TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrating science and policy
T2 - A case study of the hubbard brook research foundation science links program
AU - Driscoll, Charles T.
AU - Lambert, Kathy Fallon
AU - Weathers, Kathleen C.
N1 - Funding Information:
had extensive experience and seniority within their agencies. The representatives were recruited directly by the lead scientist through personal outreach and were sent a follow-up letter outlining the goals, time line, and outcomes of the project, with a description of the specific role and duties of a policy adviser. The policy advisers helped to frame the initial questions for the synthesis, to ensure that the synthesis remained relevant to policy, and to link the results to specific measurable policy goals and strategies. The teams were supported by HBRF staff, who were responsible for designing and managing stakeholder engagement processes, analyzing policy linkages, translating and distilling results for broader audiences, and convening outreach activities. In addition, HBRF supported a PhD-level research fellow for each project who coordinated data collection, analysis, and modeling (figure 2). The research that underpins the synthesis efforts has been supported largely through National Science Foundation (NSF) grants, including grants from the Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. Science Links activities were supported entirely through grants from private foundations on the basis of proposals developed by HBRF and through modest individual donations.
Funding Information:
This is a contribution of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study. The Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest is administered by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service and is a National Science Foundation (NSF) Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site with support provided by the NSF through the LTER program (Grant DEB-042359). The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF) Science Links program has been generously funded by organizations, including the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Trust, the Davis Conservation Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the McCabe Environmental Fund, the Merck Family Fund, the John Merck Fund, the Harold Whitworth Pierce Charitable Trust, the Sudbury Foundation, the Switzer Environmental Leadership Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. We thank David Sleeper and Peter M. Groffman for their encouragement to document and share the lessons and challenges from the Science Links program and for reviews of earlier drafts of the manuscript. We are also indebted to the many HBRF trustees, scientists, and natural-resource managers who encouraged our work with Science Links.
PY - 2011/10
Y1 - 2011/10
N2 - Scientists, related professionals, and the public have for decades called for greater interaction among scientists, policymakers, and the media to address contemporary environmental challenges. Practical examples of effective "real-world" programs designed to catalyze interactions and provide relevant science are few. Existing successful models can be used, however, to develop and expand the work of integrating, synthesizing, and communicating ecosystem science for environmental policy and natural-resource management. We provide an overview of the structure and strategies used in the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation Science Links program, now in its thirteenth year as a successful boundary-spanning organization. We detail project activities and results and share lessons and challenges for the further advancement of Science Links and other efforts to bridge the sciencepolicy divide. Furthermore, we suggest greater emphasis in boundary-spanning programs as a part of publicly funded research initiatives and as legitimate scholarly endeavors that support the scaled coproduction of knowledge and that harness scientific research to support informed policy and environmental management.
AB - Scientists, related professionals, and the public have for decades called for greater interaction among scientists, policymakers, and the media to address contemporary environmental challenges. Practical examples of effective "real-world" programs designed to catalyze interactions and provide relevant science are few. Existing successful models can be used, however, to develop and expand the work of integrating, synthesizing, and communicating ecosystem science for environmental policy and natural-resource management. We provide an overview of the structure and strategies used in the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation Science Links program, now in its thirteenth year as a successful boundary-spanning organization. We detail project activities and results and share lessons and challenges for the further advancement of Science Links and other efforts to bridge the sciencepolicy divide. Furthermore, we suggest greater emphasis in boundary-spanning programs as a part of publicly funded research initiatives and as legitimate scholarly endeavors that support the scaled coproduction of knowledge and that harness scientific research to support informed policy and environmental management.
KW - boundary-spanning programs
KW - environmental challenges
KW - integrating science and policy
KW - interaction of scientists
KW - science communication
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=80054694764&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1525/bio.2011.61.10.9
DO - 10.1525/bio.2011.61.10.9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:80054694764
SN - 0006-3568
VL - 61
SP - 791
EP - 801
JO - BioScience
JF - BioScience
IS - 10
ER -