From Research to Reach: Communicating DANUBE4all

An interview with Eimear Fitzgerald, Communications Lead (WP8)

You work at the intersection of communication and science.

What initially drew you to this field?

Well, my academic background is in Humanities - my early studies were in Human Geography and I went on to complete a Masters in Co-operative Organisation and Rural Development. I've always been very creative and took an opportunity to go back to art education and later, graphic design. I had been working in communication and PR and so, joining the team at MaREI seemed like a great step towards bridging my academic and creative sides.

How do you see communication shaping large, interdisciplinary projects like DANUBE4all?

I see it as essential for visibility, impact and the trickle-down awareness of European scientific projects as a whole, and particularly for large, cross-boundary projects such as this. Think of it - the Danube flows through or borders 10 countries - that's well over a hundred million people. The work that DANUBE4all and many other science and research projects throughout the river basin are doing will, at best, help to shape regional, national and EU policy and management decisions that affect those populations in real and impactful ways. We have an obligation to share our work with as many sections of society as we can.

Furthermore, the scientific community needs to engage with the public to spread factual and accurate information now more than ever. We need to show how, as a community, we are responding to our greatest environmental and natural resource challenges and lead by example through online communciations but also, and often more impactfully through outreach, art, school programmes, citizen science and imaginative, participative ideas.

From your perspective, what is the biggest communication challenge when it comes to river restoration and engaging diverse stakeholders across the Danube Basin?

I think the hardest challenge is in cutting through the sense of overwhelm among the public about climate change and worsensing environmental conditions, particularly online. Communicating progress and showing that there are many initiatives and people and communities out there who are creating impactful knowledge and real-world, creative change really does matter.

Projects with tangible physical, social and economic returns like DANUBE4all can help to show people that progress is possible and that they can be part of improving conditions at micro-levels by improving their personal connection to their waters and rivers.

Looking ahead, how do you see the role of new technologies - including AI-assisted tools -influencing scientific communication? What opportunities do they open for projects like DANUBE4all?

Well, many of us have seen science communication transform in the last 20 years. Science then was totally reliant on traditional mediums such as lectures, journalism and TV for exposure and platforming, compared to today where scientists are social media influencers and communicators in their own right with huge numbers of followers. It can be hard to filter out the noise, but there is no denying the potential in the multitude of creative platforms there are today to champion science projects and the good work being done.

In terms of AI, well AI tools present a range of new opportunities in science communication of course. One great example is in the area of multilingual communication as this can be an issue on international projects and, in the past, translating outputs has been a time-consuming or costly process. AI tools can also help speed up workflow in certain areas and make lighter work of day-to-day outputs, freeing up more brain space to delve deeper into more creative and imaginative outputs as well as more complex research breakdowns.

AI is definately not a catch all - I think most would agree that it has clear limitations. The parameters of such are already becoming obvious as the style and form of AI language and outputs reaches saturation in our written culture. The scientific community carries a particular responsibility to apply it transparently and carefully in order to maintain scientific accuracy, ethical standards, and public trust so that strengthens, rather than obscures, the integrity of our work.

DANUBE4all interacts with many other initiatives and projects. How do you see communication acting as a bridge across these efforts, and what is our role in strengthening these connections? 

I'm a huge fan of multi-disclipinary collaboration and we have built amazing networks in the last 3 years through our citizen science partners Pulsaqua and colleagues at IGB Berlin, IMSI and many more. As WP5 Lead, Sandra de Vries, spoke of in our Annual Newsletter intro this year, working directly with communities has revealed the profound impact of our collaborative approach to water stewardship. She spoke of the conversations, shared experiences, and collective actions that her team has witnessed proving that science belongs to everyone who drinks from the river, travels its lengths, fishes its waters, or simply enjoys its beauty. This is social capital and when it binds together and speaks and moves en masse, it has the power to create new, more positive realities.

We are of course part of The Danube Lighthouse, a key part of the EU's "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" Mission. The Lighthouse comprises 11 projects in total and we cross-pollinate regularly through conferences, Living Labs, research, publications and communications in order to strengthen the work being done as a whole and, ultimately, for the river.

Finally, on a personal note: at the end of the project, what would give you the greatest sense of achievement regarding DANUBE4all’s communication activities?

While meeting formal communication targets and metrics is of course welcome, the greatest sense of achievement would come from knowing that our work has genuinely resonated with people living in the region and beyond. That the images, videos, and stories, reports and project outputs we will have shared would move beyond us into the decision making sphere and the public arena to become real moments of progress, curiosity, and connection for people along the river.

Through the project, we've created and are continuing to create, some really connective social and artistic experiences as well as innovative, detailed scientific analysis, methodologies and outputs. I love that mix! I deeply appreciate that the planned interventions at our three Demonstration Sites are designed to help towards improvements in local river ecology and connectivity and will even aid several renaturalisation processes at our Upper Danube site in conjunction with network projects and organisations.

While the challenges are deeply complex, multi-dimensional and downright maddening at times, every environmental scientist, researcher, artist, and activist believes that making progress towards tangible environmental improvement is possible and must be worked for and created. It's our driving force, as individuals and as a collective.