Presented by
Lekelia Jenkins
The mission of Sci-Dance Impacts is to rediscover, revitalize, and harness the power of movement for science communication, education, and engagement. Sci-Dance Impacts use a facilitated in-person participatory science dance process to collectively create and discuss dance. Participants make meaning from conservation science research by applying the science in a process of embodying the experience of the animals, habitats, and human actors in a complex environmental system.
A preliminary evaluation of Sci-Dance Impacts approaches showed that participants: 1) voluntarily engaged in peer-to-peer sharing of knowledge while maintaining the integrity of the scientific information, 2) expressed newfound appreciation for wildlife conservation work, 3) found meaningful connections between the research and their own interests, 4) demonstrated new knowledge, 5) expressed concern for wildlife, 6) believe dance is a powerful tool to motivate more people to care about wildlife, and 7) expressed a desire to perform the dance again for more audiences.
Sci-Dance Impacts also researches the effects of science dance. Our current research will test the effect of science dance against two alternate science communication approaches and seeks to isolate the qualities that define the science dance experience.
More information about
Lekelia Jenkins, Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
Lekelia “Kiki” Jenkins is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, where she grew up fishing and crabbing recreationally. She completed a B.S. in Biology and Dance Minor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Kiki received her PhD from Duke University by pioneering a new field of study into the invention and adoption of marine conservation technology. As a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington (UW) she was supported by the David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellowship, which is awarded to rising conservation scientists who have the potential to change the face of conservation through entrepreneurial approaches. As an assistant professor at UW, she was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship in Ocean Sciences. She is now an associate professor at Arizona State University in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. As a marine social scientist, Kiki’s research interests center on the invention and adoption of marine technologies, especially for making fisheries more sustainable. As an award-winning dancer and choreographer, she is the President and Artistic Director of a dance school. Combining her science with her love of dance, Kiki practices and studies the use of science dance in science education, communication, and engagement