A blockbuster hit

So you think there’s no place for emotion in science or the broader workplace, for that matter? UNE geologist, palaeontologist, Superstar of STEM and sci-fi film buff, Marissa Betts, begs to differ.

“As scientists, we are trained to communicate effectively with other scientists, and emotion is kept well out of it,” says Marissa. “But in trying so hard to ensure their facts can be easily understood, many scientists forget to make a genuine, personal connection with their audience. “Whatever field you’re in, that’s a much more effective way to communicate.”

Halfway into the Superstars of STEM program, Marissa is learning a great deal about the power of emotion to communication. A two-year professional development initiative run by Science and Technology Australia, Superstars aims to equip women working in STEM with high-level communication skills and to increase their visibility as experts.

Diversity in STEM is poor, but particularly in the geosciences. Marissa is, herself, the only woman in her research team. She sees making a human connection through outreach and education as an important means of addressing such disparities. Which is partly why, once every month, she commandeers Armidale’s Belgrave Cinema to host Sci-Fi Flicks.

There’s a short talk from a researcher followed by a blockbuster film, and then a Q&A to have the films ‘myth-busted’ by a bonafide scientist. A half-hour interview with the scientist on Tune-FM is also recorded as a podcast to be shared. It’s a fun collaboration between UNE Life, Belgrave Twin Cinema and Tune-FM that allows UNE researchers to take centre stage, and it relies on an emotional response.

“Films leverage people’s emotions and motivate them much more powerfully than facts; they take you on an emotional rollercoaster,” Marissa says. “Facts are key, but it’s the human connection that ensures a scientist’s facts ‘land’ and have impact. It is super-powerful and totally underrated. Especially with a young audience, it’s a way to get them excited and wanting to learn more.”

Sci-Flicks – so far featuring Jurassic Park, Gattaca, Finding Nemo, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Meg, The Martian and San Andreas – has proven highly popular, and not just among UNE’s Earth Science research and teaching community. Marissa believes the series is helping to build relationships and a sense of community, which is another important component of every effective institution or workforce.

“If you feel personally and emotionally invested in something, then it will get you up and out of bed more readily,” she says. “And the fantastic thing is that it leads to community, because motivated people have an emotional connection to those they work with. They look forward to being with them, or feeling part of the group and able to contribute. If you can inspire that in people or within a group, then half your work’s done.

“We work with human beings, right, and everyone is flawed in different ways but also has amazing things to bring to the table. That’s what working as a team is. Not everyone is good at everything, but that’s not the point. You’ve got to have people who are good at different things and appreciate those differences.”

Marissa hopes that her teaching is imbued with the passion she feels for her subject. “I show my emotion in my work frequently … how much I love it,” she says. “I try to give students a sense of how much fun and exciting learning can be; it’s not just a piece of paper you get at the end. They are enriching their lives and they will be rewarded for the emotional investment.”

WORDS Amanda Burdon