New Training Program Helps Scientists and Community Members Solve Environmental Problems Together

There is a gap between scientific information generated by researchers and the needs of society to address today's increasingly complex environmental problems. And there has been frustration on both sides: Researchers want to see the result of their efforts being used, and decision makers need relevant information to assist in planning and practice.

A unique new UA training program is designed to close that gap: Transdisciplinary Environmental Science for Society (TESS) is a three-course online program created by UA faculty Dr. Dan Ferguson, Dr. Gregg Garfin, Dr. Mónica Ramirez-Andreotta and Dr. Connie Woodhouse.

Science for All Our Sakes

Environmental issues such as climate change, resource management and environmental contamination don't have easy solutions, says Dr. Mónica Ramirez-Andreotta:

"You can't solve these challenges by yourself. And you can't solve them with one discipline, and you can't solve them with one type of stakeholder. Though it sounds simple to bring people together, it is not."

In their own work, Drs. Ferguson, Garfin, Ramirez-Andreotta and Woodhouse saw that collaboration across academic disciplines and between science and practice was critical to successful environmental problem-solving. They also saw that bringing people together to solve problems isn't easy, and there was little or no training available to teach people how to do so.

They designed TESS to equip participants with the practical skills they need to improve collaboration between scientific researchers, leaders, community members and others who want to address society's increasingly complex environmental problems.

About the Program

The first TESS course, Fundamentals of Transdisciplinary Research, runs from July 29-August 25, 2019. This introductory course teaches participants about:

• The role of transdisciplinary environmental research, a problem-solving approach that includes collaboration between researchers and stakeholders
• How to engage in collaborative, inclusive environmental problem-solving

Upcoming TESS courses will cover strategies for collaborative research and communication skills.

Participants who successfully complete each course will receive a digital badge and will be eligible to receive 2 continuing education units (CEUs) per course.

Fee: $500 per course (10% discount available for military and for UA faculty, staff and students).

TESS is designed and taught by:

Dr. Dan Ferguson, Associate Research Scientist in the University of Arizona's Institute of the Environment, Associate Research Professor in the UA School of Natural Resources and the Environment, and Director of the Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) program.

Dr. Gregg Garfin, Associate Professor in climate, natural resources and policy in the University of Arizona's School of Natural Resources and the Environment, and deputy director for science translation and outreach in the University's Institute of the Environment.

Dr. Mónica Ramirez-Andreotta, Assistant Professor of Soil, Water and Environmental Science with a joint appointment in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health's Division of Community, Environment and Policy at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Connie Woodhouse, Professor in the School of Geography and Development, with joint appointments in the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research and Geosciences, and faculty affiliations with Institute of the Environment, the Global Change Graduate Interdisciplinary Program, and the Arid Lands Resource Sciences Graduate Interdisciplinary Program.

This non-credit program is offered in collaboration with the office of Continuing & Professional Education (CaPE). CaPE provides innovative and engaging noncredit lifelong learning experiences that transform the lives of individuals, organizations, and communities, in Arizona and around the world. CaPE also partners with University academic departments to extend learning opportunities to adults beyond the University's traditional academic programs.

Learn more at ce.arizona.edu/tess.