@article{03f60b634c1244fda5e833cca01f2d99,
title = "Use-inspired science: making science usable by and useful to decision makers",
abstract = "A growing body of research in translational science provides a foundation for translational ecologists to consider the practices that show the most promise, as well as the potential pitfalls of those practices. These research approaches (eg user-inspired climate science) require deliberate engagement with end users, and an understanding of the social and cultural contexts in which a research project functions. We examine the climate science translation literature (looking at how research can inform decision making) to identify key issues related to how the social sciences have helped guide researchers engaged in user-inspired research. We focus on understanding the more intangible inputs to research projects, including the social and cultural contexts; stakeholder engagement; the role of social capital; and evaluating the outputs, outcomes, and impacts of translational science projects and initiatives. Research on return-on-investment metrics for translational science is increasingly pointing to the conclusion that intentional, structured processes, such as those found in translational sciences, boost the likelihood of science being successfully incorporated into environmental decision making and policy.",
author = "Wall, {Tamara U.} and Elizabeth McNie and Garfin, {Gregg M.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank the USGS, the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, and the DOI Southwest Climate Science Center for workshop support and for funding this Special Issue. We also thank the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona and the Western Regional Climate Center at the Desert Research Institute. This work was supported in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration{\textquoteright}s Climate Program Office through grants NA07OAR 4310382 and NA12OAR4310124 to the Climate Assessment for the Southwest program at the University of Arizona, and grant NA11OAR4310150 to the California Nevada Applications Program at the Desert Research Institute. Funding Information: We thank the USGS, the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center, and the DOI Southwest Climate Science Center for workshop support and for funding this Special Issue. We also thank the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona and the Western Regional Climate Center at the Desert Research Institute. This work was supported in part by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Program Office through grants NA07OAR4310382 and NA12OAR4310124 to the Climate Assessment for the Southwest program at the University of Arizona, and grant NA11OAR4310150 to the California Nevada Applications Program at the Desert Research Institute. Funding Information: Lessons learned about producing usable science have emerged from numerous programs established and managed by several US federal agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration{\textquoteright}s (NOAA{\textquoteright}s) Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISA) and Sea Grant programs, the Department of Interior{\textquoteright}s Climate Science Centers and Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCCs), and the US Department of Agriculture{\textquoteright}s Cooperative Extension System (CES) and Regional Climate Hubs. Some of these agencies and organizations have been involved in developing usable science for more than a century (eg CES) and for decades (eg RISA and Sea Grant programs), whereas others have been formed only recently. These programs focus on improving our understanding of the rigorous processes and approaches needed to produce usable science so as to better inform climate-related decision making, and the insights gained from these programs are enormously beneficial to the TE community. There is a robust body of literature concerning translational practices in other scientific and medical fields (Jacobs et al. 2005; Cash et al. 2006; Ferguson et al. 2014), as well as large and diverse communities and networks of researchers, stakeholders, agencies, and organizations engaged in similar approaches throughout the US that ecologists can tap into. The collective knowledge derived from direct experience in climate science research and involvement with this community provides a powerful foundation for TE practitioners to learn from and build on. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Ecological Society of America",
year = "2017",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1002/fee.1735",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "15",
pages = "551--559",
journal = "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment",
issn = "1540-9295",
publisher = "Ecological Society of America",
number = "10",
}