About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of language in engaging the public about invasive species and features innovative outreach methods.

This week we're joined by our marketing and communications manager Emily Steele! We chat with Emily about how our words matter when we talk about invasive species and how we can encourage people to manage invasive species through value-based communication and engagement approaches. We also hear from Phil Anderson, a biology professor at University of Illinois, who shares his experience using cosplay and tabletop role-playing game themes to create inclusive and effective outreach events that teach non-scientists concepts from invasion biology through roleplay activities. Resources Learn more about cosplay for science at www.cosplayforscience.com Share your own Everyday Observation Was there something about this topic we didn’t cover? See something cool in nature? Let us know! Send us your question or share your everyday nature observation with us at go.illinois.edu/EEconnect , and we may share it in a future blog or podcast. Questions? We'd love to hear from you! Abigail Garofalo aeg9@illinois.edu , Erin Garrett emedvecz@illinois.edu , Amy Lefringhouse heberlei@illinois.edu Subscribe to our Newsletter Check out our Blog See the Everyday Environment Archives

People in this episode

Hosts: Abigail Garofalo, Erin Garrett, Amy Lefringhouse

Guests: Emily Steele, Phil Anderson

Topics covered

• invasive species
• communication
• outreach
• engagement
• biology
• role-playing

Keywords

• invasive species
• communication
• outreach
• cosplay
• role-playing
• biology
• engagement

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Illinois, cosplayforscience.com

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• Tree check! Spotting invasive pests early with Tricia Bethke · April 22, 2026 · 50 min
• When good plants go bad: invasives in the home landscape with Chris Enroth · April 15, 2026 · 47 min
• Looking back to move forward: using historical data to understand invasions with TJ Benson · April 9, 2026 · 37 min
• Wading through the data: understanding EDDMapS, a leader in invasive species mapping with Rebekah Wallace · April 1, 2026 · 46 min

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