De datos a historias: cómo comunicar ciencia en tiempos de cambio

Resumen del seminario

¿Qué ocurre cuando un modelo ecológico o una imagen satelital se transforma en una historia que informa y moviliza? Esta charla aborda cómo comunicar ciencia desde una perspectiva crítica y aplicada, reconociendo que la comunicación científica es también una práctica ética, política y territorial. A través de ejemplos como las caídas de golondrina de mar, modelos de riesgos de Pudú, el cambio de humedales urbanos en Magallanes, la planificación costera basada en evidencia y el desarrollo de portales climáticos en Patagonia, se explorarán estrategias de mapas narrativos (storymaps) y divulgación científica que permiten traducir datos complejos en herramientas para la toma de decisiones ambientales. En contextos de transformación socioecológica acelerada, divulgar no es simplificar: es parte del método científico y desempeña un rol central en la construcción de futuros más informados.

Ponente

Dra. María Paz Acuña-Ruz

Doctora en Ciencias Silvoagropecuarias y Veterinarias

MSc en Conservación de la Naturaleza e Ingeniera en Recursos Naturales Renovables

Profesora e Investigadora, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Chile)

Biografía de la ponente

María Paz Acuña investiga los sistemas socioecológicos desde la ecología del paisaje, integrando herramientas de sistemas de información geográfica (SIG), percepción remota y conservación de la biodiversidad. Su trabajo combina ciencia aplicada y comunicación científica para comprender y acompañar las transformaciones territoriales en ambientes terrestres y costeros.

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“From Data to Stories: Communicating Science in Times of Socio-Ecological Change”

Speaker

Dr. María Paz Acuña-Ruz

Ph.D. in Forestry, Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences | M.Sc. in Nature Conservation | B.Sc. in Renewable Natural Resources Engineering

Professor, Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez (Chile)

Abstract 

What happens when an ecological model or a satellite image becomes a story that informs and mobilises? This talk explores how to communicate science from a critical and applied perspective, recognising that scientific communication is also an ethical, political, and territorial practice. Drawing on case studies such as mass strandings of storm-petrels, habitat risk models for pudú deer, urban wetland change in Patagonia, evidence-based coastal planning, and climate data portals in Patagonia, the talk reflects on how to transform complex datasets into narratives that support environmental decision-making. Rather than treating “outreach” as something separate from research, the lecture argues that storytelling is part of the scientific method itself, especially in contexts of accelerated socio-ecological transformation. Communicating science is not simply about simplification; it is about co-creating tools to imagine and negotiate more just and informed futures.

Speaker Bio 

María Paz Acuña researches socio-ecological systems from a landscape ecology perspective, integrating tools from geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and biodiversity conservation. Her work combines applied science and science communication to understand and accompany territorial transformations in terrestrial and coastal environments. Her academic and professional trajectory focuses on biodiversity monitoring, spatial planning, and landscape ecology, with an approach that connects technology, environmental history, and local knowledge. She has led research, environmental management, and conservation projects in geographic contexts as diverse as the Andean highlands and southern Patagonia. Her work seeks to translate scientific evidence into action, collaborating with local communities, NGOs, government agencies, and strategic actors to develop science-based, enduring solutions that promote sustainability and biodiversity protection.