The Global Change Center (GCC) held a retreat for GCC-affiliated faculty on Friday, February 19, 2016. This strategic planning and visioning event was held at the Skelton Conference Center and 30 faculty members from across campus participated in a full day of activities.
Retreat highlights:
Dr. Dennis Dean, Director of the Fralin Life Science Institute, provided opening remarks regarding Virginia Tech’s plans to identify “Destination Areas”, or cross-university signature strengths. These proposed areas will be used to differentiate Virginia Tech in the future.
Dr. Bill Hopkins, GCC Director, provided a “State of the Center” overview, which included updates on both the Global Change Center and the Interfaces of Global Change graduate program.
Results from a pre-conference survey were also reviewed in the morning session. These results were used to drive the agenda for the remainder of the day.
Small groups of faculty participated in afternoon breakout sessions, followed by group discussions of these unifying concepts
Encouraging Scientific Collaboration & Innovation
Balancing Growth with Cohesive Community
Demonstrating Value
Faculty Recruitment and Hiring
The group discussion provided an opportunity for all participants to share insights and make recommendations for next steps in the development of the GCC.
The day closed with a reception to provide faculty with the opportunity to socialize and reflect on the productive day.
BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 25, 2015 – Naomi Oreskes, a world-renowned science historian who focuses on understanding scientific consensus and dissent in relation to environmental science, will visit Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
She will give a 4 p.m. distinguished lecture entitled “Should We Trust Science? Perspectives from the History and Philosophy of Science” at the Lyric Theatre, followed by a question and answer period and book signing.
Oreskes is a professor of the history of science at Harvard University. She has received international acclaim for her 2010 book, “Merchants of Doubt, How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco to Global Warming,” co-authored with Erik M. Conway, which was shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times Book Priced, received the 2011 Watson-Davis Prize from the History of Science Society, and was recently adapted into a documentary film.
For her 2004 essay in the journal Science, “The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change,” Oreskes analyzed nearly 1,000 scientific journals to assess the level of consensus around climate change. The paper has been widely cited, both in the United States and abroad, including in the Royal Society’s publication, “A Guide to Facts and Factors about Climate Change,” in the Academy-award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth, and in Ian McEwan’s novel, Solar.
Oreskes’ visit represents the second in a public Distinguished Lecture Series sponsored by the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech. The lecture series brings some of the world’s leading scholars to the Blacksburg community to discuss critical environmental and societal issues in an open forum.
”We are extremely excited to welcome such an outstanding and respected scholar to the Blacksburg community,” said William A. Hopkins, director of the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech and professor of fish and wildlife conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. “Dr. Oreskes’ work emphasizes the critical role that science plays in maintaining our quality of life, and reveals the disparity that sometimes exists between the state of the science and public perceptions about critical scientific issues. Her lecture will discuss why these disparities exist, and demystify the process of scientific debate that can lead to scientific consensus.”
[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Michael Mann, a climate scientist and central figure in the political debate over climate change, visited Virginia Tech on March 20, 2015.
His 4 p.m. lecture at the Lyric Theatrewasfollowed by a brief question and answer session and signing of his book, “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines.”
The free event was sponsored by the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech and the Interfaces of Global ChangeInterdisciplinary Graduate Education Program.
Michael Mann is a distinguished professor of meteorology at Penn State University, with joint appointments in the departments of geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. His research involves the use of theoretical models and observational data to better understand earth’s climate system.
During his visit, Mann also co-lead a science communication workshop for doctoral students with Susan Hassol, director of Climate Communication and a leading expert on effective techniques for communicating science.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Mann to Virginia Tech,” said William Hopkins, director of the Global Change Center and professor of fish and wildlife conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. “A major part of the Global Change Center’s mission is to provide unique training opportunities to Virginia Tech faculty and graduate students. The all-day workshop led by Mann and Sue Hassol will allow the students to learn effective techniques for communicating science to the public and policy makers, and will enable them to spend intimate time learning from leading authorities on climate change and science communication.”
Mann has received a number of honors and awards including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) outstanding publication award in 2002, and selection by Scientific American as one of the fifty leading visionaries in science and technology in 2002. He was awarded the Hans Oeschger Medal of the European Geosciences Union in 2012 and the National Conservation Achievement Award for science by the National Wildlife Federation in 2013.
Mann made Bloomberg News’ list of fifty most influential people in 2013. In 2014, he was named a Highly Cited Researcher by the Institute for Scientific Information and received the Friend of the Planet Award from the National Center for Science Education. He is a Fellow of both the American Geophysical Union and the American Meteorological Society.
“Dr. Mann’s visit to campus is an exciting opportunity to learn from a world-renowned scientist at the front line of both research and public engagement,” said Quinn Thomas, an assistant professor of forest resources and environmental conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, who teaches courses in climate science on campus. “Through his peer-reviewed research, which provides historical context for recent temperature changes, and his writings, which are more geared toward a general audience, Dr. Mann’s work challenges us to think critically about our changing planet while not losing sight of the larger picture.”
Chartered earlier this year, the Global Change Center at Virginia Tech seeks to raise awareness about climate change and other global problems such as pollution and invasive species that threaten the environment and society.
Story by Lindsay Taylor Key, Communications Officer at Fralin Life Science Institute[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
A major part of the mission of the Interfaces of Global Change Ph.D. program (IGC) at Virginia Tech is to help graduate students identify the different positive roles that they can play in society. Effective communication of scientific information to audiences with diverse backgrounds will be central to their success, regardless of what role they pursue. By developing the skills to make accurate science accessible to broader audiences, the students can help citizens make informed decisions that affect their own health, the environment, and society.
In keeping with these goals, IGC students recently attended a science communication workshop led by Susan Hassol, Director of Climate Communication, and Michael E. Mann, Professor of Meteorology at Penn State University. The day-long workshop addressed framing and messaging, scientists and social media, and media training.
The IGC students had this to say about the workshop:
“The tweeting and interviewing exercises had the biggest impact on me. Its not easy to condense big ideas into a few words!”
“I appreciated the discussion of how to prepare for and conduct media interviews. Although I found the practice session uncomfortable, it was invaluable!”
“I enjoyed the opportunity to practice some of the communication techniques we talked about and to receive feedback on delivery, messaging, etc. Sue provided helpful examples, both theoretical and real-life, to get her points across. I wish we could have had more time–maybe a weekend retreat next time?”
“The co-teaching was great. Susan and Mike complimented each other well.”
“Thanks for a thought-provoking day! I enjoyed how you promoted the use of different social media tactics and also the discussion of the need to tailor language use to appeal to different audiences.”
“The size of this workshop was ideal. It really facilitated participant interaction. I also appreciated the open and accessible natures of Sue and Mike–I immediately felt comfortable participating in the workshop. My only complaint: I would have liked more time to explore and practice these topics!”
“In the IGC program, we talk a lot about what role we want to play as scientists in public dialogue about climate change. Do we want to be the scientists behind closed doors? Do we want to advocate for change? Or do we want to provide information without advocating for any particular solutions? There are many different options for scientists, so we have a lot to think about. Meanwhile, workshops like this give us the tools we’ll need to play our chosen roles effectively.”
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Practicing the art of the Tweet:
Better science communication: connect on values/craft simple messages/avoid jargon/use metaphors & be an IGC Fellow! pic.twitter.com/7H018lAMn2
“Science in Public Policy: Maintaining Relevance, Ensuring Accuracy, and Avoiding Advocacy”
The Interfaces of Global Change IGEP at Virginia Tech is pleased to welcome Dr. Robert Lackey for a special EEB Seminar on Thursday, March 5th, 2015.
SAVE THE DATE! Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 2:00-3:00 p.m. | Fralin Auditorium | Virginia Tech
Abstract
Has science become irrelevant in informing policy debates?
Scientists in environmental science, natural resources, ecology, conservation biology, and similar disciplines are often not trusted by the public and decision-makers to present policy-neutral science. One reason is that scientists advocating personal or organizational positions on ecological policy issues have become widely tolerated and even encouraged by a segment of the scientific community. As a result, the scientific enterprise is collectively slipping into a morass that risks marginalizing the contribution of science to public policy. Public confidence that scientific information is technically accurate, policy relevant, and politically unbiased is central to informed resolution of policy and regulatory issues that are often contentious, divisive, and litigious. Especially, scientists should watch for the often subtle creep of normative science (i.e., information that appears to be policy neutral, but contains an embedded preference for a particular policy or class of policies). Failing to do so risks marginalizing the essential role that science and scientists ought to play in informing decisions on important public policy questions.
About Dr. Lackey
Dr. Robert Lackey
Dr. Bob Lackey is a professor of fisheries science at Oregon State University. In 2008 he retired after 27 years with the Environmental Protection Agency’s national research laboratory in Corvallis, Oregon, where he served as Deputy Director among other senior science and management jobs. Since his very first fisheries job mucking out raceways in a California trout hatchery, he has worked on an assortment of natural resource issues from various positions in government, academia, and the private sector. His professional assignments involved diverse aspects of natural resource management, but mostly he has operated at the interface between science and policy.
Dr. Lackey has published over 100 articles in scientific journals. He has long been an educator, having taught at five North American universities (including Virginia Tech) and currently teaches a graduate course in ecological policy at Oregon State University. Canadian by birth, he is a U.S.-Canadian dual-citizen living in Corvallis, Oregon.
His primary recent research themes have included: Pacific salmon policy and management; ecosystem management and alternative management paradigms; ecological policy and decision analysis; and the interface between science, scientists, and natural resource policy. These days, his specific research and policy focus is on the three overarching policy realities that will drive natural resource and environmental agencies in the Pacific Northwest through this century:
(1) the dramatic increase in the numbers of humans in the region
(2) a changing climate which will impose different ecological options and constraints on many species and the Endangered Species Act
(3) the ongoing and intensifying collective demand for ecosystem services
Dr. Lackey’s seminar will be titled: “Science in Public Policy: Maintaining Relevance, Ensuring Accuracy, and Avoiding Advocacy”.
This event will be co-sponsored by the Interfaces of Global Change Graduate Student Organization (GSO) as part of the continuing Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Seminar Series.
The fellows in the Interfaces of Global Change IGEP met today with Dr. Jimmy O’Dea, a 2014-15 AAAS Science & Engineering Congressional Fellow for U.S. Senator Brian Schatzof Hawaii, and Dr. Julia Mundy, an AAAS fellow in the U.S. Department of Education.
The group met at Fralin Life Science Institute to discuss how to effectively communicate science in order to impact policy, and how to increase awareness of global change research.
Jennifer Wagner, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation and an IGC Fellow, listed a few “take home messages” that came out of this informative roundtable discussion:
Don’t be afraid to talk about your science and communicate interesting findings from your research. There is a real need to engage early and often with the public and policy makers.
Finding innovative and effective ways to communicate with a wider audience will have huge ramifications in the future. We need to push ourselves to be better science communicators in all formats, even though we often feel overloaded with actually “doing science”.
There are many paths that Ph.D’s can take after academia. If we want to explore other options and be part of the policy discussion, there are avenues available for us that include these goals.
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