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Talking Science in an Age of Sound Bites
Manomet and MIT Convene Provocative Panel on Communicating Science
In the face of ever-more complex and pressing environmental issues, broad scientific literacy has never been more vital. Yet in this polarized, populist world of IT overload—this Age of Sound Bites—communicating science to the public and policymakers has never been more challenging. The solution most scientists take is to redouble their efforts and produce yet more science—a mind-numbing fire-hose of information so formidable resistance will be futile. But it doesn't work.
Addressing this challenge was the focus of a recent panel discussion at MIT titled “Talking Science in an Age of Sound Bites.” The event brought a distinguished panel of pioneers in science communications. The event was co-sponsored by Manomet, MIT’s Earth System Initiative, Sloan School Sustainability Initiative, and Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
The panel discussion was the result of Manomet President John Hagan’s vision for convening thought leaders to examine the ways in which science is communicated as well as the role and responsibility that scientists have to influence positive change in society.
Speaking to his fellow panelists and audience in a packed auditorium, Dr. Hagan emphasized that Manomet has come to understand the importance of good communications in its bottom-up approach. “Listening and respect are essential to Manomet’s work with diverse partners and stakeholders,” he said, adding that this has resulted in greater trust, collaboration and appreciation for using science to forge lasting solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our times.
Panelists for the event included:
Beth Daley—Environmental reporter for the Boston Globe, Health & Science section. In 2005, she received the Ocean Science Journalism Award from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) for excellence in communicating ocean science to the public.
Gino Del Guercio—Executive Producer at Boston Science Communications, Inc. and adjunct professor at the Boston University Center for Science and Medical Journalism. He has produced science programming for PBS, A&E and Discovery Channel. His most recent documentary is Abandoned in the Arctic, winner of the Sir Edmond Hillary prize at the Mountain Film Festival.
John Hagan, Ph.D.—President, Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Dr. Hagan has worked on forestry and agriculture issues throughout the New England region using a bottom-up approach for engaging those who live and work on the land.
Judith Layzer, Ph.D.—Associate Professor of Environmental Policy at the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Her research and teaching focus on the roles of science, values, and storytelling in environmental politics, as well as on the effectiveness of different approaches to environmental planning and management. Dr. Layzer is author of The Environmental Case: Translating Values Into Policy.
Randy Olson, Ph.D.—Biologist-turned-Hollywood filmmaker (Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus and Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy), and author of Don't be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style.
John Sterman, Ph.D.—Jay W. Forrester Professor of Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and Director of MIT's System Dynamics Group. Dr. Sterman, author of Modeling for Organizational Learning and the award-winning textbook Business Dynamics, was part of the MIT delegation at the recent U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.
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Manomet's President John Hagan comments during panel discussion at “Talking Science in an Age of Sound Bites” recently held on the MIT campus.
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The Conversation Continues: Read Manomet President John Hagan's post-event analysis in his blog, and post your own comments.
The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change
On April 29, 2010 at 7 p.m., Manomet Senior Scientist Trevor Lloyd-Evans will facilitate a discussion—The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change—with Dr. James C. Anderson, a Harvard professor and leading researcher on global climate change. The event, which will be held in the Plymouth North High School Auditorium, is sponsored by the Plymouth Area League of Women Voters. Everyone, including students who may be interested in global climate change, is invited to attend.
This will be an opportunity to hear about the latest research on one of the most important scientific issues of our times from a top-level scientist who is not only studying the global climate change but also investigating mechanisms to control it. Dr. Anderson has frequently testified before the Senate and House committees on climate issues and will cover both the scientific and political aspects of climate change.
Dr. Anderson, the Philip S. Weld Professor in the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Earth and Planetary Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, is one of world’s experts in climate feedback systems and climate change. He will review the demand for energy in the past, present and future and discuss how the escalating demand for energy is linked to feedbacks in the climate system—and what you can do to help restore the system. He will also address the question, “What role do the physical sciences play in selecting policies for the United States.”
As he has written, the Earth receives a continuous influx of energy from the Sun. Some of this energy is absorbed at the Earth’s surface or by the atmosphere, while some is reflected back to space. At the same time, the Earth and its atmosphere emit energy to space, resulting in an approximate balance between energy received and energy lost. Knowledge of the natural processes that affect this energy balance is critical for understanding how the Earth’s climate has changed in the past and will change in the future.
Factors that drive climate change are usefully separated into forcings and feedbacks. A climate forcing is an energy imbalance imposed on the climate system either externally or by human activities. Examples include changes in solar energy output, volcanic emissions, deliberate land modification, or emissions of greenhouse gases and aerosols resulting from human development, energy consumption and daily living choices.
A climate feedback is an internal climate process that amplifies or dampens the climate response to a specific forcing. An example is the increase in atmospheric water vapor that is triggered by an initial warming due to rising carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, which then acts to amplify warming through the greenhouse properties of water vapor.” (Excerpted from the NAS report: Radiative Forcing of Climate Change, www.nap.edu.)
You will find Dr. Anderson as personable and friendly as he is knowledgeable. In addition, Trevor Lloyd-Evans will relate to the discussion with insights from Manomet’s work in the area of Climate Change as well as observations from his field research in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Come prepared to ask questions!
To learn more about Dr. Anderson and his group’s research, visit the Anderson Group website at http://www.arp.harvard.edu/. For more information about Manomet’s Climate Change and Energy Initiative, click here.
Argentine Mayors Sign Historic Shorebird Conservation Agreement
Argentina is the "winter" home (boreal winter / austral summer!) of numerous species of migratory shorebirds, including the imperiled rufa subspecies of Red Knot (Calidris canutus). Four places in particular have been designated as Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) Sites for their international or hemispheric level of importance to shorebirds: Laguna Mar Chiquita, San Antonio Bay, Rio Gallegos Estuary, and Tierra del Fuego Coastal Reserve.
Recently, an unprecedented agreement was signed among the mayors of all seven municipalities surrounding these four WHSRN sites. This agreement formalized their joint commitment to shorebird conservation within their jurisdictions and established "twin city" relationships. Read more from WHSRN...
"State of the Birds" Explored at Manomet Co-Sponsored Event
The State of the Birds and what birds are telling us about the sustainability of our own world was the focus of an event co-sponsored by Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences and Mass Audubon on March 6, 2010. The 18th Annual Mass Audubon Birders Meeting gathered nearly 200 birders to examine how science, technology, and birds could offer the key to some of the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet. The event, held at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, brought together a group of internationally-known ornithologists from Mass Audubon, Manomet and other organizations.
Birders Meeting Organizer Wayne Petersen, Director of Mass Audubon’s Important Bird Areas Program, launched the event. Also at the start of the meeting, Manomet’s President John Hagan joined Mass Audubon President Laura Johnson in welcoming participants. Dr. Hagan reflected on Manomet’s four-decade history of bird research and conservation, and how Manomet’s studies have provided useful information for addressing important sustainability issues like climate change. For example, information from long-term studies conducted by Trevor Lloyd-Evans, Director of Manomet’s Banding Program, reveals migration timing and habitat changes likely related to a changing climate. This research has been helpful in guiding habitat protection and land management programs throughout the Northeast.
Keynote speaker Greg Butcher, Director of Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society, discussed the valuable contributions of citizen scientists and findings of the U.S. State of the Birds Report released by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2009.
Other presenters included Manomet’s Stephen Brown, Director of Shorebird Science at Manomet, and Katharine Parsons, a leader in waterbird research and conservation. Dr. Brown discussed highlights of Manomet’s work throughout the Hemisphere to learn what is impacting shorebird populations and conservation measures that are being promoted to ensure their survival. The audience was treated to striking photographs of elusive Arctic shorebirds on their breeding grounds and new discoveries about their habitats and the conservation challenges facing them. His presentation also shared stories from Manomet’s work in the Arctic and what it is like to travel and carry out field research in remote wilderness areas like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Presenting waterbirds as "time-tested survivors of environmental challenge," Dr. Parsons explored how outcomes of climate change, including sea level rise and altered freshwater systems, will impact wading birds in the coming years. She shared how the great variety of strategies with which long-legged wading birds use wetland resources may help inform climate change adaptation approaches for wetland habitats and species.
For further reflections on the Birders Meeting, visit this blog: Medford Wildlife Watch.
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Manomet Forest Ecologist and Program Leader Appointed to U.S. Forest Stewardship Council Board
John Gunn, a forest ecologist and Senior Program Leader in the Natural Capital Initiative at Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences was recently named to fill an interim position on the national board of the Forest Stewardship Council-US (FSC- US). Read more.
