Fanuel /. Muindi Civic Science Photojournalism
Welcome to my gallery showcasing my civic science photojournalism. The practice is best described as a way to tell stories through photographs about the civic nature of science – that is, the many ways the various actors in science engage with local communities to co-create solutions through science communication, citizen (participatory) science, science policy, informal science, public engagement, and others. My work documents the people, places, buildings, events, objects, installations, and more across the different collections. My hope is that it evokes new reflections, questions, and ultimately, conversations. Learn more.
< MAIN GALLERY >
The main gallery is a living space for some of my favorite shots. Check back often for new additions.
In San Francisco, Stephanie Fine Sasse serves as the founder the executive director of The Plenary, Co.) which is a “civic arts and sciences nonprofit creating a culture where collective knowledge, community agency, and public imagination can thrive.” The image is from a video where Stephanie is talking about their organization. Learn more.
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.
More from the 2017 March for Science in Boston
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.
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.
Finding myself / Building Communities /
Paying it forward
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.”
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.
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.”
First-time attendee (a high school student) at the 2025 Association of Science and Technology Centers Annual conference in San Francisco, volunteers at the “Ask Me” booth.
In March 2025, a science-art (more commonly known as SciArt) exhibit titled “Our Warming Planet: Visions of a Sustainable Future,” co-organized by Creative Malden and the Coffee Shop Artists in partnership with the city of Malden in Massachusetts, invited local artists to respond to Malden’s Climate Action Plan through mixed media works. Over 40 artists contributed more than 70 pieces, exploring themes from global environmental challenges to local sustainability efforts. Learn more.