SESYNC January 2017 Newsletter

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News from the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center

SESYNC Approves Eight New Projects

SESYNC recently approved support for eight new Pursuits and Workshops that aim to tackle a wide range of socio-environmental topics, including:

Pursuits:
Linking Trade, Biology, and Pet Owner Decisions to the Risk of Vertebrate Invasions in the US	PIs: Julie Lockwood, Rutgers University Christina Romagosa, University of Florida
Accounting for US Ecosystem Services at National and Subnational Scales	PIs: Ken Bagstad, US Geological Survey Jane Carter Ingram, Ernst and Young Carl Shapiro, US Geological Survey
People, Land, Water, and Fish in the Chesapeake Watershed	PIs: Gerrit-Jan Knaap, University of Maryland Raleigh Hood, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Workshops:
Qualitative Data Sharing	PIs: Kristal Jones, SESYNC Steven Alexander, SESYNC
Sea-level Rise on the North American Coastal Plain	PIs: Keryn Gedan, George Washington University Kate Tully, University of Maryland
Social and Ecohydrological Science Connections for Environmental Flows	PIs: Rebecca Tharme, Riverfutures Limited Sue Jackson, Griffith University
Sustainable Agriculture Matrix	PIs: Xin Zhang, UMCES Appalachian Laboratory Eric Davidson, UMCES Appalachian Laboratory
Future Earth Knowledge-Action Network	PIs: Maurie Cohen, New Jersey Institute of Technology Steven McGreevy, RIHN


Agent-Based Modeling Short Course Resources What are the essential theoretical background and technical skills needed to conceptualize, build, and analyze an agent-based model? Nick Magliocca, Assistant Research Professor at SESYNC, led a Spatial Agent-Based Modeling short course in December to help researchers develop that expertise. With Kelly Hondula, Quantitative Researcher and Computer Programmer, and Ian Carroll, Data Science Instructor, the course guided participants through the basic phases of the agent-based modeling research process. The syllabus and lecture materials are publicly available on our website.	Upcoming: Immersion Economics Workshop Socio-environmental science has emerged from many scholarly traditions that influence the frameworks, methods, and approaches used to conduct and contribute to research on socio-environmental issues. SESYNC's Immersion Program supports the integration of these principles and highlights different disciplinary perspectives to socio-environmental science. Our next Immersion Program workshop will focus on behavioral, experimental, and applied economics with Immersion scholar Paul Ferraro. It will also include a session on optimization methods from SESYNC sabbatical fellow, Lars Olson.	SESYNC's Spring Seminar Series SESYNC's spring seminar series returns on Tuesday, January 17. Seminars are held on Tuesdays from 11am-12pm at SESYNC in Annapolis, MD. Seminars cover a variety of socio-environmental topics and are open to the public. The seminar speakers for the month of January are as follows: Jan 17: Chris Trisos, hhhhhhllSESYNC Jan 24: Elizabeth Daut, SESYNC Immersion Economics Seminar - Jan 31: Paul Ferraro, Johns Hopkins University

New Publications

Urbanization and Environmental Policy Effects on the Future Availability of Grazing Resources on the Mongolian Plateau: Modeling Socio-Environmental System Dynamics - Published by SESYNC postdoctoral fellow, Ginger Allington, and colleagues in Environmental Science and Policy.

Integrating Ecosystem Services and Disservices: Insights from Plant Invasions - Published by the Socioecology of Acacia SESYNC synthesis team in Ecosystem Services .

Potential and Actual Impacts of Deforestation and Afforestation on Land Surface Temperature - Published by Safa Motesharrei, SESYNC systems scientist, and colleagues in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Best Practices for Virtual Participation in Meetings: Experiences from Synthesis Centers - Published by SESYNC director, Margaret Palmer, and colleagues in The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America.

Accepted Publications

A Narrative Method for Analyzing Transitions in Urban Water Management: The Case of the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department - Written by the SESYNC graduate student pursuit " Water: Miami, Vegas, Los Angeles" and accepted by Water Resources Research.

SESYNC Welcomes Emily Cassidy as Science Communications Coordinator

SESYNC is pleased to welcome Emily Cassidy as our new Science Communications Coordinator. Emily is an environmental scientist with a passion for science communication. Her focus has been on translating research in ways that get policymakers and the public to act. Recently she spent two years as a Research Analyst at Environmental Working Group, a DC-based non-profit focused on public health and the environment.

A self-described Twitter enthusiast, Emily enjoys synthesizing research into tweets, images, and gifs. Her own research article, published in 2013, is still on Environmental Research Letters' "Most Read" list for being downloaded over 50,000 times. Before joining EWG she also collaborated with interdisciplinary scientists to co-author papers in Science, Nature, and BioScience. Emily earned a master's degree in Natural Resources Science and Management from the University of Minnesota.

Join Our Team

SESYNC is currently accepting applications for career opportunities in administration and multimedia:

Travel and Event Coordinator:

SESYNC seeks an experienced and professional staff member to serve as a Coordinator for all of its travel functions. The incumbent will have the primary responsibility for managing, planning and implementing all travel and events for SESYNC visitors and staff.

For best consideration, please apply by January 20, 2017.

Scientific Multimedia Faculty Assistant:

SESYNC is producing a series of informational and training videos on socio-environmental synthesis, with the goal of generating materials that provide an entry point, examples, and training/instruction on socio-environmental synthesis. We seek an individual who can provide support and research to successfully achieve this goal and an associated website on which the multimedia resources will be organized.

For best consideration, please apply by January 27, 2017.

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