IAN Press has been producing richly illustrated, informative books, booklets, reports, newsletters and brochures for nearly a decade. With the emphasis on effective science communication, these printed materials produced by the talented Science Communicators and Science Integrators of the Integration and Application Network have been used by resource managers, policy makers and scientists to better understand and manage environmental resources.
Field Manual for Water Quality Monitoring in Schools: An Environmental Education Program for Schools, Keith Mitchell & Bill Stapp … I found this to be a very useful book when I started showing kids how to monitor streams. There are some inspirational things in the book, particularly where they talk about all the different places in the world where this approach is being used. Shouldn't Our Grandchildren Know?
Two of Peter Oliver’s favorite words were ‘ praxis ’ and ‘ phronesis ’. These Greek terms were part of the vocabulary of the ancient Greek philosophers and used by Aristotle to describe practical wisdom (phronesis) and thoughtful, practical doing (praxis). They were used within a broader vocabulary to describe various elements of learning and knowledge.
This blog is the second part to a two-part series of ten recommendations for effectively communicating science. Listed are five recommendations on ways to effectively communicate science. Recommendation 6. Build relationships that will make science communication more effective … We have found that building key relationships with decision makers and their staff is important in delivering meaningful scientific advice at the time of decision making.
At the June Science and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC) meeting and at the Science and Technical Analysis and Reporting (STAR) meeting, we were presented with the scenarios of a $1.1-1.2 million dollar cut to the Chesapeake Bay monitoring program. This would be a nearly 25% reduction of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funding for the tidal and non-tidal monitoring. This monitoring program, which has been occurring continuously since ca.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead (1901-1978) This Margaret Mead quote is my favorite quote associated with building a team of competent people working on environmental issues. The quote is very empowering, as it reminds us that changing the world is not simply in the province of large organizations or powerful individuals.
This spring brings hopeful signs of an environmental awakening. I woke up this morning thinking about Rachel Carson. I wasn’t thinking about the author, exactly. It was more to do with the period of the early 1960s when Rachel Carson made a difference - a period of growing environmental consciousness as a prelude to taking action. Could it be that we are now in a similar period with respect to climate change? That possibility has put me in a cautiously optimistic mood.
The Sea Around Us, Rachel Carson … In seventh grade in Ohio, in the heartland of America and without ever actually seeing the ocean, I read Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us. I had become very enamored in everything to do with water, but my experience was confined to freshwater in the streams, rivers and lakes of Ohio, Michigan and Canada.
This post is part four of a four part series on scientific synthesis. In some cases, scientific synthesis is not the end product, rather it can be the start of a science application effort. In a case study to demonstrate the use of scientific synthesis which led to a science application effort, I will recount our efforts regarding global seagrass trajectories.
This post is part three of a four part series on scientific synthesis. The Integration and Application Network (IAN) was created to facilitate scientific synthesis as part of science applications. In many respects, the linking of integration with application is crucial, and IAN projects tend to use synthesis in order to create effective applications. The IAN approach to synthesis is similar to the previous blogs (Parts 1 & 2 of this series) in many ways:
