Documenting the practice of civic science in monochrome: a photo essay
The images in this small collection represent some of that work, which I have come to describe as civic science photojournalism as a way to tell stories about civic science solutions at the many intersections of science and society.
Photography has long been a personal outlet for me as a way to slow down and really observe the environments around me. It has been that way ever since I got my Sony Alpha 3000 DSLR as a gift from my wife back in 2016, which I still use today. Over the years, I’ve explored landscape, macro, and architectural-street photography. Some of that work has been self-published in the Reflections book series, but much of it actually lives on Google Maps, where I have found a more dynamic way to share it.
For a long time, I treated this creative pursuit as separate from my professional work. But one thought kept resurfacing: what if I could connect this passion with my professional work of documenting the civic landscapes of science? Looking back now, the link seems obvious, but I was too close to see it at the time.
I’d long admired Ansel Adams’ black and white landscapes. I found stripping away color asked more of me. I had occasionally experimented with monochrome images, but it all clicked when I began applying that approach to photographs I was already taking at science engagement events and of civic science activities more broadly that I encountered in the field. The absence of color opened up new questions and new ways of seeing.
I wondered if others would respond in the same way. Slowly, through feedback and conversations, I realized they did.
The images in this small collection represent some of that work, which I have come to describe as civic science photojournalism as a way to document the practice of civic science visually. The images reflect moments in time that are meant to prompt the viewer to pause, reflect, and perhaps enter into conversation. It is often those conversations, when I am talking with viewers at exhibits, that linger with me most.
I have been fortunate to exhibit in galleries across Massachusetts such as the Attleboro Arts Museum, Fountain Street Gallery in Boston, The Beebe Estate in Malden, and Follow Your Art Community Studios in Melrose over the past few years. Other locations include the New York Academy of Sciences, Brandeis University, New York Institute of Technology, and the University of California, San Francisco. Along the way, I have also received microgrants from funders such as the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Biochemical Society from the United Kingdom, and the American Society for Cell Biology’s COMPASS Outreach funding program. Altogether, these opportunities have encouraged me to continue exploring my artistic side to surface questions and spark new conversations among civic science enthusiasts.
An attendee at the March for Science holds a handmade banner during the public rally in Boston on April 22, 2017 which coincided with Earth Day. The rally was one of many coordinated events worldwide anchored by the main event in Washington, D.C. Stephanie Fine Sasse, founder of The Plenary Co.,on stage before delivering a presentation titled “Unleashing Civic Imagination: Principles for exploring real-world issues through science, art, and community insights” at the 2025 Science Talk Conference on North Carolina State University’s campus on April 4, 2025. A participant looks on as a parent and child add their one-word describing their story in science to a board with the hashtag #storiesinscience at an event hosted during the 2019 Cambridge Science Festival in Massachusetts.
Travelers walking outside Union Station in Washington, D.C., where inside, NASA hosted an Earth Day celebration outreach event on a surprisingly hot day on April 21, 2023. The event inside featured booths where travelers could engage with NASA staff members and scientists about the agency’s ongoing work.
Dr. Christine S. Grant, Associate Dean of Faculty Advancement, Professor of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University, presents her talk titled “STEM Resilience: Your Secret Weapon!” on day 2 at the 2019 Scientista Symposium on Harvard Medical School’s campus in Boston. The Scientista Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that “empowers early career women to succeed in careers in science, technology, engineering, math and medicine (STEMM).“An educational display installed by Rhode Island’s Green Infrastructure Coalition explains how the site uses permeable pavers and native soil to filter polluted stormwater and reduce flooding. It also highlights additional benefits of green infrastructure—such as lowering utility costs, creating local jobs, improving wellness, and making public spaces more welcoming.The installation is located outside Save The Bay’s Hamilton Family Aquarium in Newport, RI, near the city’s central bus depot. Photo taken on July 13, 2025. Attendees packed the 2017 Science Carnival & Robot Zoo, which featured activity booths, demonstrations, live music, and installations hosted by local scientists, community members, non-profits, start-ups, universities, and others. Hosted during the annual Cambridge Science Festival, the carnival took place at the Cambridge Rindge & Latin School on April 15, 2017.
Catherine Devine (second from left) answers a question as a panelist during the annual Science Talk Conference at the McKimmon Center at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. Titled “Defining Civic Science: Connecting Science and Society,” the panel aimed to “examine the concept of civic science in light of urgent science communication challenges.” In the audience were science communication practitioners and scholars. The panel was moderated by Brian Southwell (right). Other panelists: Amml Hussein (left), Jylana Sheats (third from left), and Andrew Makohon-George (second from right). Photo date: Apr 4, 2025.
An award-winning bilingual science communicator Mónica Feliú-Mójer gives a talk titled “Finding Myself, Building Communities and Paying It Forward” at the 2019 Cultivating Ensembles conference that took place on the campus of New York Institute of Technology. Cultivating Ensembles states that it “brings together individuals with different sensibilities and interests in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) to celebrate the interwoven nature of sciences, technologies, humanities, and arts as human activities.”A shopper explores a calendar of events listed by EcoExploratorio: Museo de Ciencias de Puerto Rico located inside the Plaza Las Américas mall in San Juan, PR. EcoExploratorio’s mission is to “inspire people to understand the natural systems of earth and space, while building community resilience through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.” Photo taken on June 22, 2023. Professors Danielle Allen and David Kaiser respond to audience questions as they wrap up their conversation during the packed ‘Science and Democracy’ panel on January 9, 2025 which was open to the public. The event, co-hosted by the Museum of Science in Boston and The Boston Globe, was moderated by Tim Ritchie, President of the Museum of Science. One of the questions posed by an audience member addressed the temporal misalignment between science and democracy.Blending her training in biology with visual storytelling, Caroline Hu presented Mighty Metamorphosis as part of her participation in the Artist Residency Program at Industry Lab—a coworking space in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that brings together artists, scientists, designers, and engineers. The program offers Greater Boston–based artists space and community for self-led professional development and experimentation. The exhibit explored metamorphosis as both a biological process and a metaphor for growing up. As Hu explained in the wall text: “Adolescence is wondrous and messy… but at least we humans do not have to literally rupture, dissolve, or grow a whole second body to make it to adulthood.” What I believe was at the center of her installation was a graphic novel-in-progress about a young periodical cicada who emerges early from her 17-year cycle to interview other metamorphosing animals. The show also featured framed illustrations, zines, a hand-crafted mycelium microphone, and quotes drawn from community interviews with other residents of Industry Lab about their own experiences of personal transformation. Reflecting on her own transition from scientist to artist, she told me, “I found myself wanting to be a science educator who reached out to middle grade, young adult audiences, and I myself was going through this massive transformation from being a bench scientist to now a practicing artist. So it kind of just naturally fell into place that, like—why don’t I make comics about biological transformations, perhaps the most dramatic and famous ones of all, metamorphosis.” Hu is currently an Assistant Professor of Biology in the Integrative Sciences and Biological Arts (ISBA) program at MassArt in Boston.Photographed on June 24, 2018 in Boston’s SoWa district Open Market, this structure appears to depict what I can best describe as a cybernetic eye, assembled from circuit boards, wiring, tubing, and other salvaged materials. The piece potentially suggests a gaze shaped by machines, evoking questions about the many intersections between science and society. The artist is unknown. The SoWa Open Market website states that it “is one of the largest open-air farmer and artist markets in Boston (during the warmer months) featuring regional and local vendors, plus food + beverage trucks, nestled among artist studios, galleries, and retail shops on the pedestrian-only Thayer Street.”
These photographs represent a small selection of moments that illustrate some of the categories civic science photojournalists might choose to focus on. These include spaces, gatherings, people, installations, ideas, impact, and so much more. Each category represents a point of interaction that offers moments for documentation and reflection. My vision is for this work to be showcased at science museums, scientific conferences, local art galleries, and other spaces where it could spark new conversations.
Behind the scenes
Most of the work is completed with my Sony Alpha a3000 ILCE-3000K 20.1 MP Mirrorless Digital Camera, but I also mix it up with my iPhone. The DSLR is quite old, relatively speaking and cumbersome to carry around, but it gets the job done. Over the years, I have upgraded the lenses to improve the quality of the photos. I currently shoot with the Sony SELP 18105G E PZ 18-105mm F4 G OSS lens. Below are some of the images behind the scenes.
Fanuel Muindi is a former neuroscientist turned civic science ethnographer. He is a professor of the practice in the Department of Communication Studies within the College of Arts, Media, and Design at Northeastern University, where he leads the Civic Science Media Lab. Dr. Muindi received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology and PhD in Organismal Biology from Morehouse College and Stanford University, respectively. He completed his postdoctoral training at MIT.
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