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Freshwater systems worldwide are increasingly facing complex environmental issues. In the Laurentian Great Lakes region, harmful algal blooms are one example spanning agriculture, municipal drinking water, science and monitoring, water quality, and human health. Addressing these challenges and working across stakeholder interests requires sound science and additional skills that are not necessarily taught to graduate students in the apprentice research model. Effective stakeholder engagement and science communication are two areas consistent with emphases on broader impacts from the National Science Foundation, information and dissemination of the National Institutes of Health, and community engagement of the National Institutes of Health’s Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The lack of training in these areas creates a gap for outreach, engagement, and science communication training to help enable researchers to translate important science to influential stakeholders, policy makers, and members of the public. To address this gap, we held a Community-Engaged Scholarship Workshop for graduate students and early career faculty. The workshop used an established community-engagement framework and was tailored to address the complex environmental issue of harmful algal blooms. It addressed four community-engagement competencies, including community-engaged partnerships, community-engaged teaching and learning, community-engaged research, and science communications. Here, we report evaluation results on changes in these four competencies and participant satisfaction. We conclude with a discussion of potential improvements and next steps for those seeking to host similar community-engaged trainings.
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This content will become publicly available on September 3, 2026
Polar Early Career World Summit- Synthesis Report Early career priorities for long-term polar research planning
A report on polar early career research priorities for ICARP IV and IPY-5 This report presents the synthesized priorities of polar early career community members, gathered from the Polar Early Career World Summit (PECWS) and multiple modes of online engagement before and after the event. The Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) and the Polar Science Early Career Community Office (PSECCO) organized the summit and associated engagement opportunities, engaging 238 polar early career professionals from across the globe to shape collective priorities for the future of polar research. These perspectives are especially timely as the international community prepares for the 5th International Polar Year (IPY-5) in 2032–2033, offering an unprecedented opportunity for early career contributions to be integrated into the global polar science planning. This document represents a community-driven vision: a roadmap developed by polar early career professionals that urge the polar research community to rethink systems, value relationships, and strengthen pathways for equitable participation. It highlights not just what research should be pursued, but how can we work together to ensure polar science is impactful, responsible,
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- Award ID(s):
- 2135176
- PAR ID:
- 10636612
- Publisher / Repository:
- https://zenodo.org/records/16994869
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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