Blog posts categorized by Applying Science
The 5-day SESYNC short course on Social Network Analysis was taught by Lorien Jasny. Image credit: Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen

Adding value to “Network” in IAN: Exploring the potential uses of Social Network Analysis

Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen ·
19 June 2017
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Applying Science |     1 comments

Last June 5-9, 2017, I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in SESYNC’s short course on Social Network Analysis (SNA) taught by Lorien Jasny, PhD, who was a postdoc at SESYNC but is now based at Exeter University in the UK. This introduction and crash course on Social Network Analysis was a great opportunity for me, as I will be using SNA in my dissertation research.

Read more

St. Paul wraps around a bend in the Mississippi River. There are bluffs on the northern shore (St. Paul) and across the river, a wide, flat floodplain (West St. Paul). Image credit: google maps

“The most livable city in America”

Caroline Donovan ·
14 June 2017
Environmental Literacy | Science Communication | Applying Science |     1 comments

During the week of May 15th, I traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota, to attend and present at the 2017 Citizen Science Association Conference. Alex Fries and Suzi Spitzer from IAN also attended the conference. Check out Suzi’s awesome blogs on the conference. St. Paul is the capital of Minnesota and adjoins Minneapolis, which is the largest city in Minnesota. While the combined St. Paul-Minneapolis population is 3.52 million (Wikipedia), St.

Read more

The SAV SYN team gathered in Annapolis to discuss the project's direction. Image credit: Bill Dennison

More lessons on how to synthesize science

Bill Dennison ·
9 June 2017
Environmental Literacy | Science Communication | Applying Science | 

In a previous blog, I suggested six elements for science synthesis that we have employed in the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Synthesis (SAV SYN) effort. These six elements were the following: • Experienced leadership … • Limited size … • Multiple immersive workshops … • Regular communication … • Flexibility … • Product focus … I also discussed the following enabling conditions:

Read more

SAV SYN team at the UMCES Annapolis Office. Image credit: Bill Dennison

SAV SYN One Last Time

Bill Dennison ·
5 June 2017
Science Communication | Applying Science |     1 comments

We recently gathered the submerged aquatic vegetation synthesis team (SAV SYN) at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Annapolis office. This fourth and final working group meeting was convened to make progress on our two remaining publications, using Structural Equation Modeling (led by Jon Lefcheck) and seagrass trait analysis (led by Chris Patrick). The other major effort was to develop a segment analysis of SAV trends, drivers and factors affecting projections.

Read more

During my early-morning exploration of Saint Paul, I was able to see the inside of the city's gorgeous Roman-Catholic cathedral before morning mass (left), and the Landmark Center, overlooking statues of Peanuts characters in Rice Park (right).

"Up close and personal" Community engagement at the Citizen Science conference (part 2)

Suzanne Webster ·
31 May 2017
Environmental Literacy | Science Communication | Applying Science | Learning Science | 

In May I attended the 2017 Citizen Science Association Conference with Caroline and Alex. This blog is the second post about the conference, and the first part can be found here. On the final morning of the conference, I took advantage of the clear skies and dry sidewalks, and woke up early to explore Saint Paul.

Read more

The second biennial Citizen Science Association Conference was held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre in Minnesota.

"In this room, it’s playtime!" Creative inspiration at the Citizen Science conference (part 1)

Suzanne Webster ·
30 May 2017
Science Communication | Applying Science | Learning Science |     1 comments

Last month I attended the 2017 Citizen Science Association Conference with Caroline and Alex, from May 17 to 19. The three-day biennial conference was hosted in Saint Paul, Minnesota at the RiverCentre. The conference proved to be very educational and thought-provoking, and I especially appreciated the opportunity to network with other members of the diverse and expanding citizen science community.

Read more

Crowds gathering on Independence Avenue for the People’s Climate March. Image Credit: Emily Nastase

People’s Climate March

Emily Nastase ·
24 May 2017
Science Communication | Applying Science | 

After participating in the March for Science I was hesitant to join in on yet another march in the same week. The March for Science, while inspiring and exciting, was still a very cold, wet, and tiring day. But when I found out that my 86-year-old grandfather wanted to participate in the People’s Climate March, I couldn’t not go.

Read more

Image credit: March for Science

Why I March

Don Boesch ·
21 April 2017
Environmental Literacy | Science Communication | Applying Science | 

Don Boesch … It has been 50 years since I participated in a march in Washington, that time to protest the war in Vietnam. But on Saturday, April 22 I plan on joining tens of thousands of others in the March for Science. This is not an institutional endorsement of the March, but a personal perspective on why I will march. The March for Science sprung up because of concerns that scientific evidence is under attack and critical advances in science might be defunded.

Read more

Participants of the Belmont Synthesis workshop co-developed a Synthesis Document. Credit: Heath Kelsey and Vanessa Vargas

Co-development of the Belmont Forum synthesis document

Vanessa Vargas-Nguyen ·
4 April 2017
Science Communication | Applying Science | 

Last December 2016, Bill Dennison, Heath Kelsey and I teamed up with our partners at Future Earth’s Coasts, Martin LeTissier and Shona Paterson, to facilitate the Synthesis Workshop for the 13 Belmont Forum funded transdisciplinary projects in Coastal Vulnerability and Freshwater Security. During that time, Bill’s awesome songs were not the only ones that were produced; we also co-developed a draft Synthesis document with all the participants.

Read more

Group photo at the Pu'ukohola Heiau National Historic Site. Photo credit: Bill Dennison

Exploring Hawaii: arid zone ecology, vog and volcanoes

Bill Dennison ·
24 March 2017
Applying Science |     1 comments

Dave Helweg and Christian Giardina organized a field trip on the Big Island of Hawai'i immediately following our workshop on Oahu. When the plane that Simon Costanzo and I were on landed in Hilo, Christian contacted us to inform me that his wife, Ingrid Dockersmith, had sailed with me aboard the R/V Westward as part of Sea Semester. I was the Chief Scientist and Ingrid was an Assistant Scientist when we left from Maine and sailed to Barbados, Bequia and eventually St.

Read more