Science Films Can Inspire Mindful Observation That Grounds Audiences in Local Nature

Following the September screening of OBSERVER, panelists engaged in discussion. Pictured (left to right) are producers Eliza Schiff and Meredith DeSalazar; Sarah Goodwin, executive director of the Science Communication Lab; film-featured observer and biologist David Haskell; and J.D. Allen, lecturer at the School of Communication and Journalism. Photo by Julienne Schaer.

Surveys show science films help audiences comprehend new concepts through visual narratives.

During Climate Week NYC 2025 last September, more than 100 people gathered on Governors Island for a screening of OBSERVER, a documentary film from the Science Communication Lab. The New York Climate Exchange, Stony Brook University, and Science Communication Lab/Wonder Collaborative partnered to bring OBSERVER to the big screen. Stony Brook students, faculty and staff, as well as New York City residents and visitors for Climate Week NYC attended the event.

J.D. Allen, lecturer in the School of Communication and Journalism, and Sarah Goodwin, executive director of the Science Communication Lab, surveyed attendees before and after the screening. They found that dozens of respondents were mainly motivated to attend the screening by their interest in climate science, the unique venue on Governors Island and the event as part of Climate Week NYC. Attendees hoped to connect with others interested in climate science, feel emotionally moved and gain new perspectives at the screening.

"At the Science Communication Lab, we study how and , and what stays with them afterward," Goodwin said. "That insight helps universities, labs and collaborators tell better stories about complex topics like climate and biodiversity. The goal isn't just to inform, but to create experiences that resonate and shape how people engage with science beyond the screen."

"Engagement in science is critical to breakdown barriers in transdisciplinary collaboration," added Allen, who assists the Office of Marketing and Communications in developing strategies to make climate research meaningful to Stony Brook and its community.

Follow-up interviews were conducted with several attendees six months after the film screening. The interviews aimed to understand the emotional response to the film, as well as any long-term impacts on behavior. Four key takeaways arose from those discussions: the importance of mindfulness, connection to their local environment, observing with every available sense and how what they notice is inextricably linked to their lived experiences.

OBSERVER opens with naturalist David George Haskell and geologist Marcia Bjornerud each framing a spot to observe in Pantalica, Sicily, exploring a new landscape they hadn't been to before. Bjornerud chose to prop her frame - a red square that is thematically used throughout the film - upright, looking down the length of a gorge while Haskell laid his flat on the boundary between a stream and a bank. After swapping spots, each was surprised and a bit frustrated by the other's choice in frame placement. Eventually, Haskell took in the sounds of the cicadas and Bjornerud noted the relationship between two types of rock on the stream bank. She said, "Maybe there's more in this frame than I initially thought."

Attendees at the OBSERVER film screening had the opportunity to participate in the same activity. In pairs, they placed frames around Governors Island and observed, before swapping places with their partner. More than six months later, Jess Stallone, Stony Brook's senior director of external brand management, remembers choosing to frame a spot that included wilting flowers, as well as ones starting to bloom. When she compared her observations with her partner, she realized they had written about the earthworms wriggling around in the dirt under the flowers. Remembering the experience, she said, "We were all given the same tool and the way that we used it each was so different."

James Burney, who was visiting New York City from Virginia, said the film made him realize how important it was to "talk with people and understand what they're observing versus what you are." Several of those interviewed said they believe their life experience, environment and skills affect how they observe. Hadar Pepperstone, MS '26, added that, "No matter what you see, what your lens is, it's valuable and interesting."

In the film, Earyn McGee, a herpetologist, and Jessica Oreck, an artist and collector, both walk without destinations in mind. Earyn moves slowly so she can catch a glimpse of lizards before they dart away, and Jessica gazes over the ground for tiny treasures to add to her collection.

Slowing down to live more fully in the present was brought up in every interview as a lasting impact of the film. Following the film screening, Pepperstone made it a goal to take pause, and observe quietly with intention. In February, she visited a local nature preserve. She remembers noticing the sound of woodpeckers, animal tracks and the way a river had frozen over with ice. Stallone has also incorporated mindfulness into her life as well as her observation. She said, "We only actually live life in the present."

One chapter from the film follows Manu Prakash, a microbiologist, as he carries a portable microscope around Seoul. He visited food vendors, puddles on the side of the street, and eventually wandered down an alley to place his frame. Even though he is walking through an urban landscape, the microscopic world is still all around. Stallone echoed this sentiment in her interview, "Nature is around you, whether you put down concrete or not."

Zuzana Grochalova, a visiting scholar to Stony Brook in fall 2025, is active in local initiatives to conserve local fruit trees. Observing her local environment in native Slovakia made her aware of how extreme temperature swings were causing fruit trees to produce less fruit over time.

"This is a personal thing, being observant, to see those changes which are affecting our everyday life," Grochalova said. Ever since coming home from New York, she has been "slowing down and noticing things which you take for granted." For her, that means taking walks with her husband and noticing the birds in her local area more.

In the film, Juan Pablo, a recordist and amateur ornithologist, observes his world primarily through sound. He is blind, but this does not limit his understanding of his surroundings. In one scene, he is able to identify each type of bird whirling over a river.

Movie-goer Burney, who recalled hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2023, believes "in order to properly be an observer, you need to use all your senses." He described how the sound of birds, smell of the soil after a rainfall, and the feel of tree bark "opened up an entirely new world." Since returning home from the screening, he has changed how he observes birds in his area. Emulating Pablo, Burney intently listens.

The survey data will help inform the Science Communication Lab, which has long studied the impact of film on public understanding, motivations and behaviors toward science. The event and research was made possible by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the Schmidt Sciences and University of California, Santa Cruz Science Communication Catalyst Grant.

OBSERVER is freely available for classroom screenings with a free educator registration on the Science Communication Lab's website. Institutional licenses can also be obtained on the OBSERVER film website. OBSERVER will be available for individual screenings later this year.

"Six months later, people were still thinking about OBSERVER and even changing how they move through their neighborhoods. That's the kind of lasting impact we hope for. It shows that meaningful climate action can start with something as simple as paying closer attention to the world around you," Goodwin said.

- Judith Topham