobs on his head
But a lick of his skin leaves poor Fido dead
Burmese pythons - threatened in their native land
Are now a serious threat to man
Unchecked they could cover 1/3 of the states
And make pets or a child suffer a terrible fate
They can lay up to 100 eggs a year
And make meals of the sweet and rare Key Deer
They are unhampered now, sunning and well fed
We must end their reign and put a price on their head