Blog posts for the Science for Environmental Management course
The Heartland Institute book and DVD have been delivered to 25,000 science teachers and will be continuously sent out until every science teacher in the nation has a copy. (Image source: Brenna Verre, FRONTLINE)

Which one leads to a green future: Scientists’ effort or deniers’ gamble?

Qiurui Zhu, Juliet Nagel ·
6 April 2017
| Science Communication | Applying Science | Learning Science |     10 comments

Qiurui Zhu and Juliet Nagel … Climate change and its impacts on the environment and human well-being are getting more and more attention worldwide. The Paris Agreement aims to bring all nations into the combat with climate change and has set an ambitious goal: keeping the global temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century (and preferably aiming even lower, below a 1.5 degree Celsius increase).

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The scientific method of presenting information, versus what non- scientists want to know. (Image Source: “The Message Box Workbook: Communicate Your Science Effectively” by COMPASS)

The real art of the deal: Lessons in effective science advising

Ana Sosa, Jake Shaner ·
30 March 2017
| Science Communication |     11 comments

Ana Sosa and Jake Shaner … Last week, students in the Science for Environmental Management class took part in an activity, during which class members acted as decision makers and other participating parties in “scenario plays” where science advising was necessary. The goal of this exercise was to determine the best ways to manage our professional roles as both scientists and advisers in decision making.

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The case studies that we discussed are vastly different systems that span the world. (Photos: Flickr user’s Kaleenxian and Tom Giebe)

You’ve got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet: Balancing differing worldviews and appealing to stakeholders in environmental management

Dylan Taillie, Annie Carew ·
16 March 2017
| Applying Science |     10 comments

Dylan Taillie and Annie Carew … This past week in our Science for Environmental Management class, students read about three case studies on large, complex ecosystems: New York Harbor, the Mississippi Deltaic Plain and the Great Barrier Reef. The case studies that we discussed are vastly different systems that span the world. (Photos:

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Practitioners and students listen to Charles Fox. As he was unable to attend in person, he spoke on screen via video conference, displayed on a monitor at the end of the table. Credit: Jamie Currie

Rapport over Reports: Next-Generation Science Communicators Learn from Policy Experts on the Front Lines

Ginni La Rosa, Katie Martin ·
9 March 2017
| Science Communication |     8 comments

Ginni La Rosa and Katie Martin … Last Friday, February 3rd, UMCES students in the Science for Environmental Management class from multiple campuses across the state gathered together at the IAN synthesis office in Annapolis to speak with two experienced practitioners on the frontier of science and policy decisions. Ben Grumbles was confirmed as Secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment by the Maryland State Senate two years ago, after nomination by Governor Larry Hogan.

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In the four idealized scenarios the red line shows the ecosystem trajectory with increasing nutrient inputs, while the green line is the return trajectory with decreasing nutrient inputs. “Return to Neverland” is a return to previous conditions. In the “Shifting Baselines” scenario, returning to previous conditions is impossible due to “forcing factors”, represented by the dotted line. (Image source: Duarte et al. 2009)

The Chesapeake Bay and the Baltic Sea: Adapting to Changing Climates in the New World and the Old

Katie Martin, Hadley McIntosh ·
2 March 2017
| Science Communication | Applying Science |     4 comments

Katie Martin and Hadley McIntosh … In J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan and Wendy, Neverland is a fantastical land—an escape from passing time and reality1. Is returning to the Chesapeake Bay of old with lower turbidity and nutrient levels and a seemingly unlimited oyster and crab harvest an equally unrealistic fantasy? The "Return to Neverland" scenario, coined by Duarte, Conley, Carstensen, and Sánchez-Camacho in "Return to Neverland:

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The link between economic and environmental sustainability has been weak in the past, as economic growth has come about at the cost of environmental protection. Our task is to make these two aspects of sustainability compatible with each other. (Image source: The World Bank)

Speaking (scientific) truth to power through storytelling: using lessons from the past and examples from the present to plan for the future

Kavya Pradhan, Alterra Sanchez ·
23 February 2017
| Science Communication | Applying Science |     9 comments

Kavya Pradhan and Alterra Sanchez … Like King Arthur’s resolute knights, Environmental Scientists are constantly in their own legendary saga. In our case, instead of the Holy Grail, we are looking for viable strategies for environmental management while taking into consideration the socio-economic and political facets of environmental issues.

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Pasteur’s Quadrant describes the three types of scientific research1. Environmental management would seem to fit with Edison, however a large amount of ecological research was not intended to be explicitly for management purposes, and thus fits with Pasteur. (Image source: judithcurry.com)

Science for science, for environment, or society?: The role of science in environmental management

Alterra Sanchez, Stephanie Barletta ·
16 February 2017
| Science Communication | Applying Science |     10 comments

Alterra Sanchez and Stephanie Barletta … Environmental management is much more than using science to solve a problem, if only it were that easy! If a lake is becoming eutrophic because of nutrient input due to nearby farming, the answer would be to not allow the farmers to use as much fertilizer; easy, problem solved, right? Unfortunately, no.

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Maslow’s hierarchy. While not explicitly about the environment, it demonstrates the tendency of humans to concern themselves with survival and security above all else. (Source: simplypyschology.org)

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Balancing the needs of scientific management and public stakeholders in Ecosystem Based Management

Jake Shaner, Dylan Taillie ·
9 February 2017
| Science Communication | Applying Science |     10 comments

Jake Shaner and Dylan Taillie … Scientists have long been trained to adhere to the scientific process of identifying a problem or question and testing hypotheses in an attempt to find an answer. Conventionally, this process informed management by creating a compartmentalized management scheme of the planet’s natural resources.

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Hire me, I’m a Scientist! Career challenges for students

Detbra Rosales, Melanie Jackson, Chih-Hsien (Michelle) Lin ·
12 May 2015
| Applying Science |     1 comments

Detbra Rosales, Melanie Jackson, Chih-Hsien (Michelle) Lin … To go to grad school or not go to grad school that is the question”, every student has at some point of his or her life. Is graduate school required to get you that dream job in marine science or any science in general? This all depends on what career path you want to take. In high school, guidance counselors would advise you to take a career test to help you decide on what career you should focus on.

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