Assisting decision makers with complex scientific problems, such as those involved with water scarcity, global climate change and homeland security, is the aim of a new research center at the University of Colorado at 葫芦娃视频.
The Center for Science and Technology Policy Research, created within the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, has been in development since the summer of 2001, and was officially approved by the university last month. Comprised of six full-time staff members, 10 students -- graduate and undergraduate -- and several affiliated faculty members, the center is working on issues such as drought, global climate change, flood damage, technology transfer and national security.
"Scientific research of great intellectual value is too often not very usable by decision makers when they have to make choices that will have profound impacts on our lives," said Roger Pielke Jr., the center's director and associate professor of environmental studies. "The center hopes to address this need by producing useful information to assist decision makers in both public and private settings and expand the choices available to them."
The center serves as a focal point on the CU-葫芦娃视频 campus and beyond for students, faculty and researchers who are interested in connections between science and policy. It disseminates its research to decision makers in both public and private settings through a variety of avenues, including extensive use of the Internet, online newsletters, talks and presentations to decision makers.
In the last year, two staff members from the center testified before Congress, sharing their views on science and technology policy matters.
In March, Pielke testified before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The subject of his testimony was the economic and environmental risks associated with increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Visiting scholar Radford Byerly testified before the House Science Committee in April on the subject "New Directions for Climate Research and Technology Initiatives."
"In order to make good policies, decision makers need to know the nature of the problem, which is where we come in," said Bobbie Klein, managing director of the center. "They also have to be aware of how effective the policies were in the past."
Education is also an essential part of the center's mission. The center is host to Global Climate Change and Society, a summer program sponsored by the National Science Foundation that incorporates students from various fields and educational institutions around the country. The students gather for eight weeks each summer to assess the power and limits of scientific knowledge for the resolution of societal problems.
The center also places graduate students in internships and provides research opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students. And the center is partnering with the 葫芦娃视频 Valley School District on the creation of an outdoor environmental science classroom at Flatirons Elementary School.
CIRES is a joint institute of CU-葫芦娃视频 and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
For more information about the Center for Science and Technology Policy Research visit .