Bhitarkanika report card kick off
IAN led a workshop in Bhubaneswar, India for the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management to begin the process of developing a report card for Bhitarkanika Conservation Area. More than 30 diverse stakeholders participated in conceptualizing the assessment area, choosing potential indicators, and carving a path forward for the project.
Alexandria, VA
Bill, Emily, Heath, Katie May, Max, and Sky facilitated a 3-day workshop for about 40 participants hosted at NSF to develop evaluation models for transdisciplinary research. The workshop was hosted by the Belmont Forum, a global consortium of national level funding agencies that focus on co-development of solutions to societal problems.
Annapolis, MD
In August 2020, IAN will be hosting the fourteenth biennial International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW14). The conference's theme is "Signs of Success: Reversing the Course of Seagrass Degradation." The conference will feature speakers and attendees from around the world. More information coming soon!
International Seagrass Biology Workshop 2020
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International Seagrass Biology Workshop 2020
In August 2020, IAN will be hosting the fourteenth biennial International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW14) in Annapolis, Maryland. The theme of the conference is "Signs of Success: Reversing the Course of Seagrass Degradation." Visit the ISBW14 website for more information.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Join us for virtual workshops on coastal adaptation and disaster preparedness
Much of Maryland's population lives and works along the coast. Coastal communities are vulnerable to extreme weather events and sea level rise, which cause flooding. As climate change continues, flooding will become more frequent and severe, so it is vital that coastal communities adapt. Many communities have already undertaken action. But are these actions effective? And how can we measure adaptation progress in the face of ongoing change? The Maryland Coastal Adaptation Report Card seeks answers to these questions, and we are asking for community participation in workshops to develop the report card. Visit the project website for more information, or contact the project directly MDcoastaladapt@gmail.com
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
"Evaluating Transdisciplinary Approaches" now available online
The Evaluating Transdisciplinary Approaches Workshop was convened by the Belmont Forum last summer. Workshop participants were part of a growing community of transdisciplinary research supporters and practitioners. The workshop goals were centered around participants exploring transdisciplinary research goals, metrics, and assessment. This workshop newsletter compiles the results of the workshop, outlines recommendations for how to evaluate transdisciplinary approaches, and provides current and past examples of transdisciplinary research.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
International Seagrass Biology Workshop POSTPONED
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022. We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Facilitating a virtual Subject Matter Expert workshop
SEACAR is an ongoing project between IAN and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. At this point in the project, it was necessary to run a workshop for the subject matter expert team to review the results of preliminary assessment analyses. Ideally, a 2-day meeting with this much material to cover, and which involves 45+ participants, would be conducted in person. Given the circumstances, IAN hosted and facilitated the full workshop virtually—and it was a success! The SEACAR team has a clear path forward and participants felt the workshop accomplished its goals.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Due to the global coronavirus pandemic, ISBW14 and WSC2020 are postponed until summer 2022
We will update everyone as we have more information. Please discontinue abstract submission at this time, and stay safe and healthy. Visit the ISBW14 website for more details.
Teaching science communication to Chesapeake Research Consortium staff
Caroline Donovan and Katie May Laumann taught IAN's "Communicating Science Effectively" course to Chesapeake Research Consortium Staffers. The course was taught at the beautiful Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, where Staffers learned about all aspects of science communication, from product conceptualization to the visualization of scientific information. Participants built their communication skills through various activities, and ultimately drafted and were given feedback on posters communicating their own scientific work.
International Seagrass Biology Workshop 2020
In August 2020, IAN will be hosting the fourteenth biennial International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW14) in Annapolis, Maryland. The theme of the conference is "Signs of Success: Reversing the Course of Seagrass Degradation." Visit the ISBW14 website for more information.
Facilitating the first SEACAR workshop
Caroline Donovan, Katie May Laumann, and Emily Nastase traveled to St. Petersburg, FL to facilitate the first Subject Matter Expert workshop for the Statewide Ecosystem Assessment of Coastal and Aquatic Resources (SEACAR) program. More than 40 Subject Matter Experts convened for this two-day meeting, and together made significant progress toward SEACAR's objectives. The second SEACAR workshop is scheduled for April 2020, where preliminary analyses will be reviewed. The final SEACAR technical and assessment reports are expected to be completed in summer 2020.
International Seagrass Biology Workshop 2020
In August 2020, IAN will be hosting the fourteenth biennial International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW14) in Annapolis, Maryland. The theme of the conference is "Signs of Success: Reversing the Course of Seagrass Degradation." Visit the ISBW14 website for more information.
SAV watchers
We developed a system for citizen science monitoring of Submersed Aquatic Vegetation (SAV) in the Chesapeake Bay. Using the new system, volunteers can collect consistent and useful SAV data.
Bhitarkanika Conservation Area Report Card now available
The first-ever report card for the Bhitarkanika Conservation Area in Odisha, India is now available! The National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), jointly with the Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP-II) and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, brought together over 40 local and regional experts and stakeholders in February 2019. Together the group chose ecosystem health indicators, thresholds and a reporting framework for Bhitarkanika Conservation Area.
Bhitarkanika Report Card captures current conditions within the conservation area, including the Eco Sensitive Zone, Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, Bhitarkanika National Park, Critically Vulnerable Coastal Area and the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. Overall, Bhitarkanika is in good condition. Indicator scores were “excellent” in Maipura and Gahirmatha and “good” in Bhitarkanika, Dhamra, Brahmani and Mahanadi.
First-ever Coastal Adaptation Report Card published
The first-ever Maryland Coastal Adaptation Report Card was released on January 21, 2022. The online webinar was attended by nearly 200 people from across the state of Maryland, including Senator Ben Cardin. Maryland received an overall score of B- in coastal adaptation, indicating that we are well-prepared for ongoing and oncoming climate-related coastal changes, but that more work is needed. The report card features 15 indicators sorted into four categories. Some indicators measured already meet, or are close to meeting, current adaptation goals, while others require significant investment to achieve adaptation goals.
IAN and NPS at AAAS
IAN showcased our partnership with the National Park Service National Capital Region at American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Meeting in Washington, DC from March 2–5. The NPS-IAN partnership perfectly meshes with the conference theme “Science for Humanity”—we use data collected in National Parks to inform management of these parks. This will ensure they are preserved for generations to come.
Healthy Rivers for All Partnership Retreat
The Healthy Rivers for All partnership retreat—attended by WWF and IAN staff—convened this month in Annapolis. This partnership seeks to assess and address water issues worldwide, and has developed many basin health report cards, most recently in the Upper Rio Grande. The most water-stressed regions of the world were identified and prioritized for future report card and other partnership efforts. Stakeholder engagement strategies were reviewed and plans to enhance and build on past successes were made. The utility of future scenario modeling—which was part of the Upper Rio Grande Report Card—in understanding resource management options was discussed. Ultimately, the team planned and prepared for the partnership’s work in the next few years, laying the groundwork to continue work in water-stressed basins across the globe.
IAN showcases work at ISBW15
Two IAN staff, Dr. Katie May Laumann and Dr. Jon Lefcheck, traveled to Napoli, Italy, to showcase IAN’s work at the 15th International Seagrass Biology Workshop (ISBW15). Along with colleagues Dr. Bill Dennison, Dr. Lina Mtwana Nordlund (Uppsala University), and Dr. Judy O’Neill (UMCES Horn Point Lab), they led four workshops on Seagrass Futures, Science Communication, Stakeholder Engagement, and Avoiding Parachute Science. Dr. Lefcheck presented his novel work “Helping Eelgrass Adapt to Temperature through Assisted Migration.” Their workshops and talk reached hundreds of colleagues in seagrass research and marine science, and will hopefully lead to many collaborations.