Lessons From a Hawaiian Fishpond

Expanding the stories of science

Happy Saturday. I hope you are having a nice weekend.

One of my hopes for Through The Fog is that this can be a place for exploring a vast, wondrous, sometimes tragic, but often inspiring world. 

I love it when I hear that this platform brought something new to your attention. That’s why I’m so excited about today’s offering. 

It is a short film from the Science Communication Lab, the non-profit I help lead that uses the power of cinematic storytelling to share the wonder and awe of science, broadly defined, with the public and students. 

This film tells the story of Dr. Kiana Frank, a Hawaiian microbiologist who uses modern scientific methods and knowledge to shed new light on the stories of her ancestors. It is a reminder that we can learn a lot from the wisdom of Native peoples who were keen observers of their environments. 

My wife, Malia, is part Hawaiian, as are our daughters. Their identity is important to them and to the world. I think it is vital that we expand how we see science beyond the limitations that all too often define the way the discipline is formally taught.

I am thrilled that many teachers are now using this film in their classrooms. 

The film was directed by Ruth Lichtman and Sharon Shattuck, who also created the exquisite paper puppetry which brings the story to life. The incomparable Regina Sobel helped produce it. 

So much of what I love about this newsletter is hearing from you. Please let me know what you think of this film in the comments section below.