Life Sciences student ready to put the power of storytelling to work in connecting, informing and inspiring

Eeman Najeel has spent her undergrad laying the foundation for a future in science communication.

It’s a field the Honours Life Sciences student knew little about when she started at McMaster four years ago. But then she took electives taught by two science communication experts in the School of Interdisciplinary Science – associate professor Katie Moisse and assistant professor Alexander Hall. It was in Katie and Alex’s courses that Eeman found her calling – one that combines her passions for science, communication and advocacy.

“To solve some of the biggest challenges facing our world, we have to bridge the gap between what the public understands and what the science is telling us.”

Eeman’s already doing her part. She teamed up with longtime friend Lucas Bedi-Vona and secured an Oakville Youth Climate Action Fund grant. They grew up in Oakville and spent their childhoods exploring the city’s trails and parks.

They used their grant to create and distribute a practical and actionable tip sheet for Oakville homeowners looking to reduce their carbon footprint through sustainable living. It includes at-a-glance information on EnerGuide energy audits, sustainable yard and garden practices and green transportation options.

“When residents know what they can do, they’re far more likely to take meaningful action,” says Eeman, who adds their tip sheet was a hit with homeowners. “Our project was just one step but it’s these collective efforts that lead to lasting change.”

Eeman’s now focused on her fourth-year thesis project where she’s comparing media environments in Dubai and Canada. She’s hoping those comparisons will help uncover challenges and opportunities in communicating scientific knowledge to diverse populations.

Another set of electives – this time creative writing courses offered through the Faculty of Science – let Eeman pursue her lifelong passion for poetry. She published her own anthology and then published another as editor with McMaster Unspoken, a student club that brings together the university’s poetry community through publications, workshops, coffeehouses and slams. As editor, Eeman threaded poems and prose into chapters for the club’s just published Myth & Memory anthology.

With her undergraduate degree fast coming to a close, Eeman says she’s ready to build on everything she learned and did while at McMaster. “Whether it’s through poetry, prose or science communications, storytelling can build understanding and drive change. Words have the power to connect, inform and inspire. Beyond all the data and discoveries, science is about people and impact and those are the stories I want to tell.”