A force of nature: meet the environmentalist making science social

By Camille Brandon

On an average day, you’ll find School of the Environment research student Ellie Sursara Eddy outdoors. Planting native trees, trying to attract more blue banded bees to her garden, or playing ‘frogmum’ to a Tawny Frogmouth bird. It’s part of everyday life for the keen environmentalist, who shares these moments with her community of more than 115,000 followers on social media.

Today, Ellie leads a full life as a UQ Master of Philosophy student, science communicator, and activist. But her connection to nature began during her childhood on the east coast, where she spent her days outdoors and nights watching wildlife documentaries.

"It was a natural progression – from being a kid who loved animals and could see a vulnerability in them, to realising that I could use science to improve that," Ellie said.

Close up picture of a koala in a tree taken by Ellie Sursara Eddy.

Image: Ellie Sursara Eddy

Images: Ellie Sursara Eddy.

It’s this passion for nature that’s led Ellie to use social media to voice environmental issues and educate others about native flora and fauna. But while she continues to use social media to share her passion, Ellie’s focus has always remained on advocacy over audience-size.

"One thing about social media is that it doesn't matter how many people are following you, because you can talk to your friends about stuff and it’s still as effective as anything else," Ellie explained.

"Your friend will see your posts and share it to their account, and 10 more friends see it and you're still raising awareness.

“People think that they can't use these platforms in any meaningful way unless they’re an internet celebrity, which is the wrong way to go about it.

"I think if you have a passion and you want to talk about it online, you should just do it."

With captivating imagery and engaging captions, Ellie’s social media posts aim to make scientific concepts accessible to all.

"The beauty of using social media as a means of science communication is that you get to reach people outside of your echo chamber," she said.

"You get to use visual material, like photos and videos, accompanied by a brief impact-driven caption that spreads awareness in a way that’s engaging and accessible for all kinds of people.

"A lot of science material can be dense and heavy, and often doesn't engage anyone except for the people who may be interested, which doesn't really help anyone.

"You need to broaden that horizon and reach people that may not pick up a book about climate change, but who might look at a picture and read the caption.”

In recognition of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, held annually on 11 February, Ellie shares her story in celebration of the instrumental role of women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.

“I always like to champion more women in science – I think there's not enough of us,” Ellie said.

“We're valuable. We're smart. And we get things done. So, I want to recruit more women to STEM. I don't care what science it is, just come and do it.”

Learn more about Ellie

Visit Ellie's website, or follow her on Instagram at biologist.ellie or yourhomehabitat.