University of the Virgin Islands: Living on Earth III: Social-Ecological Systems Workshop 2012, October 24-28, 2012

2012年10月24-28日，维尔京群岛大学举办了第三次地球生命讲习班，讨论将科学知识和分析方法有效结合起来的过程在社会生态系统研究中的必要性。本次讲习班延续了2009-2011年期间由阿拉斯加EPSCoR组织和主办的前两次讲习班(LOE I和II)的重要工作，其中包括在EPSCoR管辖范围内建设可持续性科学和人-自然/社会生态系统(SES)科学的科学和研究能力，促进LOE-SES科学网络的正规化和功能性，促进尖端和变革性的科学思想。LOE III侧重于在具有挑战性的人类维度的小型但关键生态系统的背景下对SES科学进行概念化。具体地说，讲习班强调三个重点主题，即：促进科学使我们了解人-自然系统的关键相互耦合的变化；社会涌现在解决脆弱性方面的作用，同时促进对多种社会-生态变化的生态系统管理；以及在嵌套的多个尺度上深化科学一体化，促进可持续和有弹性的成果。除了这三个核心主题外，LOE III研讨会通过提供“把它带回家”活动发展会议，为参与者和参与EPSCoR辖区提供了在其本国机构建立和发展社会生态系统活动的技能和能力。研讨会的评估工作将分多个层次进行：在整个研讨会期间，通过在科学讨论和互动对话后纳入参与者评估，持续进行评估；通过每一次会议和研讨会的总体经验的调查工具在线进行评估；以及由EPSCoR辖区在研讨会后报告在LOE III经验之后促进或计划的具体成果。研讨会的具体成果是：(A)在LOE I和II以前的非正式网络方法的基础上，正式确定和构建一个新的LOE-SES EPSCoR科学网络；(B)建立具有具体目的和目标的专题子网络小组(例如，纳入跨EPSCoR合作的国家科学基金提案、专题或书籍提案、会议和科学会议的章节或小组提案等)；以及(C)开发一个LOE-SES网络工具包，用于在EPSCoR内建立管辖能力，特别是将生物物理学与社会/行为科学家结合起来，促进SES科学。

The Living on Earth III (LOE III) workshop, October 24-28, 2012, University of the Virgin Islands,addresses the need for effective integration of processes linking scientific knowledge and analytical approaches in social-ecological systems research. This workshop continues the important work of the two previous workshops (LOE I and II) organized and hosted by Alaska EPSCoR, between 2009-2011, including among others, building science and research capacity in sustainability science and coupled human-natural/socio-ecological systems (SES) science across EPSCoR jurisdictions and facilitating the formalization and functionality of a LOE-SES scientific network promotes cutting-edge and transformative science ideas. LOE III focuses on conceptualizing SES science in the context of small, yet critical ecosystems with challenging human dimensions. Specifically,the workshop emphasizes three focal themes, namely, promoting science to inform our knowledge and understanding of critical coupled human-natural system transformations; the role of social emergence in addressing vulnerability while promoting ecosystem stewardship across multiple social-ecological transformations, and; deepening scientific integration at nested multiple scales promoting sustainable and resilient outcomes. In addition to these three core themes, the LOE III workshop provides participants and participant EPSCoR jurisdictions the skills and capability to build and develop social-ecological system's activities at their home institutions, by offering a "Bringing it Home" activity development session. In this session the workshop participants create a meaningful social-ecological systems exercise for their local community, university, and/or institution.Evaluation of the workshop will be conducted in multiple levels: continuously throughout the workshop by incorporating participant evaluations following the scientific discourse and interactive dialogue; online through a survey tool for each session and for the overall experience of the workshop, and post-workshop by EPSCoR jurisdictions where each team will be tasked to report on specific outcomes promoted or planned after the LOE III experience.Specific outcomes from the workshop are to: (a)formalize and structure a new LOE-SES EPSCoR scientific network building upon previous informal network approaches from LOE I and II; (b) generate thematic sub-network groups with specific aims and goals (such as NSF proposal submissions incorporating cross-EPSCoR collaborations, special-issue or book proposal submissions, sections or panel proposals for conferences and scientific meetings, etc., and; (c) develop a LOE-SES network toolkit for building within-EPSCoR jurisdictional capacity especially for integrating biophysical with social/behavioral scientists for SES science.