Hi, I'm Ashley!
My name is Ashley Michelle Diedenhofen and I am 26 years old, born and raised in sunny California! Currently I am living in North County San Diego.
I am a biologist and science communicator creating educational videos on social media about environmental science, marine biology, and sustainability. My goal is to inspire my viewers to be curious about the world around them, ask questions, and be influenced to make decisions that have a positive impact on the planet.
When I’m not in California you can find me traveling, and since travel isn’t the most sustainable activity I look for and share ways to do it in a more mindful fashion. I love experiencing new environments, foods, and ways of living as it gives me a fresh perspective and expands my knowledge.
My video topics range from reducing food waste and plastic use, explanations on current environmental events, behind the scenes learning about environmental projects, and “day in the life”s of my travel experiences and what I learn during them.
Other things I love are SCUBA and freediving (really just being near the ocean), cooking and baking (I love to experiment with new recipes), reading (especially historical fiction), creating detailed excel sheets, and going down rabbit holes on random topics I want to learn more about!
Want to work together? Let’s get in contact! Email me at scibyash@gmail.com.
FAQs
What is your educational background?
I graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BSc in Biological Sciences and a minor in Professional Writing with an emphasis on Science Communications. I also took an environmental film summer program that introduced me to video production and editing.
**UPDATE: Will be starting my Masters in Environmental Science and Management at the Bren School at UCSB in Fall 2024!
How did you become a science communicator?
I took a science writing course where I had to do a 10 minute presentation on coral reef bleaching and fell in love with the process of researching a topic and getting my audience excited about it. I especially loved using visuals.
At the time TikTok and short form video didn’t exist, but I knew I wanted to educate in a way that leans into visuals and short attention spans. When talking to a career advisor, the career of “science communicator” didn’t really exist.
I didn’t know what job to look for for the year after graduation so I chose to move to Australia on a one year Working Holiday Visa and try out some jobs there. I sent about 30 cold emails and got one reply from a professor whose son was working at the Sydney Observatory. A few months later I was working as a science educator talking about space! But then…
How did you end up on TikTok / making short form videos?
At the start of Covid I was about two months into my science education job at the Sydney Observatory. Without school groups coming through, I needed to find another way to occupy my time so I started making YouTube videos explaining topics like coral bleaching and ocean acidification. These were about 5 minutes long and had lots of fun graphics and animation (that I taught myself how to make). I was very awkward on camera.
As Covid continued, I decided to move out of my apartment and into the back of an SUV and road trip Australia for 4 months. At this point I didn’t have the time to make the YouTube videos so I started making unedited Instagram videos… also still very awkward on camera.
I returned to California December 2020 with the idea of doing a “holiday sustainability” series of videos where I learned about a sustainable topic and posted a tip I learned every day. My younger brother convinced me that TikTok was the place to do it. On Day 12 of my series, a food waste video of mine went viral (over 1 million views) so I leaned into the topic of food waste and grew my audience.
Have you always been interested in sustainability?
Yes and no. I have loved tide pools and the beach since I was young, I used to even go to marine biology summer camps. I also have always loved learning, and was naturally good at science and math. I’m not entirely sure what led me to start picking up sustainable habits like reusing jars, bulk food shopping, and trying out food waste tips, but it wasn’t until a month or two into creating videos that I thought “hey I guess I’m really into sustainability”.
Do you have any other jobs?
July 2022 I left my job as a process engineer in pharmaceutical manufacturing to become a full time creator! Recently I have considered looking for jobs that involve working on local environmental projects as a way of getting more involved. I also teach yoga sculpt!
How do you support yourself?
Mostly partnerships! I especially love when I get to visit a place, learn about something, and share what I have learned! Examples: eco travel with Visit Costa Rica x Leave No Trace, farm visits with both the California Avocado Commission and the Almond Board of California, trying out an induction cooktop, seeing a new paper recycling technology, and more.
Making free educational videos is not very lucrative or stable and I am actively looking for additional sources of funding, so if you know of anything please reach out!
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Still on social media making videos, ideally funded by someone like Nat Geo, NOAA, Patagonia, or something along those lines! I also want to make video courses as well – specifically about reducing food waste and a series about the California environment that can be shown in schools. I want to continue traveling and having new experiences that I make videos about, but also creating a base in California where I can start planting fruit trees, having my own hens, etc. Also I would love to work with young aspiring science communicators!