Speaker feature
Words, goals and collaboration: Ten minutes with Sara K. Yeo
Sara K. Yeo (PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication, Director of the STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP), and a faculty affiliate with the Global Change and Sustainability Center at the University of Utah. Her recent research focuses on humour as a strategic tool for science communication, expanding science audiences, and understanding open science in communication studies.
Yeo recently visited South Africa to speak at the Communicating Discovery Science Symposium in Stellenbosch. The November event was organised by Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology (CREST) with support from the Kavli Foundation. The symposium brought together scientists and science communication experts to explore the nuances and research behind effectively communicating basic science.
Between participating in panel discussions on the Science Public Engagement Partnership (SciPEP), building infrastructure for effective discovery science communication and a plenary on social science research, Yeo sat down to talk about her journey from microbial ecology researcher to social scientist, the importance of clear communication goals and the role of humour in influencing public beliefs.
An origin story: from oceans to people
“I actually have a background in oceanography,” Yeo shares. “I thought I was going to be a chemical oceanographer.” She completed her undergraduate degree in oceanography with a minor in chemistry, focusing on carbon cycling in the world’s oceans.
Her passion for studying the natural world led her to the University of Hawaii, where she earned a master’s degree in microbial oceanography, researching the ecology of microbial communities in surface waters. Later, at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, Yeo pursued a PhD in environmental engineering, shifting her focus to freshwater ecosystems.
However, it wasn’t just the science that captivated her. “I did a lot of outreach as a graduate student,” she explains. “I’d go to science fairs and talk about my research, but I couldn’t understand why people didn’t love microbes and bacteria as much as I did.” Conversations about her work would inevitably veer off course to topics like recycling. This experience puzzled Yeo and sparked a pivotal question: Why do people think the way they do about science?
While at Wisconsin, Yeo took a journalism course with Professor Sharon Dunwoody, a pioneer in the field of science journalism. That course proved transformative. Inspired by this new perspective, Yeo left her engineering PhD program to pursue a second master’s degree in Life Sciences Communication.
“I realised I wanted to study a different system,” Yeo explains. “This system is people. It’s a lot messier than microbial systems, even though those are extremely messy.” Enthralled by this new field of research, she eventually completed a PhD in Science Communication.
Words matter
“The words we use matter,” says Yeo, reflecting on the nuances of science communication.
“Some people don’t see communication as engagement,” she explains. “They prefer the term ‘engagement’, but to me, they’re not very different.” She views communication as multi-directional – it can be one-way or interactive. “I don’t want to get bogged down in the semantics,” she adds. “It’s less about the specific word and more about how we understand it. Having a shared working definition as a group is what really matters.”
Goals in strategic communication, for example, have a very specific meaning. “They mean long-term behavioural goals.” Informing the public is not a behavioural goal; it’s an intermediary objective that gets you to the behavioural goal. Yeo explains that these behavioural goals are achieved over time through positive, strategic experiences. For example, shifting how people feel about science might be an objective that supports a larger behavioural goal.
One of Yeo’s key research areas is the role of emotions in science communication, particularly humour. “Humour is a tactic,” she notes. It can influence how people feel about science, shift beliefs, and alter perceptions. However, humour is just one tool in a broader, long-term strategy. By framing humour as part of a larger framework, Yeo highlights the need for intentionality in science communication. “If we all understand the terms and strategies, we can be more effective,” she says.
For Yeo, establishing clear definitions is crucial. “Having clear definitions is important in our culture. Communication isn’t about the words you use; it’s about the shared understanding that drives meaningful engagement.”
A goal for the Communicating Discovery Science Symposium
“For a conference like this, a specific goal for me would be for science communication practitioners and researchers to collaborate more closely over time,” Yeo explains.
She emphasizes the value of strategic communication grounded in behavioural goals. “If we could make our communications more strategic – by focusing on behavioural goals and fostering ongoing conversations among researchers, practitioners and trainers – we would have achieved something meaningful. One key behavioural goal would be encouraging researchers to collaborate more with practitioners, and for practitioners to engage with our research and apply it in their communication strategies.”
Collaboration is a cornerstone of Yeo’s approach. “When I work with practitioners, I learn so much about the applied side of science communication,” she shares. These partnerships help bridge the gap between basic and applied science, ensuring that research informs practice and vice versa.
For Yeo, this reciprocal relationship is crucial for advancing the field. “Science communication is essentially a basic science. But it becomes applied when practitioners use our research to shape their work.”
Sara K. Yeo, Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Director of the STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP) in South Africa for the Communicating Discovery Science Symposium.