Conference Proposal: Cary Conference on Effective Communication Of Science In Environmental Controversies, May 2009

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This proposal is for partial support of the 2009 bi-annual Cary Conference, entitled Effective Communication of Science in Environmental Controversies. Cary Conferences have focused on discussion and examination of fundamental issues in environmental science since 1985 and have been attended by over 500 scientists from 20 countries. The objectives of this conference are to evaluate successes and challenges in the use of information produced by basic ecology in applied environmental science, and to produce specific recommendations on how individuals, institutions and agencies can increase the broader impacts of their research. Enhancing the flow of information from research to managers and decision makers is an ongoing challenge in environmental science. This flow is hindered by multiple disconnects between research, education and outreach, management and decision-making that arise from differences in time frames, methodology, language and jargon, treatment of uncertainty, and goals and values among different communities. Two questions guide the proposed examination of why information from basic ecological science is not used more in education, management and policy: is it because people don?t know? Or, is it because people don?t care? The conference will address these questions using a limited number of ecological case studies (e.g., acid rain, endangered species) as platforms for developing recommendations for four distinct groups: individual scientists, academic institutions, managers and policy makers, and organizations a the interface between science and society. A primary goal is to develop specific recommendations for how investigators and academic institutions can better articulate and increase the broader societal impacts of their research. The conference will also include specific focus on efforts to innovate K-12, undergraduate and graduate education through NSF?s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) and Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) programs, with program leaders and recent graduates from both programs on the agenda.