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Integrating Social Science into National Science
Foundation Observatories
An RFF Workshop
January 24-26, 2007
In 2001, the National Research Council (NRC) identified eight "grand challenges" in environmental science research. These challenges define key research questions which require significant and sustained multidisciplinary collaboration. Effectively responding to these challenges further requires both new social science research and its full integration into ongoing environmental science and engineering research and practice.
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For a variety of reasons, this multidisciplinary integration process, as it is occurring in NSF Observatories (specifically CLEANER and CUAHSI (merged into WATERS), and NEON) and in the Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER), needs improvement and encouragement. The objectives of the workshop are to identify the fundamental organizational, informational, infrastructural, and financial structures required to effectively support integrated social and natural science evaluations of coupled human-natural systems.
Additionally, this workshop focuses on clarifying the analytical research questions and identifying the substantive linkages between these two sets of disciplines in the Observatory context. It is also hoped that this workshop will help to build consensus among social and natural scientists and the relevant NSF directorates on a broad research and implementation agenda for advancing the role of social science research at the observatories.
The following workshop documents are available in PDF format:
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Rising to the Challenge: Integrating Social Science into NSF Environmental Observatories
September 2007
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| Day 1 - State of Play: Social Science at NSF Observatories |
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Welcome and Introduction - Goals of the Workshop |
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- Alan Krupnick, Resources for the Future
- Patrick Brezonik, National Science Foundation
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NSF Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) Welcome |
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- Edward Hackett, National Science Foundation
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Introduction |
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- David Lightfoot, National Science Foundation
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The Case for Integration
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Elements of Integration
(overview of the four key white paper topics: planning/organization, funding/support, infrastructure/facilities, data/information)
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- Alan Krupnick, Resources for the Future
- Shalini Vajjhala, Resources for the Future
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Experiences with Integration at NSF Observatories
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CLEANER/WATERS: Barbara Minsker, University of Illinois |
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CLEANER/WATERS: Mitchell Small, Carnegie Mellon University |
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| CUAHSI/WATERS: Richard Hooper, CUAHSI |
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LTER: Dan Childers, Florida International University |
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NEON: Bruce Hayden, University of Virginia |
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| NEON: Morgan Grove, USDA Forest Service |
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Ingredients of Multidisciplinary Success
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Key Topic 1: Planning/Organization
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- Alan Krupnick, Resources for the Future
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Key Topic 2: Information/Core Data
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Breakout Sessions
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| Note: The following original presentations were created in real time, to reflect the participants' discussion. |
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Steering Committee Member Moderators:
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- Morgan Grove, USDA Forest Service
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- Patricia McDowell, University of Oregon
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- Leonard Shabman, Resources for the Future
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- Mitchell Small, Carnegie Mellon University
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| Concluding Remarks |
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Alan Krupnick, Resources for the Future
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Mitchell Small, Carnegie Mellon University
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Patrick Brezonik, National Science Foundation |
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| Day 2 - Plan for Implementation: Integrating Social Sciences into Observatories |
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Key Topic 3: Social Science Infrastructure Needs
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| Introduction and Overview |
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- Patricia McDowell, University of Oregon
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| Human Sensing |
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| Decision Theatres |
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- Rick Shangraw, Arizona State University
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Key Topic 4: Government Initiatives and Social Sciences Support
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| Introduction |
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- Alan Krupnick, Resources for the Future
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| Overview of MREFC Process |
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- Jean McGovern, National Science Foundation
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Environmental Social Science and "Greening" the NSF |
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- Robert O'Connor, National Science Foundation
- Thomas Baerwald, National Science Foundation
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"The intersection of natural resources and social science: one agency's perspective" |
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- Ann Bartuska, USDA Forest Service
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Breakout Sessions
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| Note: The following original presentations were created in real time, to reflect the participants' discussion. |
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Steering Committee Member Moderators:
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- Morgan Grove, USDA Forest Service
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- Patricia McDowell, University of Oregon
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- Leonard Shabman, Resources for the Future
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- Mitchell Small, Carnegie Mellon University
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| Concluding Remarks - Thoughts for the White Paper |
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| Going Forward |
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Immediately following the workshop, the steering committee met to review
the results of the workshop, outline a series of recommendations, and set
goals for the upcoming months. During this meeting, an agenda for
disseminating the workshop output and results was outlined, and plans
formed to move forward with a strategic vision for achieving integration at
the Observatories.
To this end, the first order of business for the steering committee is to
compile, edit, and synthesize the recommendations and ideas that were
raised throughout the two-day Workshop in a revision of the White Paper.
The final report is now available. |
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