Dena Seidel is an interdisciplinary social scientist with expertise in sustainable food system research and science communication who combines Anthropology, science storytelling and ethnographic documentary filmmaking to facilitate food system development plans and STEM learning research. Seidel has a Master’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology with years of experience learning from, and working with, Pacific Island indigenous leaders who live at the forefront of climate change. Seidel is the honorary Ambassador-at-Large for Research and Academic Partnerships for Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia. Trained at the Green Climate Fund structured dialogues in Micronesia and Korea, Seidel is currently a Co-PI and the project coordinator for the Green Climate Fund Climate Resiliency Among Farming Households in the Federated States of Micronesia Baseline Survey where Seidel facilitates the project’s data gathering operations between four Micronesia state governments, local NGOs and Rutgers university food system scientists. Seidel is also an award-winning science filmmaker and the director/producer of several original feature films about Rutgers climate research for wide reaching audiences. The creator/designer of Rutgers first film production courses and programs, Seidel was the first university professor to produce research-based feature length science films for national broadcast while including undergraduates in the creative process. Twelve science and research films that Seidel produced with her undergraduate students have reached broad audiences through a variety of venues including PBS, Netflix, PIVOT TV and iTunes and have demonstrated the effectiveness of university produced science films to appeal to, and reach, the larger public
Journal articles:
2022 D.K. Seidel, M Staffen, X. Morin, J.E. Simon, O. Schofield Building a Collaborative, University Based Science-in-Action Video Storytelling Model that Translates Science for Public Engagement and Increases Scientists' Relatability. Frontiers in Communication: (under review).
2021. Simon, J.E., D. Acquaye, R. Govindasamy, J. Asante-Dartey,R. Juliani, B. Diouf, M. Diatta, P. Langenhoven, E. Van Wyk, N. Hitimana, D.K. Seidel, E. Merchant, L. Amakuze, S. Weller, D. Hoffman, Qing-Li Wu Building Community Resilience through Horticulture Innovation in Scientia 134:13-21
