Science Liaisons
Cape Cod National Seashore NPS: Red maple seedlings sprout in a cleared area, demonstrating that given the space and resources they need, that the trees can still thrive in the swamp.
Photo/Stephen Smith, NPS
Information for NPS Science Liaisons
Call for NPS Science Communications Project Descriptions
The 2024 Call for Submissions is currently closed.
Background
The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has been selected to implement the Science Communications in the Parks (SCIP) project which is initially supporting communications related to high-profile regional resource initiatives that are addressing the impacts of climate change and other stressors in Northeastern National Parks. Four key communications goals have been identified in the NPS Northeast Region Resource Initiatives Comms Planning Worksheet:
- Communicate the initiatives and operationalize best practices within the National Park Service.
- Expand initiatives beyond the National Park Service through the adoption of best practices to restore ecosystems and enhance resilience to stressors.
- Obtain additional funding that enhances the initiatives.
- Demonstrate how the National Park Service is tackling the climate crisis by protecting resources and managing for resilience throughout the region.
ESA proposes to form and support annual cohorts of six (6) SCiP Fellows who will develop two sets of products each (12 products total) for NPS key audiences. We anticipate that the SCiP Fellows will be ESA members who are graduate students or early career scientists (e.g. postdocs) or affiliated with minority-serving institutions in the CESU national network, and will have some experience in science communications (SciComm). This project is designed as a professional development experience where Fellows build on their SciComm skills, and potentially pursue new climate science research ideas inspired by the regional resource initiatives. As a result of the process, SCiP Fellows will understand how to develop a SciComm product from inception to production.
NPS key audiences include internal NPS national and regional leadership, government agencies, academic partners, non-government organizations, communities and tribal nations, park visitors and media outlets in the region. The SciComm products will aim to inform these audiences of the purposes, best practices, funding opportunities and impacts of the regional resource initiatives. Accompanied by actionable steps or a “call to action” that invite further engagement, we anticipate multiple ways that the key audiences may benefit, including exposure to new ideas or taking steps to adopt new climate smart research or implement evidence-based management practices.
Description of Roles and Responsibilities
ESA staff will recruit and organize training for SCiP fellows and coordinate input from the project advisory committee, and facilitate meetings between Fellows and relevant NPS personnel to gain understanding of SciComm needs.
- Teresa Mourad, Project Director
- Jon Miller
- Aboli Dahiwadkar
- Ariana Mora
Contact: gro.asenull@pics
NPS Program Officer will serve as the primary NPS contact for the project, including facilitating coordination between NPS and ESA, identifying NPS science communication project liaisons, and working with the liaisons to describe priority science communication needs.
Brian Mitchell, vog.spnnull@llehctiM_nairB
Project Manager will mentor and support SCIP Fellows and provide resources and feedback on products (TBD).
NPS Science Communication Project Liaison will be a resource to SCIP Fellows working on their topic and may be asked to connect Fellows to members of selected audiences for more information or feedback on products as needed. Liaisons will have the opportunity to review applicants for their project between August 15 and 21, 2024. We anticipate 2-3 meetings with Fellows and/or SCIP project leaders to ensure that products are addressing the SciComm objectives.
Questions?
Contact gro.asenull@pics