POLICY CONFERENCES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES: ROLE PLAYING TO INTEGRATE SCIENCE AND POLICY

It is important for science students to understand how their contributions are likely to be used in policy development, and for policy-oriented students to understand scientific processes and perspectives. This exercise focuses on participants learning the information necessary to engage with the policy process on contentious environmental, economic, and social issues. While the approach used could be applied to any number of major policy topics, here participants will become familiar with opportunities and trade-offs related to water, energy, food, and the environment. The policy conference will be your opportunity to immerse yourself in the role of an actual individual who has been active on a critical topic within the broader set of issues. The individual you play may or may not reflect your own interests, positions, and/or concerns on this topic. The goal of this assignment is for you to understand acutely a highly defined role in the policy process and to be able to appreciate and communicate the perspectives of that individual. Be faithful to your role while negotiating with the other characters. You will need to find convincing arguments, develop coalitions, and perhaps compromise as you try to realize your character’s interests.

In this conference the policy to be addressed is: should a national carbon tax should be implemented in the US. Audience members who wish to participate will be asked to break into groups of 2-3 participants. Each will assume the role of a public figure from a suggested list. The policy conference itself will occur in an 8-minute period during the GSA session.

Introducing participants and the audience to this science-policy exercise is intended to help them imagine how they might find careers that take advantage of their talents and interests and address issues that literally govern how and whether people will continue to live on earth.

The course within which this policy conference was developed has been supported in part by he NSF FEWtures project. The policy conference was developed from materials provided to Mary Hill by Darrick Evensen via Don Duggan-Haus at a 2015 NAGT conference in Boulder CO.