Public outreach

Introduction

Science deals with topics of general relevance for societies, and therefore has a strong potential to influence political decisions. The interaction between science and politics should be well balanced. Science should not dictate decisions, science should support wise decisions! On the one hand, science is funded by society and should consider itself as a service for society. On the other hand, although politics decides where the research money goes, the results should stay absolutely independent from any political interests. This is a challenge which needs permanent attention from both sides.

How can political decisions be made on the basis of sound knowledge? In a democracy, the aim must be to let a well informed public participate in political decisions. This article on public outreach is about how to reach the general public with new insights resulting from scientific work. Although it is a matter of general interest, the focus here is on coastal research.

Just an example: in the context of climate change people who live at the coast face threats such as floods caused by rising sea levels in the future. The question is how to deal with it. Are the dykes safe? Will further heightening of the dykes help to protect coastal areas? Is there a limit up to which dykes can be heightened? Will some people have to leave and move out of certain coastal regions? In what time period sea level will rise by how much? Who can give reliable answers? How can the general public be engaged in the process of decision making which is not driven just by fear but by sound planning on the basis of long term strategies? For this purpose, the public – assumed here as being non-experts on average – first of all has to be informed in a manner that facilitates understanding of complex and multi-disciplinary matters which is originally dealt with in a highly specialised scientific language.

The structure of the present article is as follows. First, it will consider what research institutions themselves can do to inform the public. Further, facilities will be illuminated that play a mediator role. This can be networks and non-governmental organisations or museums and science centres.

In the first version, the majority of examples introduced below are from Germany. Other authors are invited to add facilities and experiences from other countries.

Coastal Research Institutions

Main players in coastal research are scientific institutes and authorities. Nowadays, most of them have a department for public relations and support well organised web sites that inform about their research activities and results. Although, these are in general open for everybody, their main focus is on informing professional and expert audiences. Only a very few actions are directly aiming for reaching an interested audience in the public. For example, most research institutions release some general brochures. In addition, many of them once in a while organise events that allow direct contact between the public and researchers. Whereas open days are instruments to reach the general public, school labs especially address children in order to stimulate enthusiasm for science in the educational phase. Facilities in countries facing a demographic change may also consider measures within the frame of lifelong learning activities.

Whereas the majority of marine authorities and institutions focuses on oceanography, open or deep sea research, only a very few are specialised in coastal science. In the following, some examples of coastal research institutions are given. Only those are considered that make an extra effort to contact the general public by publications, school labs and open days. Of course, the list is still incomplete and other authors are invited to work on its completion.

Deltares Unit for Marine and Coastal Systems

“Climate change, rising sea levels and vulnerable dunes are combining to put pressure on coastlines. We want to live safely behind the coastlines, so we must have good coastal and marine management. We achieve that goal by using the dynamics of nature to structure coastal areas. With sustainable coastal engineering, we deploy nature development to improve safety. We stop the advance of the sea by depositing extra sand in the foreshore and letting nature do its work. Climate change results in more extreme weather conditions. Deltares maps out the impact of this on nature, water defences, coastal engineering projects, energy supplies and transport. Technology is not the only factor involved in work on coastal areas; issues like enviremental development and public support also play a role. We bring together the various angles in an integrated approach.”
http://www.deltares.nl/en/expertise/101125/integrated-coastal-zone-management

Deltares maintains a Public Wiki – Open Knowledge Platform Delta Technology – for sharing data, model results and tools on different topics such as flood risk management, habitats, salinisation of ground water, and many more.

https://publicwiki.deltares.nl/display/WIKI/Public+Wiki

Centre for Coastal and Ocean Science and Engineering (CCOSE)

“The Centre brings together a coherent group of internationally recognised research staff from across the marine physical sciences, coastal geography and coastal engineering to further Plymouth's international research reputation in these areas. The Centre is the largest Coastal Science and Engineering grouping in Europe. Our mission is to understand and predict the functioning of coastal and ocean systems in support of appropriate management of resources and activities.”
http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/research/ccose/Pages/default.aspx

Institute of Coastal Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum in Geesthacht, Germany

“Coastal systems are under constant pressure from short and long term natural influences, including erosion or sea level rise due to climate change, and from human endeavours, for example, transportation, land use patterns, tourism, etc. As a means to identify the potential for change, sustainability, and adaptation, coastal research provides the tools, assessments, and scenarios for managing this vulnerable landscape. Research activities span both the natural and human dimensions of coastal dynamics, analysing the coastal system in global and regional contexts, conducting assessments of the state and sensitivity of the coastal system to natural and human influences, and developing scenarios of future coastal options.”

http://www.hzg.de/institute/coastal_research/index.html.en

The Institute of Coastal Research at HZG in cooperation with other partners from the German Marine Research Consortium (KDM) installed a Coastal Observation System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) and provides the data on a web portal to the public: “COSYNA provides information to the scientific community, governmental authorities and the general public. Several strategies and outreach activities are used to address these different groups.” www.cosyna.org

An example for a direct link between research centres and the public is given by the German network of regional climate offices initiated by the Helmholtz Association. Each office is associated to an Helmholtz Centre that focusses on a certain region in Germany. Their special aim is to provide first-hand information on regional climate change to farmers, coastal engineers, town planners and other decision makers in order to adapt their region to the effects of global climate change on particular regions. The offices facilitate direct contact and offer guidance in how to utilise regional climate scenarios for different stakeholder groups. In addition, they perform exhibitions and organise talks in order to reach the general public. The Institute of Coastal Research in Geesthacht (HZG) hosts the North German Climate Office that focuses on coastal related issues such as storms, storm surges, ocean waves, and coastal climate. Since the main aim of the climate offices is to reach the general public in a specific region, using English for communication still would be a language barrier for most people in the target group. The North German Climate Office currently does not offer an English version of its website.

See also

Problem structuring in decision-making processes