Balancing Society & The Environment - Dance Your PhD 2019-20

This video uses dance to tell the story of a scientist and manager discovering three ingredients for improved environmental management, each of which is a key conceptual area of my Ph.D. research.

My Ph.D. research aims to improve the relationship between communities and the freshwater resources they depend on. In order to achieve this goal, I work with scientists from many different disciplines and partner with various stakeholders, managers, and practitioners (e.g., land owners, non-profit organizations, and government officials). To express the diverse disciplinary perspectives of my research, we use a diverse mix of dance styles, including moves and inspiration from hip-hop, modern, disco, ballet, contra, and swing dance, in addition to some acroyoga poses!

OPENING SCENE:
A scientist and lake manager meet at a local wetland. They have each observed that environmental management often fails to improve environmental quality. So, they sit down to identify three ingredients for improved environmental management.

For more information about my goals as a scientist, check out

TWO-WAY RELATIONSHIP SCENE:
In our modern world, it is easy to forget how dependent we are on the environment. For example, we benefit from rivers and lakes because of the drinking water they provide. However, as the city is built, the water quality decreases with pollution. If water quality worsens too much, the city will lose the freshwater they depend on. Understanding this constant two-way feedback between the environment and society, where society is affected by the environment AND the environment is simultaneously affected by society, is critical for successful environmental management.

For more information on this area of my research, check out this paper:

SHORT AND LONG-TERM PROCESSES SCENE:
Through two dances, we represent the importance of accounting for both short-term AND long-term processes in environmental management. First, we introduce a short-term process that environmental management often targets: land owner decisions, such as fertilizer application on lawns. Then, we introduce the long-term process that is often missed in environmental management: long-term cultural change. In the second dance, we introduce a common short-term focus of environmental management: algal scums or blooms in the water. We then introduce long-term phosphorus accumulation, considered “ghost” phosphorus, because environmental management tends to ignore it. Both dances show that the short-term process of interest is altered by the long-term process, demonstrating that it is important to account for both to improve environmental management. Understanding the connection between short-term and long-term processes will improve environmental management and policy because we will better anticipate how the policy will work over many decades.

For more information on this area of my research, check out this paper:

PARTNERSHIPS SCENE:
Scientists and managers often do not understand each other. This can be due the “language” barrier that jargon introduces and due to seemingly contradictory goals. When scientists and managers learn to work together, communicate effectively, and identify shared goals, they will likely be able to identify policies that are flexible to a changing environment and society.

CLOSING SCENE:
Bringing together the three areas of my research works toward improving environmental management. Using the three ingredients for improved environmental management requires diverse disciplinary perspectives from natural and social sciences, considering both short-term and long-term processes, and partnering researchers with managers.

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