Blog posts categorized by Science Communication
Food Security and Land Use Change.

Facilitating a Belmont Forum workshop in Washington D.C.

Bill Dennison ·
3 January 2019
Science Communication | 

The Integration and Application Network (IAN) teamed up with the Belmont Forum for a synthesis workshop on 8-10 Dec 2018 in Washington, D.C. IAN staff facilitated the workshop, which Belmont Forum calls a "valorization workshop" with three groups of projects, identified by the Belmont Forum as Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs). The three CRAs were 1) "Food security and land use change", 2) "Arctic observing and science for sustainability", 3) "Mountains as sentinels of change".

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The Conversation article that accompanied the release of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science article by Lefcheck et al.

The Integration and Application Network in 2018

Bill Dennison ·
31 December 2018
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Applying Science | Learning Science | 

The Integration and Application Network (IAN) had an eventful and exciting year. We were able to report some really good news in the improvements in the health of Chesapeake Bay and Maryland Coastal Bays with our annual report cards. In addition, the publication of a scientific synthesis paper that IAN staff helped generate was able to reach a broad audience. This paper identified that the nutrient reductions into Chesapeake Bay were leading to ecosystem health improvements.

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Simon Costanzo introducing the theory behind the stakeholder selection activity.

Old faces, new times. Stakeholder mapping at International Riversymposium 2018 (Sydney, Australia)

Simon Costanzo ·
9 November 2018
Science Communication | Applying Science | 

This October 2018, I attended the 21st International Riversymposium, continuing a long-standing tradition of presIANce at this meeting on river science and management. In fact, I recall the very first Riversymposium held in Brisbane in 1998 way back when I was still a student studying the very river system that is the namesake of the annual conference. Since those days much has changed for the conference, the Brisbane River, and Moreton Bay…. all for the better.

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Sky (me) helping a child and his father understand and play our game. Photo credit: Jamie Currie.

Horn Point Lab Open House 2018

Sky Swanson ·
2 November 2018
Science Communication |     1 comments

It was just before 8am on a Saturday, a phrase that should never be said out loud. I was standing in Starbucks, waiting for the employees to hand me a slice of lemon cake. Why I had to wait in a drink line for a piece of cake is one of the great mysteries in life that I will never know, but I had a bigger question on my mind:

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Production is nitrogen-dependent, including that of the food we reap from all types of agriculture. Photo sourced from Pixabay.

The Nitrogen Cycle is Seizing Up Globally and Scientists Might Not Be Ready to Hear It

Andrew Elmore ·
23 October 2018
Science Communication | Learning Science | 

Scott Fitzgerald once wrote that “the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” When it comes to the environment, this is a test that many of us have not passed yet. On the one hand, humans introduce massive amounts of nitrogen into ecosystems (think fertilizers and animal manure). As a result, we see runaway algae production and low-oxygen dead-zones worldwide.

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The view from the CBEC. Photo credit: Yesenia Valverde.

2018 IAN Retreat at the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center

Yesenia Valverde ·
12 October 2018
Science Communication |     1 comments

Just fifteen minutes past the Bay Bridge, nestled within the sanctuary of Prospect Bay on the Eastern Shore, lies the idyllic Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center--a perfect setting for this year’s IAN staff retreat. Last Wednesday, staff members--coming from Cambridge, Annapolis, and even Rochester, NY--made the trip to the CBEC for the annual tradition of team-building and workshopping as part of an ever-ongoing effort to improve IAN.

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Insects and Opossum in Poison Ivy, by Robin Brickman.

Guild of Natural Science Illustrators 2018 Annual Conference

Emily Nastase ·
7 September 2018
Environmental Literacy | Science Communication |     3 comments

Scientific illustration is a beautiful form of science communication. The goal of scientific illustration is to accurately depict and teach scientific concepts. Illustrations can be created traditionally or digitally and are generally highly rendered – not to mention stunning – works of scientific art. These images are as informative as they are captivating. Insects and Opossum in Poison Ivy, by Robin Brickman.

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Participants in the Everglades report card workshop in Vero Beach, Florida.

When herding cats it helps to have a map

Bill Nuttle ·
4 September 2018
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | Applying Science | 

It makes me cringe a little to remember the debriefing that followed our May workshop on the Everglades report card project. The IAN team was complimented for keeping the project on track. “Great job at herding cats,” they said, referring to our ability keeping a meeting of scientists on track. There was just one loose thread that needed to be tidied up. But, then the “cats” got hold of it, and for a moment it seemed that things might unravel.

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The Tennessee River Report Card was released in February 2018

Next steps for the Tennessee River Basin Report Card

Heath Kelsey ·
30 August 2018
Environmental Report Cards | Science Communication | 

The Tennessee River Basin Report Card was released in February this year. It was made possible in large part because of feedback the IAN team solicited during the Tennessee River Basin Planning Network (TRBN) meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee in August, 2017. Discussions we had at that meeting decided several issues related to the report card scope and detail that carried through to the finished product.

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