Actionable Science Webinars
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center (NW CASC) offers both skills-building webinar series and individual applied science webinars. Our skills-building webinar series are designed to promote a deeper understanding of actionable science approaches by emphasizing the process behind effective engagement between research and management communities. Our applied science webinars cover a range of topics and lessons learned from NW CASC-funded projects.
Skills-Building Webinars
Our skills-building webinar series are designed to promote a deeper understanding of actionable science approaches by emphasizing the process behind effective engagement between research and management communities
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Early Career Reflections from the Climate Adaptation Field: Landing and Navigating Jobs After Graduate School
In this webinar, we’ll hear from a panel of early-career researchers who have recently navigated the Northwest job market and landed positions related to climate adaptation across a range of sectors. Our panel, made up of three NW CASC Research Fellowship Alumni, will share insights about what led them into their current positions, the tradeoffs they’ve experienced in their sectors, opportunities to develop actionable science with partners, and the direct and indirect ways in which their organizations are supporting climate adaptation.
PRESENTERS:
Charlotte Dohrn | Climate Resilience Planner, Washington Department of Ecology
Charlotte Dohrn is a climate resilience planner with the Department of Ecology’s Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program, where she works on climate change planning guidance and policy development. Her background includes climate adaptation research, restoration planning and strategy development. Charlotte holds a master’s degree from the University of Washington’s (UW) School of Marine and Environmental Affairs and a certificate from the UW’s Program on Climate Change. She was a Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center Research Fellow in 2019.Sydney Jantsch | Restoration Scientist, Lummi Nation Natural Resources Department
Sydney Jantsch is a restoration scientist for the Lummi Natural Resources Department (LNR). Her primary focus in this position is to assess, preserve and restore fish habitat in the Nooksack River, with a particular emphasis on threatened early Chinook salmon populations. After her NW CASC Research Fellowship and prior to beginning her position with LNR, she was employed at Western Washington University as a graduate assistant while working on her thesis research.She has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a master’s degree in environmental science with an emphasis in freshwater ecology, both obtained from Western Washington University. Her thesis research assessed the effectiveness of engineered log jams as a restoration strategy to promote hyporheic upwelling and provide cool-water refuge for Chinook salmon in the South Fork of the Nooksack River. She is honored for the opportunity to continue this research with her position at LNR.
Kelsey King | Fish and Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Kelsey King is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist and is based out of the Portland, Oregon Fish and Wildlife office. Kelsey works as a species lead for the Fender’s blue butterfly and the Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly in Oregon. She is also a doctoral candidate at Washington State University Vancouver (WSU), planning to finish this spring.Kelsey graduated with her bachelor’s degree in biology and environmental studies at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. She was a NW CASC Research Fellow in 2020 and did her Fellowship on the changing timing of nectar resources for Fender’s blue butterfly. After her fellowship, she continued her dissertation work as well as assisting on other projects at WSU Vancouver including work with monarchs and Oregon silverspot, and could not resist a position with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service when the opportunity to lead Fender’s blue butterfly presented itself.
Navigating a Collaborative Research Career in Academia
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Transforming Academic Promotion to Encourage Science That Serves Society — and Surviving in the Academic System as an Action Scientist
As more students and researchers pursue action-oriented scholarship with the goal of addressing complex social and environmental challenges, universities have the opportunity to update their policies and reward systems so that researchers are encouraged and empowered to conduct collaborative research with communities and increase their external impact. Scientists can also strategically manage their careers, relationships, and way their work is portrayed to succeed in an evolving world of academia.
Together with mentorship, administrative support, funding, and hiring and retention practices, promotion systems play a key role in driving research that serves society. In this webinar, Dr. Jessica Hellmann, Consortium Director of the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, Executive Director of the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and co-author of The Guidebook for the Engaged University, will discuss university promotion systems and how they can encourage researchers to use engaged scholarship to address society’s big challenges. She’ll also discuss techniques for making a successful case for promotion by an action scientist in an evolving landscape of higher education.
PRESENTER:
Dr. Jessica Hellmann | Consortium Director, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Director and EcoLab Chair in Environmental Leadership, University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment
Reworking Scientific CVs to Better Capture Societally Engaged Research and Move Towards Fairer Research Assessment
The traditional format of scientific CVs, focused on comprehensive lists of publications and presentations, makes it challenging to convey the time, skills and outputs required in engaged research, failing to serve the many researchers pursuing science that serves society. In the second webinar of our series on Navigating a Collaborative Research Career in Academia, we’ll hear from experts rethinking the traditional CV format to create space for more meaningful, contextual information and to emphasize quality over quantity of information in CVs.
Though literature and practice around this topic in the U.S. is still nascent, European researchers and institutions are leading the conversation around reshaping traditional scientific CVs to make research assessment fairer. In this webinar, we’ll hear from Michaela Strinzel from the Swiss National Science Foundation and Dr. Wolfgang Kaltenbrunner from Leiden University in the Netherlands, who will discuss the broader context around these shifts in academia and describe the Swiss National Foundation’s work to implement a new CV format, along with the challenges and lessons learned thus far.
This webinar will offer an alternative approach to writing CVs that better captures collaborative research skills and will provide perspectives on how this shift can move academia towards fairer research assessment.
PRESENTERS:
Michaela Strinzel | Scientific Collaborator, Swiss National Science Foundation
Dr. Wolfgang Kaltenbrunner | Senior Researcher, Leiden University
CV ReWorkshop: Updating Your CV to Contextualize Your Contributions in Societally Engaged Research
Are you a researcher engaging with non-academic partners to develop science that meets real-world needs? If so, you may have noticed that the traditional format of scientific CVs, focused on comprehensive lists of publications and presentations, makes it challenging to convey the distinct skills, activities and products associated with your societally engaged research. So how do you develop a CV that accounts for these real-world contributions, yet still aligns with the traditional CV format expected in academia?
Join our interactive workshop on December 12 to find out! This work session is designed to support you in incorporating narrative elements into your CV that help contextualize your skills and experiences and better communicate your work. We’ll draw from lessons learned in our previous webinar, Reworking Scientific CVs to Better Capture Societally Engaged Research and Move Towards Fairer Research Assessment.
After setting the stage for why you might consider adding narrative elements into your CV, we’ll break into small groups and walk through prompts for how to incorporate narrative elements that highlight meaningful, contextual information about your contributions in societally engaged research. We’ll have a mix of quiet work time as well as time for discussion and questions.
If you would like to participate in this webinar, we recommend reviewing our previous webinar by watching the recording here. If you’d like to dive deeper on this topic, here is a list of related resources that may be of interest:
Papers & Articles
- Strinzel, M., J. Brown, W. Kaltenbrunner, S. de Rijcke, and M. Hill. 2021. Ten ways to improve academic CVs for fairer research assessment. Humanities & Social Science Communications 8:251.
- Woolston, C. 2022. Time to rethink the scientific CV — Fresh formats showcase researchers’ work more effectively. Nature 604:203-205.
- Imperfect, boring, headed for change? 10 ways to improve academic CV assessments (blog post by webinar presenters and colleagues, on London School of Economics and Politics Impact Blog)
- Narrative CVs: a new challenge and research agenda (blog post about a 5-day workshop on narrative CVs that Wolfgang organized, on Leiden University blog)
Other Resources
- Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA)
- Using Narrative CVs: Process optimization and bias mitigation
- U.K. Research and Innovation: Resume for Research and Innovation (R4RI) guidance
- University of Glasgow short course: Narrative CVs for funding and job applications
PRESENTER:
Dr. Scott Kalafatis | Deputy University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Practical Frameworks for Collaborative Climate Adaptation Research, Part II
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Environmental Science with (not at) Society
Collaborative research approaches – those in which scientists and societal partners work together to create new knowledge that meets real-world needs – are critical for understanding and addressing climate adaptation challenges. Despite their importance, institutions are slow to break down barriers, like those related to how academic research is funded and evaluated, that make socially engaged research difficult to implement.
In this webinar, Drs. Ferguson, Meadow and Huntington will discuss recommendations for navigating collaborative research within existing institutional structures, in ways that can produce socially relevant outcomes, even within short project timelines. These recommendations are laid out in their new paper Making a Difference: Planning for Engaged Participation in Environmental Research, which examines the early stages of five research project case studies to understand common factors that yielded meaningful impacts in a relatively short period of time. They identify three factors that influenced the ability of these projects to produce positive social impacts: 1) the relative maturity of the relationships within the partnerships, 2) the intensity of the engagement efforts, and 3) the amount of contextual knowledge of the teams. The authors use these findings to provide considerations to account for at the outset of collaborative research projects to increase the chance of achieving both meaningful scientific and societal outcomes.
PRESENTERS:
Dr. Alison Meadow | Social Science and Evaluation lead, University of Arizona, Office of Societal Impact
Dr. Alison Meadow is an Associate Research Professor in the Office of Societal Impact at University of Arizona. Alison’s research focuses on the process of linking scientists with decision makers to improve the usability of climate science, with a particular emphasis on evaluating the outcomes of such research partnerships. She works with communities throughout the Southwest to support their adaptation planning efforts in ways that effectively address climate impacts and prioritize community values and culture. Alison is a co-principal investigator with the Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the NOAA-funded Climate Assessment for the Southwest. She was also a 2020 fellow of the Center for Advancing Research Impacts in Society.
Dr. Daniel Ferguson | Director, Climate Assessment for the Southwest and Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona
Dr. Dan Ferguson is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Director of the Climate Assessment for the Southwest program at the University of Arizona. A human-environment geographer, Dan contributes to and leads inter- and trans-disciplinary teams that conduct place-based, problem-oriented environmental research. The overarching goal of his work is collaborative development of relevant and useful knowledge to prepare for and respond to societal problems related to climate variability and change. Dan’s research generally falls into three categories: evaluation of use-inspired environmental research; development of theory and pragmatic approaches to socially engaged environmental research; and development of knowledge about the social and cultural context for inter- and trans-disciplinary teams and the design and implementation of partner engagement strategies.
Dr. Henry Huntington | Director, Arctic Science, Ocean Conservancy and Research Consultant, Huntington Consulting
Dr. Henry Huntington lives in Eagle River, Alaska, where he works as an independent researcher and serves as the Director of Arctic Science for Ocean Conservancy. His work supports conservation efforts in Alaska, Canada and the high seas of the Arctic Ocean. Henry’s research activities include reviewing the regulation of subsistence hunting in northern Alaska, documenting traditional ecological knowledge of marine mammals, examining Iñupiat Eskimo and Inuit knowledge and use of sea ice, and assessing the impacts of climate change on Arctic communities and Arctic marine mammals. He has been involved in several international research programs and was co-chair of the National Academy of Sciences committee on emerging research questions in the Arctic as well as a member of the Council of Canadian Academies panel on the state of knowledge of food security in the North. Henry has written many academic and popular articles, as well as three books. He has made long trips in the Arctic by dog team, open boat and snowmobile.
Meeting Today’s Climate Challenges by Transforming Science Training
How can we mobilize science to support the transformational global action required by climate change? By creating a new type of scientist. In this webinar, Drs. Mary Ann Rozance, Meade Krosby and Amy Snover will discuss the need for science training that builds collaborative science skills at different career stages to develop a strong community of practice around actionable climate science. These concepts are laid out in their paper Building capacity for societally engaged climate science by transforming science training, which draws from their experiences at the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, as well as their co-authors’ experiences at the University of Arizona Climate Assessment for the Southwest, to offer a perspective on a path for the academy to better develop, train and support scientists to conduct societally relevant research.
PRESENTERS:
Dr. Mary Ann Rozance | Senior Associate, Cascadia Consulting Group
Dr. Mary Ann Rozance is a Senior Associate at Cascadia Consulting Group, where she helps develop climate action plans and vulnerability assessments for cities, counties and other clients. At Cascadia, she brings her qualitative research, planning and facilitation skills to advance stakeholder engagement and collaborative planning efforts. In her previous position as Postdoctoral Scholar with the NW CASC, Mary Ann led the training and coordination of the NW CASC Research Fellowship Program and worked collaboratively with resource managers and researchers to co-identify regional climate science and capacity needs to address emerging climate risks.
Mary Ann received her bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Conservation from the University of British Columbia and her master’s degree in Forest Resources from the University of Washington. She received her doctorate in Urban Studies from Portland State University, where she was also a Fellow through a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program.
Dr. Meade Krosby | University Deputy Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Senior Scientist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Meade Krosby is a Senior Scientist with the UW Climate Impacts Group. She is also the University Deputy Director of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. Dr. Krosby works closely with land and wildlife managers, policy makers and communities to collaboratively understand and address climate impacts on natural systems and the people who depend on them. Her current work includes vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning; large landscape conservation planning for climate resilience; and efforts to build climate adaptation capacity and communities of practice.
Dr. Krosby received a bachelor’s degree in Biology from Cornell University and a doctorate in Biology from the University of Washington.
Dr. Amy Snover | University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Director, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Dr. Amy Snover connects science and decision making to tackle today’s pressing environmental challenges, as Director of the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group and University Director of the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. She is also an Affiliate Associate Professor in the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. Dr. Snover supports the development of regional resilience to climate variability and change by harnessing science in support of the real needs of resource managers, planners and policy makers. She works with a broad range of stakeholders to develop guidance for science-based climate risk management, identify research priorities and evaluate response alternatives.
Dr. Snover received a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Carleton College and a doctorate in Analytical/Environmental Chemistry from the University of Washington.
Practical Frameworks for Collaborative Climate Adaptation Research
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center co-sponsored this series with the UW College of the Environment Science Communication Program. Click on the expanding tiles below to view recordings of previous webinars.
Rethinking Authorship Guidelines to Recognize Diverse Contributions in Collaborative Research
Research in the environmental sciences often involves significant engagement and communication with partners, yet research authorship typically only reflects those involved in the data collection, analysis and writing processes. In this webinar, Steven Cooke, Vivian Nguyen and Dominique Roche will propose a more transparent and inclusive approach to authorship that acknowledges the many ways individuals contribute to conservation science research. This approach, based on an expanded list of roles from the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) system, is introduced in their recent paper Contemporary authorship guidelines fail to recognize diverse contributions in conservation science research.
PRESENTERS:
Steven J. Cooke | Director of the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University
Dr. Steven J. Cooke has diverse research interests that span the natural and social sciences with a focus on aquatic conservation. Cooke is also the Director of the Canadian Centre for Evidence-Based Conservation where he leads a team conducting evidence syntheses. He is founding editor of the Oxford University Press journal “Conservation Physiology” and serves on the editorial boards of six other journals. Cooke holds a number of leadership positions including Chair of the Sea Lamprey Research Board of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, Secretary of the College of the Royal Society of Canada and Board Chair for KeepFishWet.org.
Vivian Nguyen | Assistant Professor, Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science, Carleton University
Dr. Vivian Nguyen is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Science and the Department of Biology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Her research is interdisciplinary and focuses on the interface of science, people and policy within the themes of conservation, environmental change and natural resource management. Dr. Nguyen’s research program focuses on application and mobilizing various forms of knowledge into decisions, policy and practice. She is interested social-ecological systems, human dimensions of environmental issues, science policy and community knowledge.
Dominique Roche | Marie Curie Global Fellow, Carleton University
Dr. Dominique Roche is an ecologist and meta-scientist funded by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellowship from the European Commission. He studies how publicly shared research data (open data) contribute to improving transparency, reproducibility and collaboration in science. He is also actively engaged in science policy through various appointments with Research Data Canada, the NSERC-CREATE Living Data Project and the Canada National Committee for CODATA. He is a co-founder of the Society for Open, Reliable, and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary biology (SORTEE.org) and serves on the society’s executive committee.
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center co-sponsored this series with the UW College of the Environment Science Communication Program.
Promoting Collaboration Between Evolutionary Biologists and Conservation Practitioners to Help Species Adapt to a Changing World
Evolutionary theory, which studies the processes through which species respond to change, can provide valuable lessons for helping species cope with increasingly altered habitats and conditions brought on by climate change. Though evolutionary theory can be useful in informing effective conservation practices, there’s a gap between the science available and on-the-ground conservation practices. In this webinar, NW CASC researcher and partnerships ecologist Lindsey Thurman will offer a set of practical solutions for better integrating evolutionary theory into conservation management. These solutions are laid out in a new paper from Lindsey and co-authors, Supporting the adaptive capacity of species through more effective knowledge exchange with conservation practitioners. While this paper is targeted towards evolutionary biologists, Lindsey will also discuss a related paper tailored to conservation practitioners that the author team has in development, led by National CASC’s Laura Thompson.
PRESENTER:
Lindsey Thurman | Partnerships Ecologist, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey
Dr. Lindsey Thurman is a Partnerships Ecologist for the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. She is a freshwater community ecologist with expertise in amphibian ecology and conservation. Her research currently focuses on identifying climate change refugia for stream-associated amphibian species in timber-managed landscapes. Lindsey is also leading a community of practice among agency, university and non-profit partners centered around species’ adaptive capacity (AC) in a changing climate and improving the incorporation of AC information in natural-resource management and conservation planning through training, guidance and tool development. Her role with the NW CASC is to engage with stakeholders in the region and identify needs related to climate adaptation, including strategies to enhance adaptive capacity and reduce the vulnerability of at-risk species from climate change.
Lindsey received her Ph.D. in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, where she was a Research Fellow with the NW CASC. She also holds an M.S. in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University and a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology & Conservation from the University of Florida.
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center co-sponsored this series with the UW College of the Environment Science Communication Program.
Decolonizing Ecology: Five Steps Towards More Inclusive and Ethical Research Practice
Ecological research helps us understand connections between people, species and landscapes and the actions we need to take to prepare and adapt to a changing climate. However, since Western approaches to understanding the world have shaped the field of ecology, it is embedded in a colonial legacy that has led to dispossession, racism, extraction and power imbalances that continue today. By acknowledging this history and working to undo the ways of thinking that have led to such harm, we have the opportunity to create a more ethical approach to ecology that recognizes diverse peoples and knowledges. In their paper Decoloniality and anti-oppressive practices for a more ethical ecology, Madhusudan Katti and coauthors call for decolonizing ecology through actively undoing systems and ways of thinking to promote more inclusive and effective practices. In this webinar, Madhusudan will outline five shifts to help transform academic ecological practice: 1) decolonize your mind; 2) know your histories; 3) decolonize access; 4) decolonize expertise; and 5) practice ethical ecology in inclusive teams.
PRESENTER:
Madhusudan Katti | Associate Professor, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University & Faculty Affiliate, Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center
Dr. Madhusudan Katti is an Associate Professor in the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program for Leadership in Public Science and the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University. He is also a Faculty Affiliate of the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. He engages local communities and the broader public in studying how human activities and histories of colonization and segregation shape the distribution of nature and biodiversity in urban areas in the context of climate change and globalization, and the historical legacy effects of differential access to nature for disadvantaged communities. He is actively engaged in rethinking and redesigning his own research and the teaching of ecology and conservation biology within a broader framework of decolonizing science.
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center co-sponsored this series with the UW College of the Environment Science Communication Program.
*PLEASE NOTE: WEBINAR INCLUDES SLIDE CONTAINING STRONG LANGUAGE*
Tribal Perspectives on Cross-Cultural Fire Management
This NW CASC is hosting this webinar series in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. Click on the expanding tiles below to view recordings of previous webinars.
Cultural Burning and Collaborative Fire Research and Management: Approaches for Respectfully Partnering with Tribes
As collaborative fire management projects between tribal and non-tribal entities are increasingly recognized for their potential to achieve both ecological and cultural fire management goals in a warming climate, it’s important that non-tribal researchers and resource managers approach these collaborations in respectful and non-extractive ways.
In this webinar, USFS research ecologist Dr. Frank Lake will discuss the historical context of cultural burning, clarify misconceptions about cultural burning, and present a decolonizing framework for fire management as a grounding for modern approaches to collaborative fire management that achieve shared values and resource objectives. Frank will also share best practices and lessons learned for adaptive approaches to collaborative wildland fire management projects with tribal partners.
PRESENTER:
Dr. Frank Lake | Research Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service
Frank Lake is an Indigenous research ecologist who specializes in fire and fuels. Frank‘s current research at the U.S. Forest Service involves wildland fire effects, traditional ecological knowledge, climate change, ethno-ecology, and cultural management and fire ecology of forest, shrub, grassland and riparian environments in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion.
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosting this webinar in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
Collaborative Fire Management Case Studies from the Colville National Forest
This webinar will provide examples of successful cross-cultural partnerships for managing fire and building community resilience in a changing climate. In this webinar, USFS fire ecologist and tribal liaison Monique Wynecoop will share two case studies from the Colville National Forest, in which the Spokane and Colville Tribes and non-tribal partners conducted collaborative, interdisciplinary fire management projects that incorporated diverse values, cultures and knowledges to meet multiple fire management goals. Monique will share lessons learned for building trust with tribal communities and conducting collaborative fire management through a restorative justice lens with tribes as beneficiaries.
PRESENTER:
Monique Wynecoop | Fire Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service, Colville National Forest | Fire Ecologist and Tribal Liaison, Northern Rockies Fire Science Network
About Monique:
I am Pit River/Maidu and my three children are Spokane Tribal members. Since 2008, I have been working as a Region 6 Fire Ecologist for the US Forest Service (USFS) as part of a two-person NE Washington Area Ecology team, within the ancestral homeland of the Spokane, Kalispel, and Confederated Colville Tribes in Northeastern Washington. In addition, I’m a Fire Ecologist/Tribal Liaison for the Northern Rockies Fire Science Network, as well as a board member for Northwest Scientific Association and Diversity & Inclusivity committee member for the Association of Fire Ecology. It’s my goal that my children and all future generations of tribal people feel that their best interests are addressed in the management of natural resources, on and off the reservation. My work has emphasized promoting tribal sovereignty on and off the reservation by sharing our stories and history and promoting cross-boundary collaboration with tribal and non-tribal agencies. My research has focused on building transparency and trust between agencies and incorporating tribal and community feedback into forest management practices.
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosting this webinar in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
Tribal Experiences in Collaborative Fire Management in the Northwest
In this last webinar of our series, we’ll hear from tribal representatives who work in a variety of roles related to fire stewardship, research and management. These panelists will share goals around managing and stewarding fire, their perspectives on how scientists and managers can help ensure collaborative fire projects meet the goals of tribal communities, what non-tribal scientists and managers can do to build trust with tribal communities, and the challenges they face in their work.
PRESENTERS:
Dustin Hawks | Cultural Resource Protection Specialist and Wildland Firefighter Supervisor at the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
Dustin Hawks, Cultural Resource Protection Specialist in the Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office is a Grand Ronde tribal member from the LaChance family. He was born in Astoria, Oregon and was raised in the surrounding coastal towns. He divides his time between cultural resources responsibilities and the Tribe’s Wildland Fire Program. In recent years, he has begun to develop strategies of mutual support and collaboration between the programs. He has maintained an interest in understanding the integration of social actions, cultural identity and resilience.
Serra Hoagland | Biologist for the Rocky Mountain Research Station Fire Lab and Liaison Officer to the Salish Kootenai College
Dr. Serra Hoagland (Laguna Pueblo) serves as the Liaison Officer/Biologist for the USDA Rocky Mountain Research Station (RMRS) Missoula Fire Sciences Lab to Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana. She focuses on building local, regional and national partnerships with tribes and intertribal organizations, mentoring students in natural resources at the tribal college and conducting tribally-relevant research. As the first Native American to graduate from Northern Arizona University with a PhD in forestry, Serra studied Mexican spotted owl habitat on tribal and non-tribal lands in south-central New Mexico. In 2020, Dr. Hoagland was nominated for a professional of the year award and was selected as the most promising scientist by the American Indian Science & Engineering Society. Over the years, she has been actively involved with the Intertribal Timber Council, the Native American Fish & Wildlife Society as well as The Wildlife Society.
Derek Kimbol | Chief Executive Officer, Maqlaqs Geetkni
MODERATOR:
Dr. Frank Lake | Research Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service
Frank Lake is an Indigenous research ecologist who specializes in fire and fuels. Frank‘s current research at the U.S. Forest Service involves wildland fire effects, traditional ecological knowledge, climate change, ethno-ecology, and cultural management and fire ecology of forest, shrub, grassland and riparian environments in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion.
The Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosting this webinar in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
Improving Ethical Practice in Transdisciplinary Research Projects
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Improving Ethical Practice in Transdisciplinary Research Projects
Transdisciplinary research, or research conducted by people from different disciplines and organizations working together to solve a common problem, holds promise for communities and scientists seeking to address complex socio-ecological problems like climate change. However, this collaborative research approach requires thoughtful consideration of ethical concepts to better account for working with individuals, communities and organizations as partners in, rather than subjects of, transdisciplinary research. This webinar will explore principles for improving ethical practice in transdisciplinary research in socio-ecological settings, such as appropriate representation, deference, self-determination and reciprocity. We will discuss opportunities to deepen ethical skills for researchers in all career stages to improve our transdisciplinary research in response to new challenges, contexts and societal needs.
PRESENTERS:
Dr. Alison Meadow | Associate Research Professor, University of Arizona, Arizona Institutes for Resilience
Dr. Hailey Wilmer | Research Social Scientist, USDA Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station
Dr. Daniel Ferguson | Director, Climate Assessment for the Southwest and Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona
MODERATOR:
Dr. Mary Ann Rozance | NW CASC Postdoctoral Fellow
Early Career Considerations for Co-Producing Actionable Science
This webinar series is designed to help graduate students and postdoctoral scholars engaged in research related to climate adaptation better understand how to (1) incorporate co-production into their work and (2) navigate the range of career pathways available to those interested in spanning the divide between science and decision-making to address urgent environmental challenges.
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Navigating Co-Production as a Graduate or Postdoctoral Researcher to Make Science that Matters
To address the complex and pressing environmental issues facing the Northwest and the world, it is becoming increasingly important for scientists to engage with decision-makers to co-produce science that is useful and used for promoting climate resilience. As a graduate student or postdoctoral scholar interested in doing such work, it can be difficult to navigate the process of working directly with decision-makers (i.e. co-production) when academic structures may not align with a collaborative research approach. In this webinar, a panel of former Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center Fellows will draw from their own research experiences to answer questions including How did you find your project partners? How did you work collaboratively with partners while juggling the demands of academia, especially when timelines and incentive structures might present barriers? How did you get buy-in from your advisors and build partnerships with stakeholders?
PRESENTERS:
Travis King, MSc | PhD Student, School of the Environment, Washington State University
Dr. Caitlin Littlefield | Postdoctoral Associate, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont
Laura Nelson, MSc | PhD Candidate, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington
Megan Russell | Masters Candidate, College of Science and Engineering, Western Washington University
MODERATOR:
Dr. Mary Ann Rozance | NW CASC Postdoctoral Fellow
Career Pathways in Boundary Work & Co-Production
Boundary workers help bridge the divide between science and decision-making, facilitating the two-way transfer of knowledge that can be used to address climate change and other environmental challenges. In this webinar, a panel of professionals engaged in boundary spanning and knowledge co-production, representing academic, federal agency, nonprofit and public sectors, will share their career journeys and provide perspectives for early career researchers interested in pursuing this type of work.
PRESENTERS:
Dr. Molly Cross | Director of Climate Change Adaptation, North & South America Science Director, Wildlife Conservation Society Climate Adaptation Fund
Dr. Nicole DeCrappeo | U.S. Geological Survey Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Dr. Josh Lawler | Denman Professor of Sustainable Resource Sciences, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington
Dr. Ronda Strauch | Climate Change Research and Adaptation Advisor, Seattle City Light
MODERATOR:
Dr. Mary Ann Rozance | NW CASC Postdoctoral Fellow
Publishing Results of Co-Produced Research
Co-producing knowledge in collaboration with decision-makers is considered a best practice for developing science that is useful and used to address today’s most urgent environmental challenges. However, traditional academic incentives, such as the expectation to publish peer-reviewed papers on ground-breaking research findings, can present barriers for researchers who consider applying this highly collaborative research approach. Fortunately, there are ways to publish on a variety of concepts across the lifespan of a project. This webinar will explore options for developing publications from other aspects of co-produced research, including the process used to engage decision-makers in the research, the resulting co-created research products and the evaluation of the work.
PRESENTERS:
Dr. Tamara Wall | Deputy Director & Associate Research Professor, Western Regional Climate Center
MODERATOR:
Dr. Mary Ann Rozance | NW CASC Postdoctoral Fellow
Amplifying Actionable Science through Intentional, Integrated and Creative Communications
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Communication as an Essential Ingredient for Actionable Science: Key Concepts, Practical Strategies and Innovative Examples from the Northwest
Engaging scientists and decision-makers in the co-production of knowledge is considered a best practice for generating science that is likely to be useful and used in addressing pressing environmental challenges. Effective, ongoing communication is vital to the success of this highly collaborative research approach, from a project’s inception through dissemination of results (and beyond!). In this webinar, Dr. Meade Krosby will introduce key concepts for understanding the role of communication in the co-production of actionable science, and will offer practical strategies for integrating communication approaches across the life cycle of co-production efforts. Dr. Krosby will illustrate these concepts and strategies by highlighting innovative examples from the Northwest, describing key communication elements across the project process and presenting a wide range of co-created products – from interactive tools and trainings to community outreach materials and strategic media engagements.
PRESENTER:
Meade Krosby | Deputy University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Senior Scientist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Better Stories, Bigger Impact: How Scientists Can Engage Effectively with the Media to Share Their Science
More than ever, scientists are being asked to explain how their research is relevant to society and decision-making. This often requires them to navigate interactions with the media. In this webinar, journalist and scientist Dr. Julia Rosen will share expertise and insights about how scientists can more effectively engage with journalists to share compelling stories about their research. This webinar will provide practical lessons for successfully working with the media to increase the reach and impact of your science and will explore questions including: How do you build trust with journalists? At what point in the research process should you engage with journalists? What are best practices for communicating with the media?
PRESENTER:
Julia Rosen | Science Reporter, Los Angeles Times
What Can Successful Communication Look Like in Actionable Science? Examples from the Climate Adaptation Science Centers
While the peer-reviewed publication is the mainstay of academic science communication, science that is co-produced with decision-makers to help address environmental challenges often demands products that look quite different. While a peer-reviewed publication may in fact be a vital outcome of such work, so too may be specialized reports, tools, trainings, and a diverse suite of other products. So what can such products look like and how are they developed? In this webinar, presenters from across the Climate Adaptation Science Centers (a national network of federal-academic partnerships designed to facilitate the production of actionable climate adaptation science) will share a suite of creative products used to communicate collaborative research and inform decision-making, highlighting both the products and the processes used to collaboratively develop them.
PRESENTERS:
Holly Chandler | Program & Management Analyst, U.S. Geological Survey National Climate Adaptation Science Center
Kristin Timm | PhD Candidate and Graduate Researcher, George Mason University
Lindsey Platt | Water Data Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey
Co-Production in Practice: Examples from the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
This webinar series is designed to illustrate the process of co-production using examples from a wide range of projects funded by the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center. Each webinar provides practices and lessons learned for those wanting to take a co-production approach to generating actionable science to inform decision-making in a changing climate.
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Co-Producing Tribal Resources for Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment
Tribes are actively engaged in efforts to anticipate and respond to climate impacts on tribal natural and cultural resources. And yet, some tribes have faced difficulties initiating and completing the critical first step of the climate adaptation planning process: an assessment of locally-specific climate risks that accounts for the unique priorities, values, and concerns of individual tribes. The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group worked in close collaboration with tribal partners to develop a suite of resources aimed at building the capacity of Northwest and Great Basin tribes to evaluate climate risks to natural and cultural resources.
This webinar will describe the collaborative process employed by project partners to ensure these resources would be useful and used by tribes. It will also describe efforts to observe best practices in partnering with tribes. This webinar is designed to offer useful practices and lessons learned to inform similar climate adaptation efforts with tribes and other communities.
PRESENTER:
Meade Krosby | Deputy University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Senior Scientist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Knowledge to Action: The Role of Social Drivers in the Recovery of Bull Trout in a Changing Climate
As a species dependent on cold water habitat, bull trout are especially vulnerable to warming stream temperatures under a changing climate. The science of bull trout’s climate vulnerability is well-established, but how does this information translate into action on the ground to help conserve this threatened species? In this webinar, Dr. Jason Dunham from the U.S. Geological Survey will discuss his experience working at regional and local scales to engage stakeholders in decision-making around bull trout recovery, tracing the journey from knowledge to action. Experience with bull trout management shows that a lack of consideration of social drivers typically leads to a lack of actionable outcomes. Arguably, in many cases, ecological information is less important unless social drivers are effectively addressed and given equal or greater attention in the process of climate adaptation. This webinar will emphasize the social processes important for incorporating ecological considerations in management decisions.
PRESENTER:
Jason Dunham | Aquatic Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Co-Producing Science to Inform Sea-Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation for Wetlands
In this webinar, Dr. Thorne will present coastal climate adaptation case studies and lessons learned from multiple years working closely with resource managers. Dr. Thorne and her partners use both formal and informal methods to facilitate co-production, communication and outreach on sea-level rise research, and to translate science to inform management actions. This has included convening managers, biologists, Tribes, and other decision-makers and partners at regional workshops for structured scenario and adaptation planning. Through her work, Dr. Thorne has found that building trusting relationships with end-users early in the research process is the most effective way to ensure that science can inform on-the-ground actions. A strong manager-science partnership can benefit all participants by generating important research questions, collecting relevant data and translating research for end-users.
PRESENTER:
Karen Thorne | Principal Investigator, U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center
Convening Multiple Interests on a Hot Topic: Western Washington Wildfire Deep Dive Event
As our climate changes, there is an increasing need for collaboration across sectors to prepare for climate change impacts on people and ecosystems. But how do you bring together diverse parties with different areas of expertise, terminology and ways of approaching an issue? How do you ensure that diverse interests are included in the discussion about climate impacts and adaptation actions?
This webinar will describe the process used to bring together diverse perspectives for a Deep Dive event on Managing Western Washington Wildfire Risk in a Changing Climate. This collaboratively-designed event brought together a range of concerned parties including emergency managers, local government planners, natural resource managers, scientists and public health experts, who represent different interests and actions in the path towards wildfire preparedness. This event was held in December 2018 and was organized by the Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative, the Tulalip Tribes, the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group.
PRESENTER:
Crystal Raymond | Climate Adaptation Specialist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Social Science Tools for Making Science Actionable
This webinar series is designed to provide brief introductions to important social science issues and considerations and describe resources for further learning.
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Considering Research Ethics and Design for Participatory Research Projects
This webinar introduces participants to ethical and research design considerations in collaborative research projects, including the links between ethics and design. It discusses ways in which to consider the needs of stakeholders for both usable research outputs and fair and equitable participation in the research process.
PRESENTER:
Alison M. Meadow | Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment
Using Interviews and Surveys to Strengthen Research Partnerships
This webinar provides practical guidance on how to design survey and interview questions for use in participatory research projects.
PRESENTERS:
Alison M. Meadow | Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment
Gigi Owen | Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment and CLIMAS
Understanding Organizations Using Ethnographic Field Methods
This webinar introduces ethnographic research methods that can be used within participatory research projects to deepen researchers’ understanding of stakeholders’ decision-making contexts and organization structures.
PRESENTERS:
Alison M. Meadow | Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment
Gigi Owen | Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment and CLIMAS
Analyzing Qualitative Data: Understanding and Using Interview, Survey and Observational Data
This webinar introduces participants to data analysis techniques specific to qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and field notes. It also address some of the challenges and benefits of integrating qualitative and quantitative data within one project.
PRESENTERS:
Alison M. Meadow |Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment
Gigi Owen | Research Scientist, University of Arizona – Institute of the Environment and CLIMAS
An Introduction to Actionable Science
This webinar series is designed to help those engaged in climate science research better understand the range of approaches for developing actionable science. Each webinar explores ways to support effective collaborations between scientific researchers and natural resource managers.
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Developing a Successful Co-Production Collaboration Between Scientists and Practitioners
Assessing and addressing climate risks will require rigorous science that is both useful to and used by decision-makers. Research has shown that such “actionable science” is most likely to be generated through “co-production” – the process of scientists working closely with decision-makers to identify key questions, design research approaches, conduct research, and communicate findings in such a way as to develop information, tools, and knowledge that solve real-world problems. This webinar is intended to help scientists and natural resource management professionals better understand the processes, skills, and outcomes associated with effective co-production of actionable climate science.
PRESENTERS:
Meade Krosby | Deputy University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Senior Research Scientist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Amy Snover | University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Director, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
An Introduction to Collaborative Research Methods
Collaborative research is a unique approach to research in which the end-users of the findings (stakeholders) are actively involved in the process of research. Through collaboration, our stakeholders feel greater ownership over the research and are more likely to use it to take action. Collaborative research requires a particular set of research approaches and methods that allow it to be both scientific rigorous and highly relevant to real-world actors. This webinar introduces the principles of collaborative research and demonstrate several activities researchers can use to make their work more collaborative and impactful.
PRESENTER:
Alison Meadow | Research Scientist, Institute of the Environment at University of Arizona
The Role of Communication in Knowledge Co-Production
Researchers and practitioners involved in knowledge co-production each use their own specialized language. An important part of successful knowledge co-production involves establishing shared terms of references. Communicating effectively and developing the ability to distill complex topics into clear, vivid, and understandable language is challenging. This webinar explores the role of communication in the process of knowledge co-production and will share some communication best practices that participants can apply in their work.
PRESENTERS:
Heidi Roop | Lead Scientist for Science Communication, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Darcy Widmayer | Communications Manager, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center
Best Practices for Collaborative Climate Adaptation Research Between Tribal and Non-Tribal Partners
This webinar provides an introduction to key considerations and best practices associated with conducting climate adaptation research in partnership with tribal communities. Topics include tribal sovereignty and government-to-government relations, the importance of community involvement and capacity-building, and the use and protection of indigenous knowledges.
PRESENTERS:
Chas Jones | Tribal Liaison to the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians
Amelia Marchand | Water Regulatory Specialist, Environmental Trust Department at Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation
Applied Science Webinars
Our applied science webinars cover a range of topics and lessons learned from NW CASC-funded projects.
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Incorporating Economics and Ecology to Inform Climate-Ready Invasive Species Management in Pacific Northwest Rivers
Throughout the Pacific Northwest, invasive plants threaten rivers and the ecosystem services they provide, a risk that climate change may exacerbate. This webinar will discuss results from two related studies, part of a NW CASC-supported project on managing invasive plants in the Pacific Northwest in the face of climate change.
In the first study, the research team developed a modeling framework for projecting habitat suitability for invasive plants under future climate scenarios. This framework was applied to water-primrose species’ (Ludwigia spp.) distributions in the Willamette River Basin, Oregon, and to knotweed species’ (Reynoutria spp.) distributions in the Washington Coastal Basins, demonstrating the flexibility of this framework for applications across taxa and geography. In the second study, the team developed a bioeconomic model of invasive species management, which captures the potential number of new individuals being introduced downstream and differences in predicted, future habitat suitability across river sections. The model highlights how changes in habitat conditions in one location can have cascading effects on management throughout a river system. The model is parameterized using data from water-primrose management in the Willamette River Basin.
The results from these studies can help managers evaluate which aquatic invasive species are most likely to expand under climate change and which communities are most likely to face rising management costs, allowing them to better distribute limited resources across Pacific Northwest river basins.
PRESENTERS:
Braeden Van Deynze | Natural Resource Economist, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Emily Smoot | Research Scientist, University of Washington
Sean Ewen | Graduate Research Assistant, University of Washington
Managing Western Washington Wildfire Risk in a Changing Climate
In December 2018, multiple organizations came together with a shared interest in deepening the conversation about western Washington wildfire risk in a changing climate. The Puget Sound Climate Preparedness Collaborative, the Tulalip Tribes, the Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center and the University of Washington Climate Impacts Group co-convened an event, “Managing Western Washington Wildfire Risk in a Changing Climate”, to summarize the state of the science, share options to increase preparedness and identify barriers to acting. This workshop brought together almost 100 participants from city, county, state, federal and tribal agencies. This webinar will summarize the content presented during the one-day workshop and will highlight key themes that emerged from the presentations and discussion throughout the day.
PRESENTERS:
Lara Whitely Binder | Climate Preparedness Specialist, King County
Crystal Raymond | Climate Adaptation Specialist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group
Vulnerability Assessment Resources for Northwest and Great Basin Tribes
Are you concerned about what climate change might mean for your tribe? This webinar will introduce the Climate Impacts Group’s new Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources, designed to support Northwest and Great Basin tribes’ efforts to assess climate risks to natural and cultural resources.
In this webinar, Dr. Meade Krosby, Senior Scientist at the Climate Impacts Group and University Deputy Director of the NW CASC, will first introduce the Tribal Climate Tool, which provides interactive maps, graphs and reports summarizing projected changes in climate for the unique geographies and impacts of concern to Northwest and Great Basin tribes. This webinar will also introduce the Tribal Climate Vulnerability Resources webpage, developed to orient users to the range of vulnerability assessment approaches and resources available to tribes. Finally, Dr. Krosby will describe the services provided by the Tribal Climate Technical Support Desk, which offers rapid response to tribal queries about the vulnerability assessment process.
The University of Washington Climate Impacts Group, in close collaboration with tribal partners, developed the Tribal Vulnerability Assessment Resources through the NW CASC and GBLCC-funded project “Building Tribal Capacity to Assess Vulnerability to Climate Change.”
PRESENTER:
Meade Krosby | Deputy University Director, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center & Senior Scientist, University of Washington Climate Impacts Group