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COMMUNITY:
Project Descriptions

Science Center Public Forums: Community Engagement for Environmental Literacy, Improved Resilience, and Decision-Making

October 1, 2015 - October 31, 2018 | Public Programs, Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks

By engaging diverse publics in immersive and deliberative learning forums, this three-year project will use NOAA data and expertise to strengthen community resilience and decision-making around a variety of climate and weather-related hazards across the United States. Led by Arizona State University’s Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes and the Museum of Science Boston, the project will develop citizen forums hosted by regional science centers to create a new, replicable model for learning and engagement. These forums, to be hosted initially in Boston and Phoenix and then expanded to an additional six sites around the U.S., will facilitate public deliberation on real-world issues of concern to local communities, including rising sea levels, extreme precipitation, heat waves, and drought. The forums will identify and clarify citizen values and perspectives while creating stakeholder networks in support of local resilience measures. The forum materials developed in collaboration with NOAA will foster better understanding of environmental changes and best practices for improving community resiliency, and will create a suite of materials and case studies adaptable for use by science centers, teachers, and students. With regional science centers bringing together the public, scientific experts, and local officials, the project will create resilience-centered partnerships and a framework for learning and engagement that can be replicated nationwide.

Funders

NOAA
Funding Program: 2015: ELG for Community Resilience to Extreme Weather Events and Environmental Changes
Award Number: NA15SEC0080005
Funding Amount: $499,901

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Dan Sarewitz
    Principal Investigator
    Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes
  • Discipline: Climate | Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Geoscience and geography | Health and medicine
    Audience: Elementary School Children (6-10) | Middle School Children (11-13) | Youth/Teen (up to 17) | Administration/Leadership/Policymakers | General Public | Educators/Teachers | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Community Outreach Programs | Museum and Science Center Programs | Professional Development, Conferences, and Networks | Professional Development and Workshops

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