January 2026 - Research by Meghan Collins, written by Meghan Collins & Luisa Ortega
Mountain Rain or Snow observers have contributed over 112,000 observations since the launch of the project in 2020. We have published numerous papers in scientific journals and shared our research at many conferences, but our commitment to sharing science doesn’t stop there. We share blog-style “report-backs” on our website and through our newsletters to bring Mountain Rain or Snow science back to the observers who make it possible.
Our team believes science should be clear, relatable, and easy to connect with. We believe that when people see the relevance of science to daily life, they’re more curious, engaged, and prepared. In sharing our work in this way, we seek to build trust and transparency, especially in moments of winter weather uncertainty, when communities need reliable information to make informed decisions.
One important dimension of Mountain Rain or Snow research focuses on advancing how scientists can better communicate our research to community observers. Using what we have learned during this project, we developed a science communication “guide” that illustrates how research results can be adapted meaningfully to show how citizen science participation influences science – filling the gap between discovery and impact on the world. This approach to science communication is intended to empower citizen scientists not just to collect data, but to engage with it, question it, and value their part in the scientific process.
The guide draws together three strategies for sharing research results: narrative, scaffolding, and relatability. We illustrate the way these three strategies work together through the metaphor of a staircase (Figure 1.).
Narrative, or storytelling, helps to draw in the reader and leads them through the logical and compelling stages of the work to create meaning. A simple scientific narrative provides the background, problem, and solution of scientific work. If we were building a staircase, narrative would be the ‘steps’. Researchers are trained to write very technically, which can easily lose the reader. To overcome this, using a modern version of an ancient storytelling structure can help to organize the scientific into an engaging format. The three ‘steps’ can be outlined within three simple questions, which you might even recognize from previous report-backs:
1. What are the questions we ask with the help of your observations?
2. What did we learn by using your observations?
3. Why does it matter?
These questions form the “beats” of a story that help the scientific information unfold in a more compelling way.
Next, we make sure that the content is presented in digestible pieces using a strategy from education called scaffolding. Scaffolding involves presenting information piece by piece in a thoughtful manner to help the reader build understanding of a new topic. In the staircase metaphor, the entire staircase is built of smaller bricks that create a larger whole, piece by piece. Picking the right ‘bricks’ is a chance for researchers to think about the words and details that best support the main idea.
The third strategy in our science communication guide is relatability. When researchers communicate their science, it is often a challenge to frame their work in a way that resonates with public audiences without losing the main ideas. Science is relatable when it connects to readers’ experiences and elements of daily life. In the staircase metaphor, relatability is the overall design of the staircase, which needs to consider context, intended uses, and intended users. For example, a staircase built for a daycare will be designed differently than one built at a football stadium; likewise, a staircase built in snowy Alaska might have different features than one leading to a beach in the Caribbean. Sharing science in a relatable way helps to present the results clearly and accessibly so readers can connect with the solution.
Though the guide has been used for Mountain Rain or Snow observers, it is formatted to fit any discipline that wants to expand the reach of their work. The guide’s purpose is to be a versatile tool that puts science into action.
Figure 1. Building a staircase as a metaphor to highlight the three Mountain Rain or Snow Report-back strategies. Narrative or ”beats” of a story are represented by the steps. Scaffolding of fundamental concepts to build new understanding is represented by the bricks. Relatability, or the design of communication that considers the needs and preferences of the audience, is represented by the overall design and shape of the staircase.
To find out how community observers are engaging with report-backs, the Mountain Rain or Snow team asked them two questions:
1. Do Mountain Rain or Snow observers read the report-backs?
2. Do the report-backs meet their expectations for summarizing research results?
Of the 279 survey participants, answers to question 1 show that 46% of respondents read the report-backs and 54% do not. In response to question 2, there were 124 comments. Five themes emerged from these responses: positive comments, explanation of why or how the report-backs meet expectations, suggestions for future report-backs, intention to read, and remarks about not being aware of report-backs. Overall, responses were consistently positive – many found the report-backs enjoyable, informative, and easy to understand. As for the last two themes, some observers said they plan to read more report-backs in the future, while others admitted they hadn’t realized the report-backs were being shared at all. These results give us the insight as to how observers engage with report-backs and how our team can improve report-backs over time.
One of the core values of the Mountain Rain or Snow project is that effective science communication matters! Understanding how your observations contribute to the scientific process is just as important as doing the science. Report-backs help build a relationship between researchers and observers to underscore that community participation makes an impact.
Understanding scientific works can feel intimidating, especially when most of us are unfamiliar with how it connects to daily life. That’s why the Mountain Rain or Snow team is focused on putting science into action. Variability in rain-snow lines in mountainous regions is an emerging concern in climate research. To address this, the project invites observers to contribute to real time data – a hands on approach that sparks curiosity about the natural world. In doing so, participation in community science reveals how these two-way interactions can inspire deeper engagement and continued exploration in science.
Collins, M., Hatchett, B. J., Tonino, S., Zhou, Y., & Hur, N. J. (2025). Report-Backs: A Customizable Science Communication “Model” for Reporting Results to Participatory Science Observers. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 106(7), E1392-E1400. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-24-0142.1
