Most recent 40 articles: Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication
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’ 2021 Picks: 53 Things for Science Lovers to Read, Watch, Listen to, Enjoy - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Dec 22, 2021) |
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Dec 22, 2021 · Love science? We do too! If you’re looking to add a little science to your life in the new year, you’ve come to the right place. UCS staff have compiled a list of 53 great books, poems, movies, shows, art installations, people, and essays that brought science home to us in new ways in 2021. That gives you one to check out for each week of the new year (and an extra one for good luck)! So whether you’re looking for a book to curl up with over the holidays or fresh science takes in your social media feeds in 2022, we hope the resources in this list help scratch your science itch and inspire you to think about the world a little differently. Note that the books, movies, and other ... Read more ... |
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After COP26 – Wasted Time or Time Well-Spent? - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Nov 24, 2021) |
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Nov 24, 2021 · I had the opportunity to attend my first COP - COP26, thanks to the Chisholm Legacy Project (CLP), where I sit on the Advisory Board, and CLP Founder Jacqui Patterson. I returned to the US from Glasgow, Scotland on the last official day of the COP - Friday, November 12, 2021. Since that time, I have had an opportunity to really reflect on it. I do not want to focus on the heads of countries or the delegates, but on the other people who attended COP26, the ones who were really ready to commit to immediate action, the ones who were literally fighting for people and the planet. Before I left for COP26, I wrote a blog post describing my expectations of the conference. ... Read more ... |
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POSea 2021 Conference: Beyond the #Hashtag - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Sep 20, 2021) |
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Sep 20, 2021 · Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen #hashtag after #hashtag campaign on social media: #BlackLivesMatter, #StopAsianHate, #BlackInX, #IndigenousRights, and more. These campaigns sparked social media movements that shed light on issues faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in all facets of life. BIPOC voices were amplified in many areas, including the field of science. The science community has a responsibility to use the momentum of these movements to go beyond hashtags, and enact real change in how we conduct science, and who feels welcome in the field. A group of BIPOC people serving marine science organizations, including Minorities in Shark Sciences, ... Read more ... |
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U.S. Universities Must Stop Honoring Racist Scientists of the Past - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Sep 17, 2021) |
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Sep 17, 2021 · The names of scientists whose discredited racial theories continue to pervade U.S. society still adorn prestigious college buildings and are attached to awards and prizes, while their statues stand on campuses and their portraits hang in university museums. To take just one example, the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Environmental Studies is housed in Hayden Hall, named after Ferdinand Hayden, a geologist famous for his explorations of Yellowstone but who described Native Americans as “savages” and Wyoming as “infested with hostile Indians.” He advocated for U.S. expansionism to include the whole of North and Central America “from the Arctic Circle to the ... Read more ... |
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How Can Scientific Organizations Support Science Advocacy? 5 Ways to Get Started - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Sep 17, 2021) |
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Sep 17, 2021 · Scientists have many reasons to organize, mobilize, and advocate - whether it’s to stand up for democracy and voting rights, to push for evidence-informed solutions to threats like climate change or the COVID-19 pandemic, or to demand structural changes that make the scientific enterprise itself more inclusive and anti-racist. In recent years, more scientists have used their voices to advocate for changes like these and many others. Just as research provides the basis for many scientists’ advocacy goals, it can provide a basis for their movement-building strategies as well. A recent strategy brief developed by the UCS Science Advocacy Working Group distills recommendations for ... Read more ... |
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Four Lessons from a Scientist Working to Inform Climate Litigation - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Aug 13, 2021) |
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Aug 13, 2021 · A year ago, UCS launched the Science Hub for Climate Litigation, an exciting project that works at the nexus of science and law to help inform climate litigation. Climate litigation - actions in the courts or other legal bodies seeking to address a wide array of topics related to climate change and climate-aligned policy - has grown in importance as a tactic for curtailing or addressing impacts from climate change. We have seen a renewed hope for climate action from the courts, and potential for meaningful change. There is an important opportunity right now for science to inform the law to better address climate change. If we want robust and meaningful science to reach the courts, ... Read more ... |
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5 Flags to Watch for the Day after the Olympics End: IPCC 6th Climate Assessment Report Release - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Aug 05, 2021) |
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Aug 05, 2021 · The day after the Olympics end, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) plans to release the much-anticipated Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). After years of work by experts around the world and over 77,000 review comments from independent experts and governments, this is a huge report release. The language is undergoing final scrutiny as governments and authors wrestle line by line over this summary that will be read by policymakers around the world. Every word must convey the vast scientific evidence buried within the chapters of the working group 1 report titled Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis, which is a 2021 update to the prior report ... Read more ... |
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Forging Equitable Scientist-Community Partnerships for Citizen Science Projects - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (May 20, 2021) |
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May 20, 2021 · In 2014, I met Shaun Crawford at a Science for Action conference in New Orleans. With similar goals for our communities, we struck up a partnership, realizing science had to converge with civic action and community organizing to affect real change. We also realized that the backbone of this convergence included authentic and equitable partnerships between trained scientists and community members. Shaun is a trained scientist, and although I did receive a BS in Chemistry several years ago, I consider myself a concerned community member turned environmental advocate first. This idea of equitable and respectful collaborations seemed obvious and intuitive to me. Unfortunately, in years ... Read more ... |
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Using Workshops as a Tool to Build Scientists’ Engagement in Policy - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (May 20, 2021) |
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May 20, 2021 · The Buffalo 500 Women Scientists hosted a virtual science policy workshop in May 2020. As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the United States, we knew that the policy workshop we had been planning for 6 months would need to change. Our goal was to build the capacity of local scientists to influence the laws and policies that shape our community. We spent six months planning a full day, in person event, then quickly adapted to the public health distancing guidelines and instead hosted the event on Zoom. Over 50 registrants attended the virtual event. Results from surveys indicated that the workshop informed and empowered local scientists to become more involved in influencing ... Read more ... |
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Insular Areas Climate Change Act: Cambios para fortalecer la respuesta a los desastres climáticos y proteger poblaciones vulnerables - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (May 10, 2021) |
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May 10, 2021 · La Dra. Adi Martínez-Román del Centro Legal de Desarrollo de Resiliencia de la Universidad de Puerto Rico es co-autora de este escrito. Las islas y su gente son más vulnerables a los impactos climáticos que las jurisdicciones continentales y se encuentran más desprotegidas de los estragos climáticos que cada vez son más feroces. El porqué de su vulnerabilidad está relacionado al cambio climático, pero más directamente al efecto de decisiones humanas. Es por esto urgente que se atiendan sus problemas de forma decisiva y efectiva, y que no escatimemos en recursos y estrategias para lograr proteger sus entornos ambientales y socio-económicos. Y es que, con el cambio ... Read more ... |
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Don’t Let Them Fool You: Disinformation Is Not an Accident. - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (May 04, 2021) |
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May 04, 2021 · I recently appeared in a video made by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The video, where I talk about climate science communication, is part of a series on “Countering Science Misinformation.” While recording it, I realized that, while misinformation is the most common type of falsehood in science around us, disinformation is also a common presence, and unlike misinformation, it can have much more serious and deliberate consequences. Misinformation is “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.” Whereas a lot of misinformation is intentional, in many instances it may be accidental, because the person or ... Read more ... |
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Don’t Let Them Fool You: Disinformation Is Not an Accident. - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (May 04, 2021) |
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May 04, 2021 · I recently appeared in a video made by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The video, where I talk about climate science communication, is part of a series on “Countering Science Misinformation.” While recording it, I realized that, while misinformation is the most common type of falsehood in science around us, disinformation is also a common presence, and unlike misinformation, it can have much more serious and deliberate consequences. Misinformation is “false information that is spread, regardless of whether there is intent to mislead.” Whereas a lot of misinformation is intentional, in many instances it may be accidental, because the person or ... Read more ... |
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Who Wants to Learn More about Climate Change? All Kinds of People! - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Apr 22, 2021) |
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Apr 22, 2021 · I am a very social person. I like going out, meeting people, sharing meals with colleagues and friends, and most of all, getting to know people by talking about stuff we have in common and are passionate about. I happen to be passionate about climate change. Well, I don’t love climate change itself (who would?)–rather, I love learning what is happening, what other scientists are saying, and what we can do about it. So yeah, I tend to talk about it a lot. I hope I am not the kind of person that arrives at a gathering and people go “oh no, here comes Astrid with her talk about climate change, ugh!” But interestingly, what I find is that people actually ask me about it more than ... Read more ... |
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The Quandary of COVID-19 Vaccine Trials for Black Americans Who (Rightfully) Distrust Medical Researchers - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Sep 25, 2020) |
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Sep 25, 2020 · Well, here we are. The place where no one wanted to be. COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have surpassed 200,000 Americans. Black Americans continue to experience the highest COVID-19 mortality rates nationwide, are almost five times more likely than White Americans to be hospitalized with COVID-19 and twice as likely to die from the disease. Despite those facts, Black people are not participating in the COVID-19 vaccine trials in large numbers. There’s a lot of discussion about the lack of participation by people of color, particularly Black people, in the vaccine trials, or in research with human subjects in general. CBS News reported that while Black people make up 18 percent of ... Read more ... |
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What I Told CNN: A Climate Denier Shouldn’t Be Leading at NOAA - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Sep 15, 2020) |
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Sep 15, 2020 · The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration just appointed a climate denier to an agency leadership position. I went on CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer yesterday to explain why the appointment of Dr. David Legates is dangerous for NOAA, for the future of federal climate change leadership, and for the public. Here’s why this appointment is a reckless move. ? David Legates has a long history of accepting fossil fuel industry funding and spreading misinformation about climate change. He does not accept long-established climate science and spends time sowing doubt about the science, even directly to Congress. This is not the kind of person that should be in a ... Read more ... |
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Without Clear Information from Leaders, We Face the COVID-19 Pandemic Alone - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Aug 07, 2020) |
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Aug 07, 2020 · Last week, I biked from my family’s rural house to nearby Sister Bay, a picturesque town in eastern Wisconsin. Laughter spilled out from the windows of restaurants. Couples wandered in and out of stores. At the lake nearby, kids wrestled on the docks, and people crowded into public restrooms to change into swimsuits. Some had masks. Most did not. In another time, this would be an idyllic place. But today, it is an eerie reminder of the unreality in which so many people in the US exist. Outside this unreality, COVID-19 reigns. In Wisconsin, more than 62,000 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and nearly 1,000 have died. In America, nearly 160,000 ... Read more ... |
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New COVID-19 Testing Data Reveal 70% More Positive Results in Non-White US Counties - Union of Concerned Scientists - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Apr 22, 2020) |
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Apr 22, 2020 · New data compiled and analyzed by UCS shows that in counties with relatively large non-White populations, 70 percent more people test positive for COVID-19 than in predominantly White counties. For weeks if not months, our newspaper front pages, social media feeds, and minds have been awash in statistics about the novel coronavirus, and we've watched with aching hearts as the death toll has risen in the U.S. and around the world. Within this ocean of data, we often see statistics on the number of tests administered at the state level and what percentage of them were positive. But given the limited availability of test kits, particularly in the early days of the crisis, ... Read more ... |
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New COVID-19 Testing Data Reveal 70% More Positive Results in Non-White US Counties - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Apr 22, 2020) |
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Apr 22, 2020 · New data compiled and analyzed by UCS shows that in counties with relatively large non-White populations, 70 percent more people test positive for COVID-19 than in predominantly White counties. For weeks if not months, our newspaper front pages, social media feeds, and minds have been awash in statistics about the novel coronavirus, and we’ve watched with aching hearts as the death toll has risen in the U.S. and around the world. Within this ocean of data, we often see statistics on the number of tests administered at the state level and what percentage of them were positive. But given the limited availability of test kits, particularly in the early days of the crisis, ... Read more ... |
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Maps Showing Where Most Vulnerable Are Hardest-Hit by COVID-19 in the US Point to Deepening Injustice - Union of Concerned Scientists - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Apr 20, 2020) |
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Apr 20, 2020 · Environmental hazards threaten people all over the world. Among these are air and water pollution from industrial and toxic hazards, extreme weather events made worse by climate change, and public health threats like the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The impacts of these hazards are inequitably distributed among the population, and loss of life and property are usually higher among persons in vulnerable communities. In this post, I present maps of places where COVID-19 intersects with vulnerable populations. But first, let’s look at the reasons why there are so many inequities in impacts among the population. People are sensitive to the impacts of environmental ... Read more ... |
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Maps Showing Where Most Vulnerable Are Hardest-Hit by COVID-19 in the US Point to Deepening Injustice - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Apr 20, 2020) |
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Apr 20, 2020 · Environmental hazards threaten people all over the world. Among these are air and water pollution from industrial and toxic hazards, extreme weather events made worse by climate change, and public health threats like the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The impacts of these hazards are inequitably distributed among the population, and loss of life and property are usually higher among persons in vulnerable communities. In this post, I present maps of places where COVID-19 intersects with vulnerable populations. But first, let’s look at the reasons why there are so many inequities in impacts among the population. People are sensitive to the impacts of environmental ... Read more ... |
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Analysis: Voter Fraud Proponents Are Frauds - Union of Concerned Scientists - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Apr 15, 2020) |
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Apr 15, 2020 · Allowing Americans to vote by mail does not increase voter fraud. That's the takeaway from a joint analysis UCS just completed with the UCLA Voting Rights Project and the University of New Mexico's Center for Social Policy. Voter fraud in US elections continues to be extremely low, and people should not be forced to put their health at risk to exercise their right to vote. The report, Debunking the Myth of Voter Fraud in Mail Ballots, summarizes the social science research demonstrating the infrequency of voter fraud. Yet some politicians, including President Trump, seem to go out of their way to resist this message. This report comes at a time when national and state ... Read more ... |
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Para enfrentar la pandemia del coronavirus necesitamos escuchar a los científicos y mantener el distanciamiento social - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Mar 17, 2020) |
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Mar 17, 2020 · La pandemia global del coronavirus ha transformado nuestras vidas en cuestión de días, y es muy probable que se prolongue el estado de emergencia por semanas o tal vez meses debido a la facilidad de transmisión del virus que causa la enfermedad COVID-19. La comunidad Latina estará entre las más afectadas. Los riesgos a la población debido a una nueva enfermedad altamente contagiosa como COVID-19 pueden incrementar por muchas razones. Estos incluyen factores climáticos y de temporada, la salud de la población, y la respuesta de las agencias de salud pública. Por ejemplo, la acción preventiva y rápida en países como Singapur, Hong Kong y Taiwán - desde por lo menos enero del ... Read more ... |
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Catch-22 of Coronavirus for Seniors Most at Risk, and the Importance of Up-to-Date Information - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Mar 13, 2020) |
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Mar 13, 2020 · My mother is a 4-time cancer survivor – she is immunocompromised. Today is her birthday. She is 84 years old. This means that she is at an incredibly high risk of severe illness and death from COVID19. She lives in Alabama, which has not reported any cases of the coronavirus as of this writing. However, I live in Maryland. The choices we have made together about keeping safe during this pandemic are based on the best available information we can access. This highlights the need for government scientists to be able to tell us what they know, when they know it–something that seems easier said than done right now. See the blog from my colleague Michael Halpern about how the White ... Read more ... |
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Catch-22 of Coronavirus for Seniors Most at Risk, and the Importance of Up-to-Date Information - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Mar 13, 2020) |
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Mar 13, 2020 · My mother is a 4-time cancer survivor – she is immunocompromised. Today is her birthday. She is 84 years old. This means that she is at an incredibly high risk of severe illness and death from COVID19. She lives in Alabama, which has not reported any cases of the coronavirus as of this writing. However, I live in Maryland. The choices we have made together about keeping safe during this pandemic are based on the best available information we can access. This highlights the need for government scientists to be able to tell us what they know, when they know it–something that seems easier said than done right now. See the blog from my colleague Michael Halpern about how the White ... Read more ... |
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Little Outreach, Enormous Benefits - The Size (of the Audience) Doesn't Matter - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Jan 16, 2020) |
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Jan 16, 2020 · I study a special cell type in the brain, called astrocytes, who were for a very long time considered to be there playing not-so-important roles. But as it turns out, after many years and many brilliant scientists before me looking closer, we discovered that they are doing more than we initially thought. They, in fact, help neurons to make connections during development, and to maintain them at later stages in life. And their malfunction may be the answer to some of the most appalling conditions like Alzheimer's disease, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), or stroke. Or at least that's the idea. Unfortunately, sometimes, those in power (through government policies, ... | By UCS Science Network Read more ... |
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A Healthy Resolution: Reclaim Your Democracy in 2020 - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Jan 09, 2020) |
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Jan 09, 2020 · As we enter the 2020 election cycle, a handful of states are emerging as test cases for the future of democracy in America. One canary in the coalmine is Georgia, where in 2018 now-Governor Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams by the narrowest of margins (50.2% to 49.8%) under questionable circumstances. Another is Arizona, where a wave of Latinx voter mobilization in 2018 has prompted the state legislature to make changes to early voting rules that could impact the eligibility of over 200,000 voters. In Wisconsin and Ohio, voting rights are being similarly threatened, something that's likely to continue, given their crucial role in the 2020 presidential election. These ... | By Michael Latner Read more ... |
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A Healthy Resolution: Reclaim Your Democracy in 2020 - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Jan 09, 2020) |
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Jan 09, 2020 · As we enter the 2020 election cycle, a handful of states are emerging as test cases for the future of democracy in America. One canary in the coalmine is Georgia, where in 2018 now-Governor Brian Kemp defeated Stacey Abrams by the narrowest of margins (50.2% to 49.8%) under questionable circumstances. Another is Arizona, where a wave of Latinx voter mobilization in 2018 has prompted the state legislature to make changes to early voting rules that could impact the eligibility of over 200,000 voters. In Wisconsin and Ohio, voting rights are being similarly threatened, something that’s likely to continue, given their crucial role in the 2020 presidential election. These ... Read more ... |
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Natural Resources Committee Embraces Collaborative Governance - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Dec 23, 2019) |
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Dec 23, 2019 · At a time when the internet and social media seem to be tearing our politics apart, where violent ideology and moral outrage enflame partisan divisions, the democratic promise of information technology is making an appearance in the House Natural Resources Committee. Committee Chair Raúl M. Grijalva and Representative A. Donald McEachin have opened the public participation phase of their Environmental Justice for All Act. In 2018, Grijvala and McEachin organized an Environmental Justice Working Group (EJWG), bringing together environmental justice leaders and activists to provide community-driven input on legislative recommendations, outreach and inclusion strategies. Since ... | By Michael Latner Read more ... |
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Introducing Federal Scientist (now under the Trump administration) Barbie™! - Union of Concerned Scientists - Science Communication  (Nov 27, 2019) |
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Nov 27, 2019 · For 60 years, Barbie™ has inspired children of all ages to grow up and become whatever they want to be: an astronaut, a journalist, or even a mechanic! Now there's a barbie to inspire the next generation of scientists who want to work in the government and attempt to make a difference in the world. Introducing federal scientist Barbie™! Federal scientist (under the Trump administration) Barbie™ is a brilliant and hardworking public servant and Ph.D. level scientist who's been conducting rigorous scientific assessment within the federal government for 17 years. During that time, she's conducted science that has greatly benefited public health and safety – ... | By Jacob Carter Read more ... |
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