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NATIONAL
SCIENCE FOUNDATION ADVISORY GROUP ISSUES ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
AND EDUCATION REPORT
Barnard
Professor Stephanie Pfirman Played Key Role in Recommendations
 The
National Science Foundation should expand its support for
environmental research and education, according to a report
issued Wednesday (01-08-03), which was prepared by an advisory
committee chaired by Barnard environmental scientist Stephanie
Pfirman.
The report provides a set of recommendations for the next
decade of environmental research and education programs
and was prepared by NSF's Advisory Committee for Environmental
Research and Education.
The report concludes that NSF is uniquely suited to carry
out fundamental, complex environmental systems across broad
areas because it funds all fields of science and engineering.
In addition to science and engineering, that support includes
the social sciences, as well as crossing disciplinary and
organizational boundaries and integrating new knowledge
in education. Environmental programs need to be expanded,
according to the report, in the social sciences, cyberinfrastructure,
observing systems, and education.
During a Washington, D.C. briefing for the legislative,
environmental and scientific community and the media, Pfirman
said: "The concept of synthesis-based research is a
touchstone for environmental research and education and
long-term support is necessary to fulfill its promise."
Pfirman, who has just concluded her tenure as chair of the
Advisory Committee, is a specialist in the study of environmental
changes in the Arctic and chair of the Department of Environmental
Science at Barnard.
David Skole, the new chair of the Advisory Committee, said:
"Environmental science and engineering problems will
provide great challenges and opportunities in the next decade.
Environmental research and education are central elements
of local, national, and global security, health, and prosperity."
New instrumentation, data-handling, and methodological capabilities
have expanded the horizons of what we can study and understand
about the environment, the report states. These advances
create the demand for collaborative teams of engineers and
natural and social scientists that go beyond current disciplinary
research and educational frameworks, advisorycommittee members
believe.
"We at NSF are grateful to the Advisory Committee on
Environmental Research and Education for its efforts to
produce this thoroughly researched, well-thought-out, forward-looking
report," said Margaret Leinen, NSF Assistant Director
for Geosciences, and NSF Coordinator for Environmental Research
and Education. "The report will help us immensely in
our planning for how best to implement new directions in
environmental research and education over the next decade."
According to the report, research must integrate spatial,
temporal, and organizational scales, draw from many disciplines,
and facilitate the synergy that results from partnerships
among government, academic, and private organizations. This
research must use diverse datasets and approaches, and be
effectively communicated among researchers, educators, students,
resource and industrial managers, policy makers, and the
public.
To move ahead in this next decade, continues the report,
environmental researchers need clearly articulated programs
with sufficient long-term funding horizons so that they
can incorporate interdisciplinary approaches and address
complex environmental problems. The need for long-term funding
is therefore particularly acute for environmental research
and education, the report concludes.
To access the report, titled Complex Environmental Systems:
Synthesis for Earth, Life, and Society in the 21st Century,
go to: http://www.nsf.gov/ere
For more information, please contact: Cheryl Dybas at the
National Science Foundation, (703) 292-8070, cdybas@nsf.gov
Or at the Barnard Office of Public Affairs, contact: Suzanne
Trimel, (212) 854-7583, strimel@barnard.edu
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