This talk highlights the importance of science communication. Despite the fear of public speaking, sharing research can directly impact lives. A three-minute research presentation led to a pediatric cancer patient receiving treatment, demonstrating how communicating science beyond the lab can translate into real-world benefits.

Adele Pentland, a pterosaur palaeontologist, has named Australia’s two most complete pterosaur species and described the country’s oldest specimens. Her work supports regional palaeotourism and has reached hundreds of thousands through museums, media, and outreach. She aims to inspire future scientists, especially young girls from diverse backgrounds.

This research examines how public engagement in science is shaped not just by researchers and audiences, but by institutions, environments, and material objects. By following PhD researchers across Europe, it investigates how engagement practices emerge, why they often remain exclusionary, and how understanding these “actors” can make science communication more inclusive.