Actionable Science, Translational Science: Communities Built and Communities Supported

Abstract:

The USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASCs) are a network consisting of a central center in Reston, VA, and eight regional centers that focus on supporting US Department of the Interior agencies, states, Tribes, and local communities in adapting and responding to climate-related risks through the development of research and products in support of decision making. Funded by the USGS, the CASCs are hosted at universities to serve managers across the entire landscape of the US (including its territories) with relevant science from academia and government. In support of the CASC mission, CASC leaders and sponsored researchers are often asked to support/engage in research that fits into several different frames--actionable, participatory, use-inspired, co-produced, translational. These can be seen as methods, but also blend into more of a research paradigm, of seeing our research as a part of a holistic perspective with the goal of supporting planning efforts, decision making, actions. The challenge we often face as researchers is identifying what method and paradigm is most relevant for a project, research question, or practitioner community. Additionally, vital to this work is the networks and relationships we develop across institutions, networks, practitioners, and researchers. In our current pandemic situation, thinking about how we develop, expand, and support these networks is crucial, not only to maintain our sense of community through this time, but to prepare ourselves for the climate change related impacts that are already occurring and will accelerate in the coming decades.