Dear Colleagues,
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), Resources for the Future (RFF), and University of Maryland (UMD) is convening an international symposium June 11-13, 2018 in Annapolis, MD, to bring together leaders, emerging scholars, and other key individuals interested in innovating research and processes for solving socio-environmental problems.
The Boundary Spanning: Advances in Socio-Environmental Systems Research symposium will explore the current state of socio-environmental systems research, recent advances in the field, and the unique challenges and opportunities engendered by the questions and approaches of socio-environmental systems research. In addition, the symposium will catalyze and inspire new collaborative and interdisciplinary communities of research and practice.
All interested attendees must be willing to present their work in one of several formats: as an oral presentation, a poster, or a lightning talk. Therefore, all interested attendees must submit an abstract for consideration. Symposium talks, sessions and discussions will be organized around three guiding themes: socio-environmental systems under stress, in transition, and by design.
- Under Stress: Socio-Environmental Systems under Stress explores how species, ecosystems, cultures and societies respond to dramatic stress events. Stress may result from extreme weather events, changes in fire regimes, toxic releases or chronic pollution, disease outbreaks, social or economic disruptions, political conflict, and beyond. Stress may also stem from power imbalances and exposure to socio-environmental inequalities. ?How have ecological and social systems changed under such stress? How can outcomes inform more robust management and adaptation strategies?
- In Transition: Socio-Environmental Systems in Transition examines dynamics of persistent and directional change in socio-environmental systems, including urbanization, economic development, human migration, coastal sea-level rise, land cover and land use change, water and resource availability, markets and trade, shifting racial or cultural landscapes, human-environment interactions, etc. What are the socio-environmental implications of these transitions? How can we sustain natural systems in transition while building social resilience? ?
- By Design: Socio-Environmental Systems by Design assesses outcomes of engineered landscapes and intentional efforts to alter, manage, or direct the structure and functioning of socio-environmental systems. It involves ?governance, urban planning, infrastructure, environmental justice, synthetic biology solutions, technology, ?conservation or protected areas, scientific inquiry and knowledge production, etc. What are the effects of system design? How can we better design systems to overcome challenges and create socio-environmental opportunities? ?
SESYNC welcomes abstracts from socio-environmental systems researchers at all career stages and from all disciplines, sectors, countries, and backgrounds. SESYNC will review abstracts based on merit, the degree to which presentations align with symposium themes, and the appropriateness of presentation types selected. The application deadline to present and attend is March 2, 2018.
There is no fee to register or attend this symposium. SESYNC will provide attendees with air travel, lodging, and meals for the duration of the Symposium.
If you are interested in submitting an abstract for a presentation of any type, please apply here: http://symposium.sesync.org/apply.html
Please check the symposium website for more information, including the schedule of events: http://symposium.sesync.org/. Please send any questions to symposium@sesync.org.
Thank you.
Kathleen Nolan, Director, ANR Office of Contracts & Grants (OCG)