RAPID: Reimagining a collaborative future: engaging community with the Andrews Forest Research Program

h·j·安德鲁斯实验森林是俄勒冈州中部一个国际知名的森林和河流生态系统研究中心，是多个研究网络的一部分，包括长期生态研究网络，科学家和美国国家科学基金会在该网络上投资了关于环境变化的长期研究项目。2023年秋天，一场大火烧毁了这片森林的大部分地区，威胁到邻近的社区，摧毁了现有的研究计划和项目。科学界必须立即重新设想他们的研究，同时当地社区也必须重新设想为未来的野火做准备。这一时刻为获得公众参与科学的重要见解提供了一个短暂的时间窗口。随着人们对科学的信任度下降，更好地理解让科学界参与科学研究议程制定的方法至关重要。科学研究人员和从业人员的公众参与正在这一工作领域取得重要进展，包括加强强调互惠和关系目标的方法，并为科学家和公众创造机会，让他们在知识的共同生产中相互倾听并感到被倾听。然而，最近关于知识共同生产的研究发现，关于与复杂环境挑战相关的可操作知识的共同生产如何实际发生，以及如何最好地解决这一过程中可能出现的紧张和挑战的证据存在差距。为了满足上述每一项需求，RAPID项目将1)促进当地社区公众与科研团体的参与；2)在制定新的长期研究计划时，促进考虑当地社区的利益和优先事项；3)研究社区参与过程对科学家、参与公众和长期研究计划本身的影响。从这个项目中产生的知识将立即通知并帮助H.J.安德鲁斯实验森林的研究议程与当地农村和经济弱势社区的优先事项保持一致，这一变化将在未来几十年产生影响。它还将为其他人提供一个基于证据的例子，考虑到这些研究社区中有影响力的思想领导力，其他长期生态研究项目、实验森林和其他STEM研究组织，特别是环境研究网络、野外站、该项目是俄勒冈州立大学和麦肯齐流域委员会的合作项目，该委员会由约25个合作伙伴组成，代表了当地居民、商业娱乐利益、农村学校、保护组织、公用事业以及地方、州和联邦政府实体。额外的领导来自H.J. Andrews实验森林主任。该项目的促进和研究部分采用了通过公众参与科学领域的研究和实践开发的SCRREE框架。根据SCRREE框架，有效的公众科学参与是：战略性、累积性、互惠性、反思性、公平性和循证性的。一系列大约5个社区对话，以及对大约30名科学家、工作人员和领导以及社区成员的采访，将立即与更大的研究团队进行分析、总结和讨论，以告知研究议程制定过程。该研究将采用单案例案例研究设计，包含五个要素：1)社区测绘，2)社区对话，3)访谈，4)研究规划过程观察，5)文献分析。访谈、观察和文档数据将使用主题编码进行分析，主题编码具有预先确定的编码规则，也以SCRREE框架为基础，同时允许其他紧急主题。结果将分享回当地社区和H.J.安德鲁斯实验森林的工作人员，研究社区和网络。为了进一步在全国传播，该项目将向开源期刊提交两篇经同行评审的文章。该RAPID项目由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助，该计划支持以下项目：(a)促进研究和实践，考虑非正式STEM学习在STEM公平和归属方面的作用；(b)促进个人和教育在STEM方面的成功；(c)促进公众参与科学发现；(d)培养对STEM职业的兴趣；(e)为有效的非正式STEM学习创造和加强理论和经验基础；(f)改善社区活力；及/或(g)加强科学传播和公众对STEM和STEM过程的参与和理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest is an internationally known center for forest and stream ecosystem research in central Oregon and is part of multiple research networks, including the Long-Term Ecological Research network where scientists and NSF have invested in long-term research programs about environmental change. In the fall of 2023, a major wildfire burned over much of this forest, threatening adjacent communities and destroying existing research plans and projects. The scientific community must immediately reimagine their research at the same time that the local community has to reimagine its preparation for future wildfires. This moment provides a short window of time to gain important insights into public engagement with science. With declining trust in science, it is critical to better understand approaches to involve the community in scientific research agenda setting. Public engagement with science researchers and practitioners are making important advancements in this area of work, including strengthening approaches that emphasize reciprocity and relational objectives, and creating opportunities for scientists and publics to listen to each other and feel heard in the co-production of knowledge. However, recent research about co-production of knowledge identifies a gap in evidence about how co-production for actionable knowledge related to complex environmental challenges actually happens, and how best to address tensions and challenges that can accompany such a process. To address each of the needs detailed above, this RAPID project will 1) facilitate local community public engagement with the scientific research community; 2) facilitate consideration of local community interests and priorities in the development of the new long-term research program; and 3) study the impact of a community engagement process on the scientists, the participating publics, and the long-term research plan itself. The knowledge generated from this project will immediately inform and help align H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest’s research agenda with the local rural and economically disadvantaged communities’ priorities, a change that will reverberate for decades to come. It will also provide an evidence-based example for others that, given the influential thought leadership in these research communities, will likely be emulated by other long-term ecological research programs, Experimental Forests, and other STEM research organizations, particularly the environmental research networks, field stations, and marine laboratories of the U.S. This project is a collaboration between Oregon State University and McKenzie Watershed Council comprised of ~25 partners representing local residents, commercial recreational interests, rural schools, conservation organizations, utilities, and local, state, and federal government entities. Additional leadership comes from the Director of H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest. The facilitation and research components of this project employ the SCRREE framework developed through research and practice in the field of Public Engagement with Science. According to the SCRREE framework, effective public engagement with science is: Strategic, Cumulative, Reciprocal, Reflexive, Equitable, and Evidence-based. A series of approximately five community conversations, and interviews with approximately 30 scientists, staff and leaders, and community members will be immediately analyzed, summarized, and discussed with the larger research team to inform the research agenda development process. The study will use a single-case case study design with five elements: 1) community mapping, 2) community conversations, 3) interviews 4) observations of the research planning process, and 5) document analysis. Interview, observation and document data will be analyzed using thematic coding with pre-determined coding rubrics also grounded in the SCRREE framework, while allowing for additional emergent themes. Results will be shared back to the local community and H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest staff, research community, and networks. For additional national dissemination, the project will submit two peer-reviewed articles to open-source journals. This RAPID project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which supports projects that: (a) contribute to research and practice that considers informal STEM learning's role in equity and belonging in STEM; (b) promote personal and educational success in STEM; (c) advance public engagement in scientific discovery; (d) foster interest in STEM careers; (e) create and enhance the theoretical and empirical foundations for effective informal STEM learning; (f) improve community vibrancy; and/or (g) enhance science communication and the public's engagement in and understanding of STEM and STEM processes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.