Molly Edwards loved plants throughout childhood, eventually going on to study their development and evolution in college and later graduate school. She also developed a passion for the arts, practicing photography and learning video editing through extracurricular programs. During her undergraduate work, she missed these creative outlets. Then, while working as a research scientist before going to graduate school, she decided to combine her two passions by making science videos. While studying the genetic changes behind how a flowering plant adapted its nectar organs from bee pollinators to humming birds, she made videos that highlighted the exciting research in plant science and the researchers behind it. A decade later, this hobby is Edwards’s full-time job as she creates video content with her business, Science IRL.
What was your goal in creating Science IRL?
I met so many wonderful scientists who were creative, curious, and funny, but when people see researchers in the media, these qualities don’t come through. When I decided to start making videos, my goal was to show this side of science; I wanted to show how researchers took measurements in the lab or a sample in the field, as well as doing a happy dance after getting a really good result. I think that showing scientists being excited about their work makes people more interested in becoming scientists themselves, and it can create a sense of belonging in STEM seeing what researchers are really like.
How did Science IRL become your career?
Molly Edwards worked on a video for the Arnold Arboretum when one of their rare-blooming plants, Amorphophallus titanium, flowered. Edwards’s work as a science filmmaker takes her all over the country with her business, Science IRL.
Submitted by Molly Edwards.
It was unexpected! This project was really helpful during my PhD; it helped me get a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program award. When it was time to transition to a career, I reached out to my network of science communicators to find freelance jobs while I was looking for a permanent position.
Overtime, I started to realize that I could make freelancing as Science IRL work, so I again asked the people in my network about how to formally create a business. I trademarked “Science IRL” and “Science In Real Life,” registered for an LLC in my state, set up a business bank account, and purchased insurance for my company. I also bought up as many domain names related to my business as I could and created my website to showcase my work. Every step of the way had some challenge as well as cost; even though it was difficult, I was lucky enough to have some savings, and the experience of navigating obstacles in my PhD helped me get through the process as well.
What does a regular day look like for you?
I wear a lot of hats. I’m still a freelancer, so I am always looking for new jobs and collaborators to work with, from independent scientists or companies to other science content creators. Because my work involves a lot of contracts, I hired an intellectual property (IP) lawyer to help me draft language to make sure I own the IP I create. I make my own content for Science IRL. I also handle most of my own editing and logistics, and then since taxes as a business owner can be complicated, I work with an accountant to make sure everything checks out. I consider all of this administrative work into my rates.
Depending on the project, I may be doing the filming myself or working with a different film company. In the past few years, I worked with many scientists as part of the Broader Impacts requirements on their NSF grants; the recent changes to federal funding have upended a lot of those contracts, so I’m actually at a pivotal point where I am figuring out what the future will hold.
What have been some exciting projects you’ve been a part of?
When I started Science IRL, I made videos that ranged between five and 15 minutes. After graduate school, I started making much shorter videos for social media; it’s a really fun challenge to tell a full science story in one minute! Recently, I worked with the Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems to create videos featuring novel plant biotechnology research around the country. As part of that, I got to sit on top of the world’s largest phenotyping robot and see how drone footage can be used in science videos. I was also a Jackson Wild Media Fellow, which gave me the chance to meet so many amazing filmmakers, learn and grow so much as a videographer, and create a documentary. Through that, I also met Joe Hanson, the host of the PBS Digital Studios show Be Smart, which led to me writing some episodes and really seeing the behind the scenes of a show that I’ve watched for years.
What advice do you have for trainees interested in this career?
Find supportive mentors. Because I knew that I wanted to do science communication after graduate school, that was something that I had in my mind as I was interviewing mentors, and having my advisor support my decisions was really important to me. But you can also find other supportive people, whether it is someone on your committee or other science communicators. We have a pretty awesome community of people with a lot of knowledge. Conferences like ComSciCon are really great resources for that type of networking and learning about science communication. Also, make stuff and put it out into the world! It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you want to find some way to practice science communication.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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