IAN eNewsletter Articles - Integration and Application Network

Telling stories to communicate science

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:27:12 -0500

COSEE Coastal trends frequently uses videos to illustrate how people are connected to the natural world and scientific discovery. Last week, at the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) meeting in Portland Oregon, COSEE Coastal Trends staff had the opportunity to share their work and learn new story telling techniques with scientist-turned-filmmaker, Randy Olson. Cassie Gurbisz submitted the Observing the Ocean video she wrote, edited, and filmed to Olson's workshop session. The video received good reviews and workshop participants offered suggestions for enhancing the story telling components. COSEE Coastal Trends and IAN will continue to explore how to use stories to make personal connections and communicate science.

NPS workshops on natural resource assessments and lessons learned

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:27:12 -0500

On January 27, IAN staff Bill Dennison, Tim Carruthers, and Jane Thomas met with natural resource staff from Antietam National Battlefield, Monocacy National Battlefield, and Manassas National Battlefield Park, along with staff from the Inventory & Monitoring Program of the National Park Service (NPS) National Capital Region Network. The workshop focused on the outcomes from the ongoing natural resources condition assessments for these three cultural resource parks. An outcome from the workshop was the production of two 'lessons learned' brochures, based on some overarching themes and results from the assessments. These brochures were presented at the NPS Water Resources Division meeting at Fort Collins, Colorado.

IAN and EcoCheck bid farewell to Emily Nauman

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:27:12 -0500

Emily joined IAN in 2007, and excelled in her internship. She moved on to the position of science communicator for EcoCheck where she contributed to a large number of science communication products and participated in a variety of training programs. Emily worked closely with Professor Nelson Marshall, to complete "Oceanography: An Observer's Guide", published by IAN Press. Emily also provided invaluable assistance in completing the IAN book, "Integrating and Applying Science". Emily is taking a job in Cincinnati, Ohio as a Science Communicator / Technical Writer, working in close association with the Environmental Protection Agency. This is a dream job and location for Emily, utilizing her considerable talents and being close to family and friends. Of course, she will be leaving behind good friends and close colleagues here in Maryland. We will miss Emily's wonderful smile and great attitude and look forward to finding ways to work with her in her new job. Emily is going to continue to work for IAN a day per week for the next 6 weeks to help us get through report card season.

New EcoCheck Science Communicator - Sara Powell

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:27:12 -0500

Sara joined EcoCheck as a Science Communicator in February 2010. She is a South Carolina native, and received both her undergraduate (Marine Science) and graduate (Environmental Health Sciences) degrees from the University of South Carolina. Sara has worked on several research projects that link GIS, environmental management, and community outreach. She recently finished up work on a project with homeowners groups from Lake Wateree, SC, where she advocated for citizen stewardship of water resources by promoting education and enlisting local volunteers to undertake water quality monitoring. In her free time Sara enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, and spending time with friends and family.

Science of Marine Managed Areas

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:16:36 -0500

Continuing work with Conservation International's Marine Management Area Science (MMAS) program, Bill Dennison, Tim Carruthers, Caroline Wicks, and Jane Thomas from IAN and Ecocheck attended workshops in Boston in December 2009 and January 2010. IAN staff worked with the lead scientists from the different project components, summarizing results from the node field sites in Panama, Brazil, Fiji, and Belize. The outcomes of the workshops were drafts of synthesis products from the MMAS program: (1) 'Ecological monitoring', which will be a four-page policy brief summarizing monitoring of coral reefs at the node sites; (2) 'Living with the Seas', which will be a booklet summarizing the ecological effects and implications of marine managed areas; and (3) 'Community Health Index', which will be a booklet on the development of a health assessment tool for coral reefs.

Beach bacteria models integrate remote sensing and IOOS data to protect public health

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:16:36 -0500

EcoCheck is developing daily forecasts for bacteria conditions at several beaches in the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina that are impacted by stormwater. Working with partners at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), the University of South Carolina, and the South East Coast Ocean Observing Region Association (SECOORA), EcoCheck is creating updated models by integrating data from state beach program sampling data, remote sensing, and Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) buoy data. These data can improve model predictions and create the potential for forecasting several days in advance. Models are developed to alert program staff to conditions that are likely to result in high bacteria counts and therefore warrant issuance of an advisory to beachgoers. This project is developing data management and processing tools to allow transfer of the approach to other beaches on the Atlantic coast.

Science communication course at the University of New England

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:16:36 -0500

On January 12-13, Science Communicators Joanna Woerner and Emily Nauman presented a Science Communication course at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. Twenty-two professionals from organizations such as The University of New England, Wells Reserve, Maine Drinking Water Program, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Maine NEMO Program explored how to synthesize data in conceptual diagrams, presentations, and print documents. Participants left the course with drafts of science communication products describing a variety of topics including threats to drinking water, benefits of vegetated buffers, endangered species management, and household pollutant minimization. We look forward to seeing how they continue their outreach and communication efforts.

New EcoCheck intern - Christine Thurber

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:16:36 -0500

Christine has joined EcoCheck as a Science Communication Intern. She recently graduated from Assumption College in Worcester, MA, studying biology and environmental science. Christine worked with wetland scientists for two years at an integrated services engineering firm and also volunteered as a water quality monitor through the Blackstone Valley River Coalition. After graduation she spent the summer studying harmful algal blooms at Horn Point Lab and Gallaudet University. It was through the Maryland Sea Grant Research Experience for Undergraduates at Horn Point that she learned about IAN. In the fall, Christine interned for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Patuxent Research Refuge, conducting environmental education for the public. She has a wide range of interests in biology and environmental science, and is utilizing this internship to determine a course of study for graduate school. She loves photography, writing, hiking, camping, kayaking, and rock climbing, as well as recreational volleyball and frisbee.

Engaging the public to help preserve the unique natural and cultural resources of two National Parks in Hawaii

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Following up from an August visit and series of on-site workshops run by IAN staff Tim Carruthers and Jane Hawkey, three science communication products have just been published for two Hawaiian parks in the National Park Service's (NPS) Pacific Island Network. For Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park (HAVO) on the big island of Hawai'i, two flyers target resident or off-island audiences in an effort to enlist their help in preventing the spread of invasive plants and animals, especially in areas yet to be overrun by these alien species. For Kalaupapa National Historical Park (KALA) on the island of Molokai, a poster designed for resident and off-island audiences features both the cultural and natural history of this remote peninsula, and highlights the unique native plants and animals found here that are currently challenged by invasive species, overfishing, pollution, and climate change.

New partnership to standardize indicators and methods in Chesapeake Bay

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

EcoCheck initiated a new effort to develop standards for data collection and analysis by watershed organizations and tidal volunteer monitoring networks. Participants include representatives from the Nanticoke, Choptank, Chester, Sassafras, Magothy, Severn, South, West/Rhode, and St. Mary's Rivers, with additional members expected to join. Currently, each organization collects and reports data for different indicators and in different ways, making comparison between datasets difficult. This new effort tasks the group with identifying a core set of indicators that should be collected, developing standard sampling and analysis methods for those indicators, and establishing common considerations for designing sampling schemes. Guidelines will be produced for other non-profit or volunteer-based groups assessing ecosystem health, and will hopefully lead to a rich and robust data set that can help fill a critical data gap in Bay tributaries.

IAN hosts climate change workshops

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Maryland is a national leader in planning for climate change, and IAN is helping the adaptation planning effort. The Adaptation & Response and Scientific & Technical Working Groups of the Maryland Commission on Climate Change have been charged with taking state adaptation planning beyond coastal vulnerability (addressed in the Climate Action Plan in 2008). Kate Boicourt (UMCES) and Zoe Johnson (DNR) have been looking at impacts, strategy, and information gaps by establishing six sector-based subgroups: agriculture, water resources, bay & aquatic ecosystems, forests & terrestrial ecosystems, human health, and growth & infrastructure. Bill Dennison and Dave Nemazie have facilitated the first meetings. Common themes have been maintaining connections between sectors, managing for flexibility in the face of uncertainty, invasive species and pests, and concern about the capacity of current and future infrastructure to handle rapid change. Groups will meet again in the new year to hone the first comprehensive adaptation recommendations.

New IAN Intern - Kate Bentsen

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Kate started work at IAN this December as a Science Communication Intern, in her home state of Maryland. She graduated this May from Cornell University with a degree in Natural Resources, and spent the past five months in Washington State surveying streams in the Puget Sound. Past work experience has found her scattered across the country, working in stream systems of Montana and Idaho, the desert of New Mexico, and with salamanders in forest systems of upstate New York. When not in the field for work, Kate enjoys hiking, backpacking, reading, sending mail, and cooking.

STAR team formed at Chesapeake Bay Program

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

A new Science & Technical Analysis & Reporting (STAR) team has been formed to facilitate the scientific support at the Chesapeake Bay Program. The STAR team includes monitoring, modeling, geographic information science, web, and information management scientists and will be initially chaired by Bill Dennison. University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science staff at the Chesapeake Bay Program (Katie Foreman, Jeni Keisman, Sucharith Ravi, Guy Stephens, Ping Wang, Howard Weinberg, Jing Wu, and Guido Yactayo) will participate in the STAR activities to support the Goal Implementation Teams. The Goal Teams have been charged with delivery of the Chesapeake Bay Program targets and milestones. ChesapeakeStat is a data delivery system being created to provide resource managers accurate and timely information for decision-making, and the STAR team will populate the data layers, conduct analyses, and interpret data for ChesapeakeStat.

IAN sponsors MEES Colloquium: "Applying Science: Chesapeake Bay and beyond"

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

The Marine, Estuarine and Environmental Sciences (MEES) Colloquium is an annual event that brings graduate students, faculty, and alumni together from the different participating institutions within the University System of Maryland. This year IAN was proud to sponsor the event in downtown Annapolis. The first night's events were held in the historic Banneker-Douglass Museum. We were honored to have the Maryland Secretaries of Environment (Shari Wilson), Planning (Rich Hall), and Natural Resources (John Griffin) to discuss the role of science in their agencies and in the development of state environmental policies. We had a special guest speaker, NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold (a MEES graduate and former student of Bill Dennison), who gave an entertaining and informative talk on his recent Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station. The second day's meeting was held in the State Senate President Conference Room and was highlighted by student talks and presentations by Don Boesch and Bill Dennison on applying science.

IAN begins new partnership with Conservation International

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

The Integration & Application Network will be working with Conservation International on a series of booklets and guidebooks on their Marine Management Area Science (MMAS) program. The program has been working for four years on a variety of studies around the world, including socioeconomic, ecosystem health monitoring, and governance projects. These projects, based at nodes in Panama, Belize, Brazil and Fiji, will be synthesized into a variety of products that will be used by practitioners and policy makers. For example, Conservation International and IAN convened a workshop in November to mock up a booklet on People & Oceans, which focuses on MMAS program research results on the socio-cultural and economic well-being of coastal communities and society.

Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation conference in Portland, Oregon

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:00:00 -0500

The biennial Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF) conference, entitled "Estuaries and Coasts in a Changing World," was held in Portland, Oregon in November. The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) had a major presence at the meeting with various awards, sessions, posters, and presentations at the conference. Drs. Walt Boynton and Michael Kemp were recipients of the Odum Lifetime Achievement Award and Carolyn Keefe was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. IAN staff chaired sessions, presented both paper and electronic posters, and made presentations. IAN participants were Tim Carruthers, Bill Dennison, Ben Fertig, Katie Foreman, Adrian Jones, Jeni Keisman, Heath Kelsey, Bill Nuttle, Tracey Saxby, Jane Thomas, Ping Wang, Caroline Wicks, Michael Williams, and Jing Wu. IAN posters and presentations are available from IAN Press.

IAN hosting upcoming Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Science (MEES) Colloquium