Date

Session Announcement and Call for Abstracts
Progress and Challenges in Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision
Making
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting
San Francisco, California
15-19 December 2008

Abstract Submission Deadline: Wednesday, 10 September 2008

For further information, please go to:
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm08/?content=search&show=detail&sessid=585

Or contact:
Dan Ferguson
Email: dferg [at] email.arizona.edu


Papers are invited for Session GC24: "Progress and Challenges in
Bridging the Gap Between Science and Decision Making," being convened at
the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, to be held 15-19
December 2008, in San Francisco, California.

Session Description:
The connection between scientific research and findings, and
applications to management and policy is of growing importance as
decision makers face ever-increasing challenges related to growing
populations, limited resources, and the prospects of anthropogenic
climate change. A number of efforts have been directed at bridging the
gap between science and decision making, some of which have been ongoing
for almost a decade now. Results from these efforts indicate successful
outcomes from many of these programs, though many challenges in making
science relevant for decision-making still exist.

In this session we will explore efforts to bring scientific knowledge
into the decision-making realm, including:
- What makes science translation programs effective?
- Are there lessons to be learned from existing efforts that would
provide a foundation for moving ahead in the translation of science
to decision making?
- What progress has been made in science for decision-making and
management?
- What are current best practices for evaluating whether we are
meeting user needs, encouraging the use of new information,
improving scientific literacy (relevance?) among decision-makers,
and ultimately raising capacity/raising resilience/reducing
vulnerability?

The purpose of this session is to create a forum to learn about and
discuss assessment and evaluation efforts concerning the applications of
scientific information in decision making and planning. Both scientists
and management professionals are invited to submit abstracts on work
that concerns progress toward linking science with applications in the
"real world."

The abstract deadline is Wednesday, 10 September 2008, at 11:59 p.m.
Universal Time.
To submit an abstract, please go to:
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm08/?content=program

For further information about this session, please go to:
http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm08/?content=search&show=detail&sessid=585

Or contact the session conveners:
Dan Ferguson
Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS), University of Arizona
Email: dferg [at] email.arizona.edu

Andrea Ray
NOAA Earth Systems Research Laboratory, Boulder, CO
Email: Andrea.Ray [at] noaa.gov

Jennifer Rice
Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona
Email: jrice [at] email.arizona.edu

Connie Woodhouse
Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Arizona
Email: conniew1 [at] email.arizona.edu