Waves of Wonder: Marine scientists and artists collaborate to inspire environmental awareness
“I was thrilled to see a completely packed theater and students communicating unique and complex marine science concepts through visual and performing art to a public audience,” said Bethany Smith M.S. ’08, a marine educator for the Marine Advisory Program (MAP) at William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS, while describing recent Waves of Wonder (WoW) presentations.
To view an array of inspiring images captured during Waves of Wonder, view the full photo gallery.
Coinciding with W&M’s Year of the Environment, the WoW initiative was an Art & Science Exchange collaboration between W&M Arts & Sciences and the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS. The Art & Science Exchange is funded by the Office of the Provost to advance interdisciplinary, public-facing exhibitions, performances, workshops and presentations that promote the powerful interplay between art and science, foster collaboration across W&M schools and encourage innovative approaches to developing knowledge for the public good.
WoW unfolded across three vibrant events, bringing together students and faculty to explore novel methods of environmental storytelling. “We crafted a project that became a way to tell unique science stories through art and reach an audience we may not have been able to previously reach,” said Smith, who co-led the WoW project alongside Lisa Lawrence M.S. '96, the MAP marine education program leader.
The WoW series began with “An Afternoon of Art & Science” on the Gloucester Point campus of the Batten School & VIMS. The event featured a lecture on “The Art of Ichthyology” by Batten School & VIMS scientists Eric Hilton and Sarah Huber, accompanied by a live visual capture demonstration from artist Zara Fina Stasi ’12 that demonstrated how art can illuminate and communicate scientific ideas. “It's something you have to learn and practice, but anyone can do it and it’s useful in any industry,” said Stasi. “That's the power of visual capture.”
The momentum continued with a “Visual Capture Workshop” led by Stasi, designed to equip participants to reimagine how information from meetings, lectures and research can be made more accessible to wider audiences. One of the attendees was Anna Caputo M.A. ’23, a marine education specialist with the Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Virginia (CBNERR-VA). “This was a great way to communicate ideas that really broke the PowerPoint bullet format,” she said.
The culmination of the WoW program took place on W&M’s main campus in Williamsburg with “Exhibitions and Meditations from Waves of Wonder: A Marine Science & Art Incubator.” This multidisciplinary showcase paired undergraduates with Batten School & VIMS graduate students to create compelling art inspired by marine research.
Bayleigh Albert ’24, a current M.A. student who worked as both an organizer and artist for WoW said she was “proud” to present her immersive installation, “The Rise of Ruppia,” which highlighted the changing seagrass landscape in the Chesapeake Bay. She also praised the broader WoW initiative for underscoring “the importance of bridging these fields to engage broader audiences with current research.”
An emotionally resonant highlight of the evening was a series of original dance performances, supervised by Art & Science faculty member, Vicki Fink, who mentored students in her dance composition class as they translated marine science into motion.
“Microscopic Movements” was a much-discussed piece from Batten School & VIMS Ph.D. student Savannah Mapes and undergraduate dancers Julianne Abenoja and Maya Sheth. The choreography notably incorporated top-down stage projections to simulate a microscope view onto a screen behind the dancers, vividly bringing the story of red tide phytoplankton to life.
Batten School & VIMS Ph.D. student Miguel Montalvo, who also served as the science student liaison for WoW, worked with undergraduate Kaila Bertha to produce another performance: “Alluring Anatomy.” Describing their collaboration, Montalvo said, “It opened my eyes to other media that can passionately communicate science. Kaila’s dance was a fascinating reminder that scientists are often myopic about our work, and we should do better to bring in more humanity.”
“This was an exciting new experience for me,” echoed Bertha. “The focus of our piece was to illustrate the beauty of the bill fish larva, but I also wanted to express the passion that Miguel has for his research. I hope the audience felt that energy!”
By integrating visual storytelling into marine science, WoW showcased W&M’s commitment to both interdisciplinary innovation and ecological stewardship. The initiative not only fostered new ways to communicate marine science to the public but also empowered students to approach environmental challenges with creativity. “To hear an audience clap for science art is something new and different,” said Smith. “As a marine educator, it’s mission accomplished!”
For a full list of the creative projects and inspiring people involved in Exhibitions and Meditations from Waves of Wonder, view the digital program.