We value thoughtful and tailored community engagement to conduct science that is relevant to local communities. This two-way street includes community-generated research, and directed communication to communities about applied research. Read more about these two initiatives below.
Through participatory action research, communities actively engage in identifying issues, collecting data, and shaping solutions that affect their local ecosystems. Collaborative science takes this a step further by integrating local knowledge and scientific expertise, ensuring that research not only builds understanding but also leads to actionable outcomes for coastal management and conservation. In Coastal Georgia, these approaches are vital for addressing issues such as habitat restoration, flood resilience, and water quality by fostering trust and shared responsibility in preserving the area’s natural resources.
To learn more about Collaborative Science and how the NERR System works together with communities to produce productive research, click here to see the NSC Guide to Collaborative Science.
At SINERR, our Research staff works hand in hand with our CTP to ensure that visiting researchers not only have community support behind their projects but also that our island community is informed about projects going on around them, and has the ability to provide feedback on the project in the various stages of the project. This helps prevent issues at the end of the project. Through collaborative engagement between scientists, local communities, and decision-makers we can co-develop practical, science-based solutions to pressing coastal issues.
Collaborative engagement strategies can involve field demonstrations, lunch & learns, informal discussions, and more. Every project is different, and therefore requires different communication strategies.
We encourage you to talk to our CTP staff about best practices for communicating your research project before you submit your community engagement plan with your research application.
