Science communication

Media and Outreach

We aim to communicate our science to diverse audiences, make science more accessible, and change how decisions are being made through disseminating our work more broadly. Here are some examples of how we communicate our science.

Media featuring our work

Radio

Our monarch-climate change experiment. CBC Ottawa morning. 30 August 2023.
Study investigates favoured fall menu of monarch butterflies. In Town and Out, CBC Radio. 10 September 2022.
Why researchers are keeping tabs on European Common Blue butterfly. CBC Ottawa Morning Radio show. 21 July 2021.

Print interviews

Ontario praying mantises are moving further north. What does it mean for insect decline? Cottage Life, 19 July 2023.
Researchers probing the drinking habits of monarch butterflies that fuel an epic journey. Ottawa Citizen, 9 September 2022.
Global warming is mixing up nature's dinner time, study says. Associated Press, April 2018.
'Leads to a mismatch': Climate change may be putting the natural world out of synch. The Canadian Press, April 2018

Blogs

Butterflies plant preferences may be changing- and in an unexpected direction. Canadian Wildlife Federation. 25 May 2023

Public science

TV

Can we survive an insect crisis? The Agenda, TVO. November 2022

Articles

Harnessing the power of practical science on climate. 7 July 2023. Hamilton Spectator.
Why is Canada's largest butterfly, the Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes) moving northwards? Ontario Insects 28.2 (June 2023)
Plain language summary for Foster et al. 2022: pdf
Challenging the paradigm of non-native species. The Conversation Canada. 22 February 2023
The role of non-native nectar in the diet of Monarch butterflies. Wild Pollinators Partners, 2 February 2023
Does Hypena opulenta prefer DSV grown in the sun or does it thrive better on shade-grown plants? By Sharla Foster. Trail and Landscape Oct-Dec 2021. pg 170. Short summary: Ottawa Field Naturalists Club. 7 October 2019.

Public talks

The role of non-native plants in butterfly communities. North American Native Plant Society. Sept 19 2023
Finding glimmers of hope in insect conservation in the face of climate change. BIMBY speaker series. David Suzuki Foundation, August 2023.
A conversation with artist Valérie Chartrand about insect declines. Mentoring Artists for Women's Art, April 2023. Video
Ontario Invasive Plant Council conference. January 2023.
- The role of non-native plants in the nectar diet of the monarch butterfly. Heather Kharouba
- Using invasion history to quantify equilibrium in over 250 invasive plant species in North America. Maisy Roach-Krajewski (Authors: M. Roach-Krajewski, H. Kharouba, T. Smith)
- Reconstructing the 130-year history of dog-strangling vine in North America. Tyler Smith (Authors: Sharla Foster, H. Kharouba, T. Smith)
Toronto Entomologists' Association member's meeting. November 2022
Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists member's meeting. Nature Talk. March 2022

Upcoming talks

14 November 2023. Halton-North Peel Naturalist Club. Contact H.Kharouba for more info.