Applying Science to Practice [book]
Publication date
April 7, 2020
Authors
Emre Eftelioglu, Fernando R Miralles-Wilhelm, Rabi Mohtar, Benjamin L Ruddell, Peter Saundry, Shashi Shekhar (professor)
Abstract
Throughout this book, we note the interdisciplinary nature of nexus research: engaging the full range of physical, life, social, and engineering sciences and integrating them through sophisticated models. Because the objective of Nexus research is to support decision-making ranging from the level of an individual facility to the global Sustainable Development Goals, it is critical to precisely understand stakeholder decisions and questions before producing analysis and data. A degree of uncertainty can be tolerated, but science is not at all useful to decision-makers if the wrong questions, even slightly wrong or misframed questions are addressed. Having the participation of multiple stakeholders in decision-making processes and providing tools that are co-developed with the concerns and needs of the stakeholders are very important to making robust decisions and taking steps towards successful decisions. This chapter discusses how stakeholders can come together as Communities of Practice to utilize tools that enhance their ability to make decisions by maximizing areas of agreement and minimizing areas of conflict. Four case studies are utilized to illustrate such applications.