Works of ART – Charlotte Rosher

We launched the ART awards for the 3Rs and science communication back in 2022. Our initial goal was to provide young scientists and communicators with the opportunity to realize their first innovative ideas. We did not fully realize at the time how instrumental this award would become in building the vibrant ART community. We have had some truly great projects that we are very proud of. Now is the perfect time to revisit our past winners and see what they are achieving!

Could you tell our readers a little about your current role, your main area of work, and perhaps a hobby or interest that keeps you grounded outside the professional world?

I am a PhD student in the Behavioural Neuroscience lab at Champalimaud Foundation, where I am studying defensive behaviour and in particular the switch into defensive state using my favourite model organism, the fruit fly. Outside of my work you can find me playing football, or still volunteering for Science on the Walls!

Please give us an update on your project. Does it continue? Did some follow-up ideas and projects come out of it?

Science on the Walls is a community science initiative that began by combining the powerful medium of street art with scientific research. Now we have organised activities incorporating many different types of art and science; we are a collective of scientists, artists and community leaders working together to provide educational programs to children in underserved neighbourhoods.

Since receiving the ART award, the project has continued and most recently was showcased at the Falling Walls Foundation in Berlin and as a TED talk at TEDxNOVA in Lisbon. We have organised school holiday camps on diverse scientific themes such as sustainability and health science, involving workshops with local and external experts as well as trips to educational institutions such as science festivals.

Right now, our activities are based on the edge of Greater Lisbon in Cova da Moura, Amadora, but we are discussing expanding to Chelas and Martim Moniz. The Science on the Walls team is working on building a replicable model from which we hope to expand the initiative to other neighbourhoods and one day to other countries. We have recently become a formal association, and are recruiting members!

Personally, the ART award enhanced my skills in areas like grant writing, budget planning, and team building. Perhaps more critically, working as part of the Science on the Walls team has been extremely rewarding, and I have been able to develop in areas that were beyond the scope of a typical PhD, areas like cultural awareness, local activism, and communication.

What were the main challenges you faced during the past years in your journey as a scientist and communicator, and what is the key accomplishment you are most proud of?

There were many challenges initiating a community project, as a non-Portuguese speaker I needed to learn the language but also to build connections in the neighbourhood where the project is based. As a team, we are always working to overcome limitations that many projects face, like managing our budget sustainably or finding time to have broader philosophical discussions about our approach.

There are so many proud moments! Recently it was when Liedson Carvalho, who works closely with the children who attended summer camp, told us that the children returned to school with a more focused, motivated energy that year. Indeed, a couple of the children have told us that they want to work as a scientist in the future, or at least many would have it as a plan B after becoming a professional footballer!

It could also be the murals we have painted with local artists in the neighbourhood, the Science that really is “On The Walls”, which serve as long-lasting memories for everyone who worked on this project.

Thinking back to when you received the award, do you feel the ART Award specifically helped you in your journey as a scientist? If so, how?

The ART award was pivotal, because it provided the foundations for building Science on the Walls. I was always interested in Science Communication, but discovering new methods for how to discuss science in a way that gave people agency to discover and make hypotheses themselves was totally new for me.

What is your current view on effective science communication? What is the biggest hurdle to communicating complex science to the public today? Do you think it is particularly challenging when it comes to animal research?

In Science on the Walls, our team thinks deeply about science communication. We perceive an “outreach paradox” where those who already have the most privileged access to science are also the beneficiaries of most science communication modes. Exhibitions, podcasts, books related to science rarely reach those who already feel science is out of reach and this is a perception that begins already in young teenagers. By combining science with cultural art forms, we aim to present research in an engaging and meaningful format. For example, one of our favourite activities uses the broken telephone concept: a scientist explains their topic to an audience and answers questions, the audience then relays the information they learned to a local street artist, who interprets the information artistically. At the end, we gather around the mural to discuss which bits of information were transferred correctly. This kind of activity allows any misunderstandings to be ironed out together, plus you have the chance to see street artists live painting which is always awesome!

In our experience on the project, participants generally expected scientists to work with rodents but were usually surprised to learn that we work with animals like zebrafish and fruit flies. Visiting the vivarium and seeing flies and zebrafish under the microscope was listed as one of the most memorable parts of their visit to a research institution in the feedback forms we collected.

Is there anything we forgot to ask, or a final message, a call to action, or a thought you would like to share with our readership?

Science is for everyone. Our values are rooted in the belief that no child should feel that science, art, knowledge, or opportunity is not for them. We need to break down the walls and barriers to access. Science on the Walls plays a role in empowering the next generation of diverse scientists and artists. I would really like to acknowledge the entire Science on the Walls team for bringing this vision to fruition which requires a long list of names but the current core team is Joao Cruz, Antonio Santos, Rory Beresford, Rogerio Ramos, Benilde Pondeca, Cleusia Manuel, Tom Mullen, Millad Khonsorkh, Imaan Tamini, Manuel Vasquez, Denise Camacho, Violetta LaFranca, Giuliano LaFranca, Margarida Caio, Liedson Carvalho. If you want to be involved or keep up to date, you can follow our Instagram page, Science on the Walls