Developing New Ways to Communicate Research Findings to the Public

Project Title: 

Hubbard Brook: Student Research, Science Links, Research Group Rental Supplement, and NSRC Communications Workshop

Award Year: 
2010
David Sleeper
Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, NH
David Sleeper: Developing New Ways to Communicate Research Findings to the Public

NSRC supported several ongoing education, policy, and outreach projects of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF), which supports the work of the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study, among the largest and longest running ecosystem studies in the world. Programs focused on developing new ways to communicate cutting-edge research to the public. NSRC funds helped cover production costs of a translation document for HBRF’s Science Links project on Carbon and Communities. Scientists also began project planning and team building for two new Science Links initiatives: Migratory Birds and Regional Science and Policy Partnership.

In 2010, 10 students participated in Hubbard Brook’s Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. The program supported students conducting research under the mentorship of Hubbard Brook scientists. REU students also worked on ways to communicate their research results with state and federal environmental agencies and local conservation organizations. In addition, housing and lab facility costs were covered for two research groups working in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the summer of 2010. The larger of these groups, comprising 20 researchers and technicians, worked on the longest running migratory bird study in North America. The second group, comprising 10 researchers, studied vegetation at the Forest.

In 2012, 20 participants attended a workshop to explore how the NSRC can improve its public and policy outreach through new communications strategies. Ideas included using the 20th anniversary of the Northern Forest Lands Study in 2014 as a way to communicate the importance of NSRC research to the Northern Forest region.

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