Summer short course on
marine ecosystem sustainability
Approaches for sustainability
 Holistic approach to management that addresses
biophysical and social complexities
 Social-ecological feedbacks
 Place-based approaches – no one size fits all
 Connect people with science and ultimately with
conservation
 Scientists, managers, and policy
makers need to work effectively
across disciplines
Challenges for sustainability science
 Lack of clarity on the underlying conceptual issues
– similar ideas expressed differently
 Methodological differences between biophysical and social
sciences can preclude communication
 Lack of opportunity to meet and discuss issues
 Separation among disciplines (some is good)
Education can play key role
 Train young scientists, managers, policy makers in
cross-cutting disciplines
 Exposure to different scientific and social cultures
 Build connections with national and international peers
 Interaction with resource users
 Engage public in conservation and
management issues
1. Cross-institution course
 2 weeks / 2 modules: Topics and Skills
 Different perspectives of resource sustainability
 Cross-disciplinary group projects on issues related to
marine resource sustainability
 Continue working on projects at home institutions
 Foster sustained, cross-disciplinary
interactions
1. Cross-institution course
 Develop course syllabus and implementation this week
 Early career and established scientists from different
disciplines contribute to course development and instruction
 Working groups have mentor to provide guidance
 Disseminate work through conferences, publications, etc.
2. Research exchanges
 Cross-disciplinary training opportunities for graduate
students and post-docs
 Develop new skills, collaborations, mentoring relationships
 Students bring skills to visiting institutions and return to
home institutions with new tools and perspectives
3. Undergraduate course curricula
 Course materials that integrate ecological and social science
principles in marine conservation
 Students of fisheries, ecology, oceanography, education,
marine economics, and history of science
 Online publications of course
materials / syllabi
Coos Bay Historical and Maritime Museum
Honors College course
 “Oregon’s Ocean”
 History of Fishing and Fisheries Science in Oregon
 How did we get here? Why has science moved in certain
directions? Future?
 Topical issues from Oregon that integrate history, politics,
sociology and biology
 Preparation for summer course, Global Learning course
http://carmelfinley.wordpress.com/
Global Learning Course (baccalaureate)
 The World’s Fisheries: Controversies, Policies, History, and
Ecology
 Global perspective of the complexities of marine fisheries
 Status and social, ecological, economic, and political factors
 How our choices can affect the sustainability of coastal
ecosystems and communities around the world
http://carmelfinley.wordpress.com/
Summaries from the group
 Expose students to the existing skills and theoretical
frameworks from different disciplines
 Provide a foundation / framework that students can
continue to build upon, point them to additional resources
 Group problem-solving exercise that leads to publication
or outreach product
 Merge intra-disciplinary perspectives into something that
is more than just a sum of the parts
Topics and skills
History
Ecological principles
Quant. & Theor. background
on management tools
Human subjects research
Management
Sustainability
summer course
Decision making / trade offs
Transdisciplinary communication
Marine policy & governance
TEK / LEK
Stakeholder engagement
Discussion points
 What are our “essential questions”? How do we tie
together the perspectives of different disciplines?
 Who is the audience? Entry requirements?
 How can we help facilitate strong connections?
 What is the mechanism for facilitating interaction and
exchange among students across disciplines after the
course ends?