Doctoral Dissertation Research: Ecological Restoration's Genetic Culture: Participation and Technology in the Making of Landscapes

生态恢复是一套科学的实践，方法和知识体系，用于重建功能，历史生态系统。 实践者认为生态恢复是一种包容性的保护范式，并倡导广泛的公众参与，但在实践中，公众对项目的参与可能会受到志愿者对生态理论和恢复技术的初步理解的限制，特别是在使用高科技方法时。 芝加哥植物园决定在其生态恢复工作中采用基因技术，这对公众参与专家知识和恢复景观的生产提出了特殊的挑战。 这个博士论文研究项目将研究在芝加哥植物园的恢复项目的行为，以探讨如何与基因技术的参与reactionists提供不同的机会和障碍，公众参与恢复过程。 博士生将寻求以下问题的答案：（1）植物科学家和恢复参与者如何使用遗传技术来决定哪些植物包括在原生生态系统恢复中？ (2)这些做法如何界定谁应该使用或使有关本土植物和它们的衍生物的知识？ (3)科学家和志愿者如何利用遗传学的概念来促进修复过程中的社会互动？ 学生将使用半结构化的采访和参与观察遗传学家，生物学家和志愿者，以生成有关恢复过程中专家和公民科学家之间的不连续性和联系的信息。 他将确定志愿者对恢复和产生有关土著景观的知识的具体贡献，并评估基因技术的使用对公众参与恢复项目的影响程度，特别强调查明遗传技术在专家和非专家之间的互动中所起的作用，该项目将分析新兴的生态恢复办法是否有可能将志愿人员纳入知识创造实践。 由于芝加哥植物园已经成为植物园主导的保护计划的典范，它对高科技恢复实践的推广和对公众参与的承诺使公民科学家有可能在塑造未来的基因恢复实践中拥有发言权。 该项目将通过对芝加哥植物园的社会和科学实验的研究，帮助确定恢复计划的更广泛的参与潜力。 该项目将汇集生态学家，社会科学家和非专家/公民科学家，批判性地反思基因恢复实践对志愿者参与的好处和后果。 这项研究将阐明如何使公共科学界面更具包容性，并对志愿者、他们的知识和他们针对具体地点的恢复愿景做出回应。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。

Ecological restoration is a set of scientific practices, methods, and bodies of knowledge used to re-create functional, historical ecosystems. Practitioners consider ecological restoration an inclusive conservation paradigm and advocate broad public participation, but in practice, public engagement in projects can be limited by volunteers' initial understanding of ecological theory and restoration techniques, especially when high-tech methods are used. The Chicago Botanic Garden's decision to employ genetic technology into its ecological restoration efforts provide a special challenge for public participation in the production of expert knowledge and restored landscapes. This doctoral dissertation research project will examine the conduct of restoration projects at the Chicago Botanic Garden in order to explores how the engagement of restorationists with genetic technology provides different opportunities and barriers to public participation in restoration processes. The doctoral student will seek answers to the following questions: (1) How do botanical scientists and restoration participants use genetic technologies to decide which plants are included in native ecosystem restorations? (2) How do these practices define who should use or make knowledge about native plants and their restorations? (3) How do scientists and volunteers use genetic concepts to facilitate social interactions during the restoration process? The student will use semi-structured interviews and participant observation with geneticists, restorationists, and volunteers to generate information about discontinuities and connections between expert and citizen scientists in the restoration process. He will identify the specific contributions of volunteers to restoring and producing knowledge about native landscapes and assess the degree to which the use of genetic technology affects public participation in restoration projects, with special emphasis given to identifying what role genetic technology plays in interactions between experts and non-experts.This project will analyze the potential for the emerging ecological restoration approach to include volunteers in knowledge-making practices. Because the Chicago Botanic Garden has emerged as a model for botanical garden-led conservation programs, its promotion of high-tech restoration practices and commitment to public participation make it likely that citizen scientists will have a voice in shaping future genetic restoration practices. This project will help identify the broader participatory potential for restoration programs through its examination of the Chicago Botanic Garden's social and scientific experiments. The project will bring together ecologists, social scientists, and non-experts/citizen scientists to critically reflect on the benefits and consequences of genetic restoration practices on volunteer participation. This research will elucidate how the public-science interface can be made more inclusive and responsive to volunteer restorationists, their knowledge, and their site-specific restoration visions. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.