Episode 11.8: Decoding science through storytelling

Meet Erin James, a professor of English in University of Idaho’s College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences. She's also the director of the university’s sustainability certificate and co-director of the Confluence Lab. In this episode, she explores how storytelling shapes the way we understand the environment and why interdisciplinary collaboration — across science, humanities and beyond — is key to tackling complex sustainability challenges.

Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu.

Have you ever struggled to decipher a scientific paper?

James studies narratology — the science of stories — and how narrative shapes human thought and behavior. Research shows that when we read or hear a story, our brains simulate the experience, activating the same regions used in real-life actions and emotions. That makes storytelling a powerful tool for helping people understand complex issues, including environmental change.

James applies this work through University of Idaho’s sustainability certificate and the Confluence Lab, an interdisciplinary initiative that brings together researchers from science, the humanities and beyond. The lab explores how storytelling can make environmental issues like wildfire more relatable, engaging and actionable — particularly in rural communities across the West.

Through projects like “Stories of Fire” and collaborations between students, scientists and artists, James and her colleagues are rethinking how research is communicated and even designed. Their work shows that sustainability challenges aren’t just scientific — they’re cultural, emotional and social. And solving them requires more than data. It requires better stories — and more voices at the table.

Music

“Young Republicans” by Steve Combs via freemusicarchive.org, not modified.
“Seaside At Dusk” by Michael Dowdle via Amphibious Zoo.

Chapters

(0:00) Have you ever struggled to decipher a scientific paper?
(02:40) Getting to know Erin James
(03:24) The science of stories
(08:46) The Confluence Lab and interdisciplinary research
(14:30) Narrative science
(20:04) Sustainability certificate
(27:24) Final thoughts