The art of science communication
By Rachel Boutet
A picture often tells a thousand words. And when those words contain complex matter, sometimes that picture is just as important – if not more – than the words themselves.
Shivam Sharma, a first-year PhD in dental biomedical sciences student at the Faculty of Dentistry, knows the importance of artwork when it comes to science communications. As a part of his PhD project, he is working on a heterogeneous cell-based diabetic wound model and therapeutics under the supervision of Dr. Anil Kishen.
Sharma has always had an interest in sketching and painting as well as a love for human biology. Even when it wasn’t required for school, he enjoyed making biological diagrams.
“I was too busy with my academics to do more with my passion for illustrations, but toward the end of my master’s in 2019, I decided to learn more about digital illustrations and turned to YouTube,” he says. “I used it to create scientific infographics to simplify and better understand complex biological matter.”
Sharma also participated in SciCommMake, a conference on effective science communication.
“The ask was for people to create an art work on ‘new ways of living’ to create awareness about COVID-19,” he says. “That’s when I realized science communications was a big thing. In my opinion, visuals communicate complex information better to a non-expert audience without losing its meaning.”
The following year in the summer of 2021, Sharma participated in a science communication workshop for graduate students, where he was asked to create a piece of his choice. He also attended an Adobe Illustrator workshop held by the Faculty’s Graduate Professional Development Committee. The skill set Sharma has learned has not only proved useful for his research – he’s able to produce the required illustrations for journals without depending on someone else – but he also has improved his ability with his passion projects. He participated in Inktober, a challenge for artists to create 31 illustrations in the month of October.
“As a researcher, it’s important to be able to translate your research to a wide audience,” he says. “The ultimate goal of our research isn’t just to publish articles in journals, it’s also to create an impact on society. If people have better understanding, they can take a lot of preventive measures to help avoid future health problems.”
In the future, Sharma hopes to create an online platform to share STEM infographics and art.
Photo: graphical abstract of an article published in Elsevier- Acta Biomaterialia (created by Shivam Sharma)