From Data Wrangling to Storytelling: an interns journey communicating waterway science
- 21 minutes ago
- 3 min read
The path from complex data to meaningful stories isn’t always clear, but for our intern, Sanjana, navigating that journey has been a defining part of her internship experience.
Currently in the second year of her master’s in marine biology at James Cook University, Sanjana joined the Healthy Waters Partnership (in collaboration with our partner, CSIRO) as part of her professional placement major. The internship has immersed Sanjana in a hands-on journey, integrating data analysis and science communication.
A different path in marine conservation
Originally from Mauritius, Sanjana’s passion for marine environments grew from years spent by the ocean and a strong desire to “give back and become an ocean guardian.”
When it came time to apply for an internship, Sanjana initially sought opportunities focused on species or ecosystem protection. However, she was drawn in a different direction after discovering an opportunity linked to CSIRO’s Social and Economic Long-Term Monitoring Program (SELTMP) for the Great Barrier Reef.
“What struck me was that this program looks at the human dimensions influencing marine protection,” she says. “I had never worked with socio-economic data before and was curious about people’s perceptions of waterways.”
Through this opportunity, Sanjana joined the Healthy Waters Partnership to develop a StoryMap communicating SELTMP findings to the public.
Navigating data and community perceptions
A key part of Sanjana’s internship involved analysing large survey datasets to better understand how communities value and interact with waterways in the Dry Tropics.
Sanjana strengthened her technical skills in Excel and R, turning survey responses into meaningful insights through extensive data wrangling and analysis. With tools like R Markdown, she created reproducible reports that generate visualisations of community perceptions across different waterway environments and frequency of interaction. She also created instructions to guide coding.
However, the biggest lesson extended beyond the technical work.
“The most important thing I’ve learnt is that results need to be presented in a way that is easy to understand,” she explains. “The goal is to communicate science to the public.”
Where data meets storytelling
This focus on communication led to the most valuable outcome of her internship: developing a StoryMap that brings together data, visuals, and narrative.
The StoryMap highlights how communities perceive waterways, emphasising that these insights are essential for effective management. It also reflects one of the Healthy Waters Partnership’s key priorities - empowering the community by making science accessible and relevant.
“For me, the aim of the StoryMap is to help people reflect on their own knowledge and actions, and to promote a greater sense of stewardship towards local waterways,” says Sanjana.
The road ahead
Alongside technical expertise, Sanjana developed confidence, critical thinking, and communication skills that will support her future career in marine science.
Her internship highlights the growing importance of combining data with storytelling to not only make science accessible, but to help drive community awareness, understanding and stewardship.
The next round of SELTMP surveys will be undertaken in the latter half of 2026 and will show how public attitudes have shifted between surveys in 2021 and 2024. The growing body of data will help Reef managers make more informed decisions that support the health of the Great Barrier Reef and the needs of the people who rely on it.
