Workshops & Facilitation
Workshops on Visual Thinking, Illustration, and Science Communication
Many scientific and environmental topics involve complex systems, relationships, processes, and invisible dynamics that can be difficult to communicate through text alone.
Through visual thinking and illustration, participants learn how to identify key messages, simplify complexity, and develop visual concepts that make research more accessible and engaging.
These workshops combine methods from visual communication, scientific illustration, design thinking, and science communication to help participants explore new ways of understanding and communicating their work.
Workshop & Teaching Experience
These workshops build on over a decade of experience designing and facilitating learning experiences across universities, public institutions, environmental organizations, museums, and community initiatives in Chile and Germany.
Today, they bring together my background in sustainability, visual communication, scientific illustration, and facilitation to help participants explore, understand, and communicate complex environmental and scientific topics through visual thinking.
The workshops are grounded in experiential and participatory learning approaches. Rather than focusing on lectures alone, they combine theory, reflection, hands-on activities, discussion, and application. Participants are encouraged to actively explore ideas, experiment with visual approaches, collaborate with others, and learn through practice and feedback.
Previous collaborations include workshops developed for the Deutsches Museum, Ökologisches Bildungszentrum München, and the Technical University of Munich, as well as projects with public and private organizations in Chile, including the Laboratory of Government and the Chilean Ministry of Environment. I have also taught courses at the University of Chile in the areas of public innovation and participatory methodologies.
Making Science Visible
An introductory workshop exploring visual thinking and visual communication through practical exercises, reflection, and collaborative learning.
Participants learn how to transform research topics into clear visual concepts, identify key messages, simplify complexity, and develop visual approaches for communicating ideas more effectively. Through sketching, discussion, and feedback, they explore how visual thinking can support both communication and understanding.
Suitable for: Researchers and Scientists, PhD students, Master students, Science communicators, Environmental professionals, among others.
Duration: 2–3 hours
Workshop Formats
Tailored Workshops
Workshops can also be adapted to specific audiences, themes, or institutional needs. Possible topics include:
Scientific illustration
Visual communication for environmental topics
Visual storytelling in science
Nature journaling
Creative approaches to science communication
Visual thinking for interdisciplinary collaboration
Testimonials
"Through techniques such as sequences, zoom-ins, cycles, and “with vs. without” comparisons, we learned how visual storytelling can make science more accessible to everyone. For the exercise, I chose a topic close to my heart: coral bleaching driven by ocean warming and acidification. By turning this into a visual narrative, I realized how powerful illustrations can be in helping people understand the information at a glance. This experience was a valuable reminder that data alone is not enough."
Saivarshinee Sadasivam, Climate and Ocean Communicator, Workshop Participant “Making Science Visible”, 2026
„Gestalterische Impulse aus Deinem Workshop in München habe ich direkt in meine aktuellen Projekte zur digitalen Lehre in den Bio- und Geowissenschaften eingebracht! Danke schön noch mal für den inspirierenden Workshop”.
Dr. Robert L Feller, Zoologisches Institut und Museum der Universität Greifswald, Workshop Participant “Künstlerische & visuelle Strategien in der Kommunikation von Biodiversität”, 2025
"In the final step -iteration- our group had much to exchange on, even though our topics could hardly be more different... At the end, many of us noted how much we enjoyed this collaborative element. Explaining a concept to someone outside your field is the fastest way to find out whether you actually understand it yourself and it's how you find the gaps."
Julia Reichelt, Project Manager, Workshop Participant “Making Science Visible”, 2026
"Valentina is proactive, creative, and incredibly thorough. Her passion for scientific illustration is evident in every aspect of her work, and she was a fantastic collaborator throughout the organization of the workshop. Reliable, responsive, and adaptable, she helped make the entire process smooth and enjoyable. Working with her was an absolute pleasure."
Antonia Kaspar, Scientific Associate at Deutsches Museum, Workshop Organisator “Making Science Visible”, 2026
"Your work and your development progress gives inspiration to my journey of bringing arts closer to my daily work, to think less of a perfect way and instead simply pick up a pencil, a brush... and practice a bit day by day."
Trang Lê, Workshop Participant “Making Science Visible”, 2026
Interested in organizing a Workshop?
Workshops are available for universities, museums, conferences, research groups, environmental organizations, and educational institutions.
If you would like to discuss a workshop or collaboration, please get in touch.
Workshops can be delivered in English, German, or Spanish.
