No abstract

Facing challenges to the civic purpose of higher education, some scholars and administrators turn to the rhetoric of engagement. Simultaneously, the political philosophy of cosmopolitanism has gained intellectual favor, advocating openness to the lived experiences of distant others. We articulate linkages between these two discourses in an extended case study, finding that a cosmopolitan ethos of engagement in a rural context can improve (1) understanding among people ordinarily separated by spatialized social-ecological differences, (2) prospects for longer term environmental sustainability, and (3) the visionary potential of collaborative inquiry. Despite globalization of food systems and neoliberal shifts in fishery management, an annual fisheries forum facilitates coalitions that overcome dichotomies between technocratic and local knowledge, extending benefits to fishing communities, academia, and public policy. Iterative and loosely structured capacity building expands informally through affective processes of recognition and care, as decentralized leadership supports collective mobilization toward alternate futures. Resumen: Enfrentando los desafíos de los fines cívicos de la educación superior, algunos académicos y administradores tornan a la retórica de engagement o involucración. Al mismo tiempo, la filosofía política del cosmopolitismo ha ganado reconocimiento, abogando por la apertura hacia las vivencias de los demás. Señalamos los vínculos entre estos dos discursos en un extenso estudio de caso, hallando que una ética cosmopolita de engagement en un contexto rural puede mejorar (1) la comprensión entre personas normalmente separadas por diferencias espaciales y socio-ecológicos, (2) las posibilidades de sostenibilidad medioambiental a largo plazo, y (3) el potencial visionario de la indagación colaborativa. A pesar de la globalización de los sistemas alimentarios y el aumento del neoliberalismo en la gestión de la pesca, un foro anual de pesquerías facilita coaliciones que superan las dicotomías entre el conocimiento tecnocrático y local, lo cual extiende beneficios a las comunidades pesqueras, la academia, y la política pública. Un desarrollo de capacidades iterativo y poco estructurado se expande de manera informal a través de procesos afectivos de reconocimiento y cuidado, mientras el liderazgo descentralizado apoya la movilización colectiva hacia futuros alternativos.

Watershed management has been called the “key to the future” by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Watersheds are widely recognized as one of the most effective tools for source water protection. Accordingly, the most recent amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act mandate states to assess public water supply susceptibility to contamination. This article presents the process and results of Maine's Safe Water Assessment Program. The article examines how Maine's assessment process produced an inventory of threats, and it outlines how the state moved from inventory to action. The information presented in this article can be used as a tool to help small utilities find partners to work with them on source water protection. This guide is intended to help utility managers move from assessment to action by helping them understand the issues, locate assistance and experts, and plan appropriate protective actions.

The news media is a primary source of science information for American adults. News stories are often driven by press releases and other communications "pushed" by institutions, publishers, organizations, and private companies. This article, from the perspective of a public science communicator, examines and critiques push communications, offers some best practices for press releases, and presents examples of other "pull" approaches to communicating science that more closely align with both the process of science and with the interests and values of public audiences.