“A society grows great when men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” 

– Greek proverb

Dieter Hochuli is an invertebrate biologist and urban ecologist from the University of Sydney that studies how nature survives in towns and cities. His research investigates the ecological, economical and psychological benefits of nature in cities, and how our modern way of life affects the plants and animals around us. 

In an interview with In Situ Science Dieter chats with us about how connecting with nature is being shown to have significant impacts on people’s health and well being, and that this connection can still happen even when you live in a big city. We also chat about the creative side of science and science communication, and how taking ourselves a little less seriously can be a great technique for approaching science and scientific careers. 

Follow Dieter on Twitter @dieterhochuli and check out his lab website here.

Music: ‘Strange Stuff’ by Sonic Wallpaper – www.sonicwallpaper.bandcamp.com