Ocean Nexus Releases Report: Adapting Research Methodologies in the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Ocean Nexus Center investigators have collaborated in the creation of a new resource for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers whose work is being affected by the COVID-19 virus, entitled, Adapting Research Methodologies in the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

The new report was led by investigators from the University of Technology Sydney, Dr. Kate Barclay and PhD Candidate Sonia Garcia Garcia, who are part of a group working on the social science of fisheries.

“For people working in the social sciences fieldwork, interviewing people, and observing or participating in research events or policy meetings, are a vital part of our data collection. For PhD students and postdoctoral fellows the pressure is potentially greater, with less experience to draw on in pivoting research methods, and with finding contracts and scholarships being time constrained,” said Professor Barclay. “For that reason we compiled this collection of journal articles and other information on research methods, with a particular focus on qualitative social science research, and an empirical focus on ocean-related research.”

While the primary aim of the report is to support Ocean Nexus ocean equity researchers, the resources contained in the report are intended for all investigators who are involved in social science qualitative or mixed methods research. 

The report includes two sections: an overview of qualitative, semi-qualitative and quantitative methodologies and methods that may provide practical and achievable alternatives for research design and data collection, and a list of online resources on how this adaptation may be taking place in the near future.

“Much of the way we can perform research has changed due to the COVID-19 virus. We do not know how long these necessary mobility restrictions will be in place but we do know that ocean equity issues cannot wait. We must adapt to the new environment and reimagine how we conduct social science research and data collection,” said Yoshitaka Ota, director of Ocean Nexus. “Doctoral and postdoctoral students are receiving a lot of wonderful support from their departments and supervisors right now and we hope that this resource can help them further.”

UW EarthLab recently launched The Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center to develop research over the next 10 years that bridges the gap between decision makers, policy makers and the communities most affected and dependent on the oceans. A main pillar of Ocean Nexus programming includes training early-career scientists who are interested in a human-centered approach to oceans research. 

Researchers from over 20 universities and institutions from around the world, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and more, have already signed on with Ocean Nexus to co-create research that directly benefits those impacted by misrepresentation and unjust ocean management and development.

Download the report

Note: A 2nd edition of the report was published in December 2020.

EarthLab Equity & Justice Reads: Braiding Sweetgrass

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One of EarthLab’s stated priorities is to put equity and justice at the core of our work. What does it mean, specifically, to center equity and justice at EarthLab? One key aspect is staff learning, and specifically our Equity & Justice book club, in order to develop shared values and language through discussions and shared readings and experiences.

This quarter, we have selected to read Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

EarthLab selected this book to better understand Indigenous knowledge systems and how we can uplift these voices in our work. Several EarthLab Innovation Grants teams are currently working with Tribal communities in their research.

About Braiding Sweetgrass, the publisher writes:

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings—asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass—offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. In a rich braid of reflections that range from the creation of Turtle Island to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learn to give our own gifts in return.

The EarthLab Equity & Justice book club meetings are open to all EarthLab and EarthLab member organization faculty, postdocs and staff, but we invite everyone to read along with us. To date, we have explored equity and justice topics such as racism, through White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo and So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo; the urban-rural class divide, through Heartland: A Memoir of Being Broke and Working Hard in the Richest Country on Earth by Sarah Smarsh; and sexism, through Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger by Soraya Chemaly.

 

D4D Project Launch Under New Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center at UW

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This blog was originally posted by the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA) at the UW iSchool.

School of fish
Credit: Doug Finney CC BY-NC 2.0

By: Chris Rothschild Senior Research Scientist at TASCHA and a Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Fellow

We live in a data driven world – a world that is over 70% ocean. Thanks to recent technological developments, massive amounts of environmental data can now be captured and fed into the strategic decision-making processes that govern oceans. The outputs of these decision-making processes significantly impact the lives of coastal communities, whose populations are most directly affected by changes to the marine environment. However, despite the ongoing data revolution, many groups (e.g. those with lower incomes, indigenous communities) remain pervasively underrepresented in the data-driven strategic planning addressing environmental change within their communities. Participation tends to be limited to scientists and government bureaucrats.

The practical implications of this for community livelihoods have been brought into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic, as illustrated in a recent joint opinion piece by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and The Thriving Orcas, Thriving Communities Coalition. Salmon fishing, a deeply ingrained cultural and financial facet of British Columbia’s coastal communities, is being significantly restricted by the government. The authors argue that considering the economic hardship already imposed by the pandemic response strategies, if the Department of Fisheries maintains its decision to tighten salmon fishing requirements without consulting local communities, “the compounded effect will be insurmountable for many.” Indeed, the authors note that it is “imperative that all three levels of government, Indigenous groups, local experts, and business leaders work together to address how these recovery plans are developed.” We believe that to ensure the realities of communities are accurately represented, such collaborative planning processes should discuss not only the planned policies, but the bases upon which the policies were developed – that is the underlying data and how and why they were used to make policy decisions.

It is in response to these types of issues that we have launched a new project aimed at increasing community participation in the creation and use of data for decision-making (D4D) for different marine-related issues. This project builds upon previous work we have done in Myanmar and Costa Rica focused on building meaningful representation in the creation and use of data for decision-making.

The D4D project is being conducted under the Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center at UW EarthLab, a 10-year, $32.5 million partnership between UW EarthLab and The Nippon Foundation, which seeks to study changes, responses, and solutions to societal issues that emerge in our relationship with the oceans.

The project will investigate organizational and community needs, interests, and cultural considerations; and undertake desk and field research for insights on the experiences coastal communities have had with previous data-related projects. Based on the findings, we will co-develop content and pedagogical approaches for D4D tools and resources for community organizations to support their communities to participate in decision-making processes on a more equal footing with scientists and policymakers. Project outputs will be designed with and for local organizations such as nonprofits and public libraries, who are uniquely placed to provide insights on local context, customs, and priorities.

We approach D4D from a broad perspective, moving beyond data and statistical literacy to include the full range of research and activities that go into decision-making (research design, data collection, data analysis, and using data for decision-making). The outcome of this will be D4D tools that are created using participatory methods and draw upon principles of knowledge democracy to

— anticipate a broad range capacities needed for participation at different levels of the decision-making process;
— be appropriate for incorporation into the practices of diverse community organizations;
— have pedagogical approaches and skill and subject matter content that is most relevant for decision-making by coastal communities engaged in marine activities; and
— allow for additional adaptation for local relevance (content priorities, examples, context) to the cases of specific communities.

Dr. Yoshitaka Ota, Director of the Ocean Nexus Center and a Research Assistant professor in the UW School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, notes:

“The Ocean Nexus Center focuses on placing social equity at the heart of ocean governance, to recover and restore our societal relationships with the oceans. By doing so we hope to close the disparity between those who benefit from the oceans and those who depend on them. This calls for more evidence and tools for communities to be independent from the external influences that would lead to less stewardship of the environment and identity. The D4D project provides a platform to reconsider appropriate processes to use data for decision-making in ways that do not undermine the value and needs of communities, and avoid those external influences naively deployed in decision-making without addressing legitimacy.”

We are starting work in two locations, Hawaii and Japan, and will consult with global researchers across multiple disciplines. Our goal is for project outputs to be open and practically adaptable for other locations.

We are interested in hearing from as many voices as possible. Are you currently working in a community (coastal or otherwise) that is creating or using data to improve the livelihoods of its people? What have your experiences been so far? Do you agree that community voices are not heard enough in knowledge creation and use for decision-making? Why do you think that is? What can help change this?

Contact Chris Rothschild

UW EarthLab and The Nippon Foundation launch Ocean Nexus Research Center

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The University of Washington and The Nippon Foundation today announced the Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center, an interdisciplinary research group that studies changes, responses and solutions to societal issues that emerge in relationship with the oceans. The Center will bring uncompromised critical voices to policy and public conversations to enable research and studies equating to $32.5 million spread across 10 years.

“The sustenance of humanity depends on our mother ocean,” said Yohei Sasakawa, chairman of The Nippon Foundation. “And so today, I am happy to announce this new partnership with the University of Washington to embark on a long-term commitment to ensure our ocean’s health, 10,000 years into the future. As an NGO that brings together diverse stakeholders to address the complex challenges facing our oceans, we felt that partnering with the University of Washington, a world leader in not only the ocean and environment, but in multidisciplinary collaboration and research, was a perfect fit. I am excited that the next generation of thought leaders will be emerging from this center to share their research findings to guide the world toward ocean sustainability.”

Based on the philosophy of passing on sustainable oceans to future generations, The Nippon Foundation has been working for over three decades, with governments, international organizations, NGOs, and research institutions to foster 1430 ocean professionals from 150 countries. The Ocean Nexus Center will be housed in UW EarthLab, an institute established in 2015 to connect UW research with community partners to discover equitable solutions to our most complex environmental challenges.

“Ocean Nexus exists to bridge the gap between decision makers, policy makers and the communities most affected and dependent on the oceans,” said Yoshitaka Ota, the Center’s director and an assistant professor in UW’s School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. “This is a chance to do something bold and really push the boundaries of understanding our relationship with oceans, and that’s what I’m excited to do.”

The Center aims to build the next generation of ocean thought leadership by offering opportunities, networks and training for early-career interdisciplinary scholars. The research is global and seeks to embrace cultural diversity and community sovereignty. Current UW partners include the School of Public Health, The Information School and the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance.

“Without EarthLab we couldn’t have done this,” Ota said.

“Without EarthLab we couldn’t have done this,” Ota said. “This is a very complex operation. We’re taking a quite unorthodox approach to environmental issues. But that’s why this is a perfect fit for EarthLab, because they’re lightning focused on collaborations that can lead to equitable change.”

“We know that the world’s oceans are in trouble and that the communities that rely on oceans the most for life and livelihood are more likely to suffer and need to be engaged,” said Ben Packard, EarthLab executive director. “We are thrilled to partner with The Nippon Foundation to support the Ocean Nexus Center to build capacity for transdisciplinary research and bring an equity and justice lens to ocean governance.”

Researchers already know that environmental changes, such as pollution and ocean acidification, can cause health and economic impacts on communities.  But scientists and decision makers still do not have all of the information to implement solutions that take into account those most in need.

The Center will leverage the natural science-oriented network created through the Nippon Foundation Nereus Program, an international initiative comprising an interdisciplinary team of 20 institutes. To date, researchers from 13 other universities from around the world, in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Malaysia and more, have already signed on to new interdisciplinary projects with Ocean Nexus. Topics cover a range of issues including ocean acidification adaptation, sustainable development of oceans, equitable allocation of transboundary fisheries, and gender in ocean governance, to name a few.

As the policy director of the Nereus Program, Ota brings more than a decade of experience exploring ways to take a human-centered approach to resolving ocean issues. Unfortunately, class and power determine who benefits from the ocean and who does not, he said.

“What’s the gap?” he asked. “With the right evidence and policies, we can bridge that gap equitably and create shared and classless oceans for all.”

This article was originally published on UW News.

Can Trees Clean Up Jet Pollution?

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This article was originally published on the DEOHS blog.

Members of Seto’s team test a drone outfitted with air pollution sensors. From left, DEOHS PhD student Yisi Liu, UW undergraduate Chris Hayner, DEOHS postdoc Jianbang Xiang and Research Scientist Tim Gould. Photo: David Shean

 

New DEOHS study uses drones to test whether vegetation filters harmful aircraft pollution

Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed New York’s Central Park, once called trees the lungs of the city.

Trees and shrubs filter a variety of air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide, ozone and particulate matter.

But could they also benefit communities near airports by absorbing harmful ultrafine particles from aircraft exhaust?

A team of University of Washington researchers led by Edmund Seto, associate professor in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences (DEOHS), is using drones to answer this question in King County.

Their new project, which was recently awarded a $75,000 UW EarthLab Innovation grant, is a partnership with the Seattle nonprofit community group El Centro de la Raza and state and local agencies.

The problem with ultrafine particles

Last year, Seto and colleagues reported that planes descending toward Seattle-Tacoma International Airport leave behind a plume of air pollution in communities underneath and downwind of their landing paths. Similar plumes have previously been documented at Los Angeles International Airport and others.

In their Mobile ObserVations of Ultrafine Particles (MOV-UP) study, Seto’s team showed that jet pollution is dominated by ultrafine particles, invisible flecks of less than a micron in diameter. When inhaled, they can pass into lung tissue and the bloodstream, as well as through the blood-brain barrier and across the placenta.

Greater exposure to these miniscule pollutants is linked with increased risk for heart and lung disease, some cancers and adverse birth outcomes. It may even contribute to cognitive issues such as dementia.

Community-inspired science

So what can we do about this? That was the question Seto heard again and again in talking with city leaders, community partners and residents about the results of the MOV-UP study.

Members of El Centro de La Raza, a nonprofit in Beacon Hill committed to serving the Latino community and people of all races, wondered whether urban planting projects could help.

As Seto dug into the literature, he found some hopeful evidence. It’s still unclear, however, what type and configuration of planting works best to filter out ultrafine particulates.

“Not every type of urban greening project might be as effective,” Seto said. “There are some interesting questions there.”

Read the rest of the story on the DEOHS blog.

Black Lives Matter statement from EarthLab employees

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Black background with white words

Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. Tony McDade. James Scurlock. Dave McAtee. Manuel Ellis. And so many before them.

We are outraged and saddened by the brutal, tragic, and persistent murders of Black people, by law enforcement and others.

The shameful legacy of anti-Black racism in our country is systemic and persists to this day. The environmental and conservation movement that we work within is not immune to this issue. We are committed to centering racial justice and equity in our work and we have a long way to go.

We are listening, learning, and will act with urgency. Black Lives Matter.

2020 Innovation Grants Announced

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UW EarthLab selects four community-led research teams to solve complex environmental challenges and make a positive impact on people’s lives and livelihoods

Today EarthLab announced that four transdisciplinary teams have been selected for the 2020-2021 Innovation Grants program. This signature initiative provides essential funding to newly formed applied research teams that are led by and with community partners who are impacted by a complex environmental problem. Each team will receive up to $75,000 to research the issue and develop science that can be acted upon to make a positive impact on people and communities. The award period lasts 16 months and final products are due by September 30, 2021. 

EarthLab co-funded a fifth project earlier this year in collaboration with the UW Population Health Initiative. In total, EarthLab has awarded $325,000 in research grants in 2020.

Interest in the Innovation Grants program has rapidly grown since its inaugural funding round last year. This year, 43 teams submitted letters of intent to apply to the RFP, of which 18 were invited to submit a full proposal. Proposals were evaluated by an 11-member review committee that included faculty and staff from several disciplines and a community member from outside of the university. 

“EarthLab’s Innovation Grants program is unique in that it inspires brand new, interdisciplinary teams to come together to not only identify an environmental challenge but to work together to develop ways to solve problems,” said Rob Wood, chair of the Innovation Grants review committee. “The large number of thoughtful and creative submissions tells me that the opportunity strikes a chord with UW faculty and community members. It was extremely difficult to turn down so many teams but I am really excited to watch the awarded projects develop over the next year.”

Project teams included faculty from a range of disciplines at the University of Washington, including public health, environmental and occupational health sciences, civil & environmental engineering, atmospheric sciences, marine sciences, landscape architecture, humanities, American Indian Studies and more. Partners from beyond the university include Tribal leaders and communities, city governments, community organizers and other universities.

In addition to the funds awarded, Innovation Grant recipients receive administrative and communications support throughout the award period. All teams are invited to meet as a cohort at workshop-style meetings which are designed to share resources on interdisciplinary and community-engaged research, create the opportunity for co-learning and networking, and to provide a structured space to work collaboratively on their projects.

“This funding is a crucial part of what we do at Earthlab, and I’m proud of the approach we take to support our grantee teams,” said Anastasia Ramey, grants program lead at EarthLab. “Our goal is not only to fund interesting and impactful research, but to create opportunities for connection and shared learning.”

EarthLab is an initiative launched out of the UW College of the Environment to solve the biggest problem of our lifetime – our changing environment. EarthLab works across the entire university to accelerate and focus UW’s broad expertise across multiple fields, amplify engagement between private, public, non-profit and community leaders, and spur the development of co-created, meaningful, science-based solutions to improve people’s lives and livelihoods. The Innovation Grants program is an annual initiative supported by newly raised funds. 

Learn more about the Innovation Grants program here and check back often for news regarding the 2019 and 2020 funded projects.

Funded Projects

EarthLab welcomes new distinguished fellow Josh Henretig to study corporate climate commitments and opportunities for UW collaboration

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Josh Henretig

Over the past year, the corporate sector has become a bright spot in the fight against climate change, setting increasingly ambitious goals. The movement couldn’t come too soon as a January 2020 report from McKinsey reveals the physical and socioeconomic effects of climate change on individuals and communities.

Companies from a variety of industries across the world, including local leaders such as Microsoft, Costco and Starbucks, have stepped forward with an unprecedented level of commitment to voluntarily mitigate their own contributions to climate change and to make investments helping communities adapt to climate impacts.

What is the scope and impact of corporate climate commitments? What are companies actually committed to doing? What do they mean for applied research opportunities at the University of Washington? This spring quarter, EarthLab brought on Josh Henretig as its first ever distinguished fellow to illuminate these commitments and start a conversation across campus to explore what they mean for UW research and engagement.

“There’s no question that the corporate sector will continue to play an important role in the effort to mitigate and prepare for a changing climate,” said Ben Packard, EarthLab’s executive director. “Josh’s 17 years of experience at Microsoft offers the UW community unique access into this critical lever for climate action. The conversations we will host are just the beginning of a journey as we seek to apply the incredible resources UW has on this most complex challenge facing society.” 

From April through June, Josh will establish a comparative framework that evaluates the climate-related commitments made by businesses and what kinds of activities they anticipate pursuing to fulfill them. He will assess the largest commitments globally, those made by the largest companies in the Pacific Northwest, and will look specifically at commitments in the technology, consumer goods and aerospace/aviation sectors. 

“I was drawn to this work because of EarthLab’s innovative approach at connecting the world class scholarship and research capabilities of the University of Washington with outside partners,” said Josh. “From my experience in corporate sustainability, I know that there’s a big demand for science-backed support to make these bold climate goals a reality.”

Save the Date: Josh will present his findings in a virtual webinar on Tuesday, June 9 at 2:00pm. Stay tuned for more details.

New Online Resource for Mental Health Professionals to Find Events Related to the Psychology and Psychotherapy of Climate Change

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When we think of the impacts of climate change, we often think of how the crisis is worsening environmental degradation or threatening the health of communities. For mental health professionals, climate change is affecting their practice as well, as they work to serve the growing number of people who feel grief, anger, despair, anxiety and other emotions because of the climate crisis.  And like all who work in the field, clinicians, too, need opportunities to process their own feelings regarding the changing world.

The Climate Psychology Alliance has a map of clinical resources and workshops.

Climate Psychology Alliance – North America has developed an online resource map to help mental health professionals learn about mental health as it relates to the emerging climate challenge. The pins in the map show the general location of classes, seminars and other programs that various individuals and institutions are offering. Before now, there has been no way to easily access this information.

“We’ve learned a lot about how to help people move into and through the feelings evoked by climate change,” said Dr. Bob Berley, a private practice clinician working on emotions around climate issues. “For example, we can help people engage emotionally and combat the impulse to push away what feels too overwhelming or distressing to face, or to step forward to take relevant action when the risks and consequences are so diverse and uncertain.” Dr. Berley is also an adjunct faculty at the UW Medical School and he sits on the steering committee for Climate Psychology Alliance – North America.

The mission of the Climate Psychology Alliance US is to enhance the human capacity to acknowledge, mitigate and adapt to climate change through an understanding and application of various depth psychologies, as well as bring awareness to the mental health implications of climate change.

Today, more learning opportunities are now available through a virtual platform and interested clinicians can enroll and attend from anywhere in the world. If you know of a clinical workshop related to the psychology and psychotherapy of climate change and would like to post the event to the map, please email Dr. Berley at bberley [at] climatepsychology.us.

Changing the narrative on fisheries subsidies reform: Enabling transitions to achieve SDG 14.6 and beyond

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Researchers at the Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center at EarthLab have published a new report in ScienceDirect. Changing the narrative on fisheries subsidies reform: Enabling transitions to achieve SDG 14.6 and beyond provides evidence-based options for reform that highlight equity needs while reducing environmental harm.

Abstract

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in the final stages of negotiating an agreement to prohibit harmful fisheries subsidies, thereby achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6. An effective agreement should be viewed as an opportunity for nations to proactively transition towards sustainable and equitable fisheries and pave the path for other SDGs. Supporting fishers does not require harmful subsidies, and we provide evidence-based options for reform that highlight equity needs while reducing environmental harm. Subsidy reforms need clear goals, co-design, transparency, and fair implementation. An agreement on SDG 14.6 could be a turning point for the oceans and for the well-being of those that depend on the oceans for livelihoods and nutrition. Responsible seafood production will require international cooperation not only at WTO, but among governments, fisher organizations, civil society, and the wider public.

Download the full report

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