researched in close consultation with the relevant stakeholders. The introductory and analytical materials for the workshops can be delivered via a
Web-based educational module to economize on precious field time. The
ateliers then move to the field, to study the problem first hand and to
develop the tools and methods necessary to tackle it. Ateliers emphasize
peer-to-peer interactions, where all participants share their disciplinary
perspectives in an effort to forge an appropriate synthetic approach to the
problem. The result is practical experience in the integrated application of
methods and insights from diverse disciplines to the resolution of a specific
problem. Along the way, they build the skills in interdisciplinary synthesis
expected from student dissertations. Participants develop communication
skills by sharing their perspectives with each other, by communicating
research results to the group and the stakeholder community (including relevant policy makers), and by producing publication-quality articles. Other
outcomes of this approach include experience in teamwork, knowledge
sharing and problem solving desirable to future employers, and concrete
steps toward resolving an actual environmental problem.
The student’s learning experience in applied environmental problem
solving can be enhanced by arranging internships with governmental,
international, or nongovernmental organizations. These internships will
provide the students with insights and approaches from outside academia,
as well as experience, professional skills, and valuable future contacts.
Universities should develop strong ties with governmental environmental
management agencies and NGOs so that student cooperation can extend
beyond internships toward collaboration on mutually beneficial research
and mentoring.
14.5 Educating Stakeholders: Consensus Building
Involving the range of parties interested in or affected by the policy decisions in the modeling process builds confidence in the models developed.
The collaborative process fosters consensus about the appropriateness of
the model’s assumptions and results and promotes compliance with the
policies derived from the model. Interactions between managers, modelers,
and scientists can help keep the program firmly grounded in relevant
observable biology. Managers are much more likely to trust and understand
a model that they helped develop.
Modeling can play an important role in breaking down the gap between
expert knowledge and the public. Information in the modern world is compartmentalized and is often controlled by various isolated technical elites.
This fractionation allows experts from various fields to hold contradictory
opinions and the public to hold inconsistent and volatile opinions. Coming
to consensus is the process of confronting and resolving these inconsistencies by breaking down the barriers between compartments of knowledge
278
Thomas P. Maxwell et al.
Web-based educational module to economize on precious field time. The
ateliers then move to the field, to study the problem first hand and to
develop the tools and methods necessary to tackle it. Ateliers emphasize
peer-to-peer interactions, where all participants share their disciplinary
perspectives in an effort to forge an appropriate synthetic approach to the
problem. The result is practical experience in the integrated application of
methods and insights from diverse disciplines to the resolution of a specific
problem. Along the way, they build the skills in interdisciplinary synthesis
expected from student dissertations. Participants develop communication
skills by sharing their perspectives with each other, by communicating
research results to the group and the stakeholder community (including relevant policy makers), and by producing publication-quality articles. Other
outcomes of this approach include experience in teamwork, knowledge
sharing and problem solving desirable to future employers, and concrete
steps toward resolving an actual environmental problem.
The student’s learning experience in applied environmental problem
solving can be enhanced by arranging internships with governmental,
international, or nongovernmental organizations. These internships will
provide the students with insights and approaches from outside academia,
as well as experience, professional skills, and valuable future contacts.
Universities should develop strong ties with governmental environmental
management agencies and NGOs so that student cooperation can extend
beyond internships toward collaboration on mutually beneficial research
and mentoring.
14.5 Educating Stakeholders: Consensus Building
Involving the range of parties interested in or affected by the policy decisions in the modeling process builds confidence in the models developed.
The collaborative process fosters consensus about the appropriateness of
the model’s assumptions and results and promotes compliance with the
policies derived from the model. Interactions between managers, modelers,
and scientists can help keep the program firmly grounded in relevant
observable biology. Managers are much more likely to trust and understand
a model that they helped develop.
Modeling can play an important role in breaking down the gap between
expert knowledge and the public. Information in the modern world is compartmentalized and is often controlled by various isolated technical elites.
This fractionation allows experts from various fields to hold contradictory
opinions and the public to hold inconsistent and volatile opinions. Coming
to consensus is the process of confronting and resolving these inconsistencies by breaking down the barriers between compartments of knowledge
278
Thomas P. Maxwell et al.