Sharon Gill is a sound ecologist and educator, whose research focuses on the impacts of human-driven environmental change on the sounds of nature, from birdsong to soundscapes. Alongside traditional forms of science communication, she engages in cross-disciplinary art+science collaboration, and uses storytelling and soundwalks to tell stories of nature. Her art practice centers on weaving, through which she explores nature’s gifts, environmental grief, and bird extinctions. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defence, and the Eppley Foundation for Scientific Research. Gill is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Western Michigan University.

TSN Conference 2026

January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 11:20 am – 12:20 pm // Room 104 // Coalesce: Science and Art Collaborations to Foster Environmental Engagement // In a challenging environmental landscape, unconventional approaches to engage people in conservation are urgently needed. Our panel of science and art students and professors will share perspectives on teaching and research practices to provide new insights into environmental issues and creative conservation solutions. As educators, we’ve created an interdisciplinary program that provides students with experiences that bridge science and art, fostering creative problem solving. Science students learn to communicate not only facts but also stories and data visualizations that engage audiences. Art majors learn about ecological processes and ideas that can be fertile ground for artistic exploration. As researchers, we use scientific and conservation evidence, artificial intelligence, and kinetic imaging to tell stories of bird extinctions. Together, we practice making our disciplines more relatable to each other and by extension, more relatable to the public.