In The Conversation: Using research to solve societal problems starts with building connections and making space for young people
In The Conversation: Using research to solve societal problems starts with building connections and making space for young people
Often, when scientists do research around a specific societal challenge, they hope their work will help solve that larger problem. Yet translating findings into long-lasting, community-driven solutions is much harder than most expect.
It seems intuitive that scientists studying living organisms, microbes and ecosystems could apply their findings to tackle food shortages, help keep environments healthy and improve human and animal health. But it’s not always that easy. Issues like climate change, renewable energy, public health and migration are complex, making direct solutions challenging to develop and implement
This means we might need to reevaluate certain aspects of the inquiry process and embrace fresh perspectives if we, as members of the scientific community, want to improve our capacity for producing solutions-oriented research…
Want to learn about cross-cutting initiatives being developed within the community? Check out Showcasing Our Progress: Summaries and Presentations from Umbrella Working Groups and A Community Compass: Embedding JEDI Principles and Community Agreements From The Beginning.
Work related to this post was funded under NSF Grant #FAIN-2309541.