Supporting Engaged Geoscientists: How Universities Can Lead the Way

Scientists at universities are often called upon to engage in a two-way dialogue with citizens and decision-makers on a range of geoscience challenges. However, such public engagement is oftentimes viewed as an extra activity in addition to research, teaching, and service requirements. We argue that academic institutions have the power to solve the science-society divide by investing in sustained, formalized institutional structures to support public engagement and to catalyze science-societal transformations. We identify five core institutional structure capabilities - (1) creating networks, (2) developing best practices, (3) convening stakeholders, (4) establishing incentives, and (5) facilitating regular evaluation - the importance of which can vary based on university priorities, culture, and resources. To build out these initiatives, universities can build on existing strengths and better coordinate, leverage, and elevate existing resources and experts. Additionally, capacity can be incrementally built overtime to meet the unique needs of the university scientists or the public audiences they commonly engage. By developing university capacities to connect, train, support and reward public engagement, geoscientists can enhance their collective impact in addressing societal challenges.

Graphic developed by Bethann Garramon Merkle, (c)2018 ecologicallytruestory.org.