This post is part one of a four part series on scientific synthesis. The word synthesis is derived from the Greek word, syntithenai meaning 'to put together', and was first used in the latter part of the 1500s. The word integration is derived from the Latin word, integratus meaning 'to render whole', and was first used in the early 1600s. In the context of scientific synthesis or integration, the definition of these two words converge.

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Don Boesch and I just completed teaching a course in Science for Environmental Management as part of the Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences graduate program. This course was taught using an inverted or ‘flipped’ classroom style for the first time. Don and I posted the readings as pdfs and the lectures as 10-15 min. Quicktime or YouTube videos ahead of the classtime.

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I traveled to Stony Brook University on Long Island for Christine O'Connell's dissertation defense at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (SoMAS) on May 6. Christine presented the results of her survey on stakeholder perceptions of Long Island Sound. She did a wonderful job analyzing and teasing apart the survey results. It was clear that Connecticut people had a much keener interest in Long Island Sound than New Yorkers.

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Professor Paul Greenfield was my mentor both at the University of Queensland and in the Healthy Waterways campaign. Paul recently retired from his role as Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland and I would like to provide my perspective on his role as a human catalyst. Sometimes the most difficult thing to measure is the most important thing, for example, the action of a catalyst is absolutely critical for a reaction to take place, but it is difficult to measure.

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We had a great visit with Dr. Robert Twilley, Louisiana Sea Grant Director and a faculty member at Louisiana State University. Robert gave a wonderful seminar at Horn Point Laboratory, covering the history of coastal Louisiana wetland loss, Mississippi River diversions and provided the context for the 2012 Master Plan.

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People are part of a hybrid socio-environmental ecosystem. The debate over whether people should start geoengineering the atmosphere in order to prevent the worst effects of global warming ignores one essential fact - we already are geoengineering the atmosphere. Geoengineering is the deliberate effort to manipulate processes that control conditions in the atmosphere on a global scale.

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The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance hosted a debate in Cambridge, Maryland regarding the Conowingo Dam, which is the southernmost dam in the Susquehanna River, described in the IAN publication 'Responding to major storm impacts: Ecological impacts of Hurricane Sandy on Chesapeake and Delmarva Coastal Bays'. The debate was held in the Dorchester Public Library on April 17. The session was introduced by Shelly Baird, the Executive Director of Nanticoke Watershed Alliance.

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On April 13, I was a speaker at the report card launch of the Choptank and Miles-Wye Rivers, sponsored by the Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy in Easton, Maryland. The launch was held in the beautiful Talbot County Historical Society auditorium. Tim Junkin, the Executive Director of Midshore Riverkeeper Conservancy, was the Master of Ceremonies. The event was very well attended, with well over a hundred people in attendance, far exceeding expectations.

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Is it time to rethink our 19th century approach to dealing with human waste? The discovery of the cause of a cholera epidemic in London, in the mid 19th century, unleashed an international movement that improved sanitation in cities, and also altered the relationship between people and the environment. The result has been an increase in living standards.

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A new special issue on Water Education for Sustainability in Higher Education in the Journal for Contemporary Water Research & Education was published, an outcome of a workshop organized by the International WaterCentre. The special issue is dedicated to Dr. Peter Oliver, an educator who passed away last November. The special issue includes a tribute to Peter and two papers (1, 2) that he and I co-authored.

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