It looks like I’ve finally nailed down a possible research question and potential(ish) outline of a methodology. As my previous post indicated, I am going to look into the translation of policy into action (political, or other). My research question is as follows:
Once you do the best possible science that you can do, how does it get translated into other forms of actions (including policy, negotiations, and private corporations)?
– What gets left out?
– By who?
– Why?
– What is the time lag between when the research is completed and when it is cited?
To answer this question I’m going to look at one to three different case studies, each addressing a different type of action (political action, advancement of a negotiation, or action taken by a private corporation). For me, a good place to start is the Klamath Basin as much of my time last semester was spent researching the controversies in the Klamath surrounding dam deconstruction along the Klamath River and restoration of the Klamath Basin. The plan is to gather a bunch more information about the science that was done and used to make decisions in regards to the basin. And where will I go to talk to a bunch of people about science? The USGS!
My plan is to visit the Oregon Water Science Center next week and speak to a handful of researchers about their work in the Klamath. I came up with a few guiding questions to help steer the informal interviews:
- Is there an example of something that translated well into the policy sphere?
- Is there an example of something that didn’t transfer well into the policy sphere?
- What do you think worked well? What factors contributed to it working well?
- Do you have generated reports or peer review articles published regarding their work on the Klamath? (Restoration act and dam deconstruction)
I am interested to see where these questions take me and hope to ground this first case study in a body of research about the Klamath issue.
A second possible case study would come from a summer internship opportunity at the USGS, which I am currently in the running for. This position would require me to create three presentations for three different audiences explaining research done on a hydrological process called “Fall Flush.” In this case, I would be the one doing the information communication and be part of the study itself. It’ll be super cool if it works out.
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