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Science Liaisons

Cape Cod National Seashore NPS: Red maple seedlings sprout in a cleared area, demonstrating that given the space and resources they need, that the trees can still thrive in the swamp.
Photo/Stephen Smith, NPS

Information for NPS Science Liaisons

Call for NPS Science Communications Project Descriptions

Submit here by March 14, 2025 

Background

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) was selected to implement the Science Communications in the Parks (SCIP) project which has been initially supporting communications related to high-profile regional resource initiatives in Northeastern National Parks. Parks and programs outside of the Northeast are welcome to participate in SCIP; please contact Brian Mitchell for more information.

SCIP is helping the National Park Service address three key communications goals that were identified in the NPS Northeast Region Resource Initiatives Communications Plan:

  1. Communicate the initiatives and operationalize best practices within the National Park Service. 
  2. Inspire initiatives beyond the National Park Service that support the adoption of best practices to restore ecosystems and enhance resilience to stressors. 
  3. Demonstrate how the National Park Service is preserving and protecting resources throughout the region.

ESA is forming and supporting annual cohorts of six (6) SCIP Fellows who develop two products each (12 products total) for NPS key audiences. We anticipate that the SCIP Fellows will be ESA members who are graduate students or early career scientists (e.g. postdocs) or affiliated with higher education institutions in the CESU national network, and will have some experience in science communications (SciComm). This project is designed as a professional development experience where Fellows build on their SciComm skills, and potentially pursue new research ideas inspired by the regional resource initiatives. As a result of the process, SCIP Fellows will understand how to develop a SciComm product from inception to production.

NPS key audiences include internal NPS national and regional leadership, government agencies, academic partners, non-government organizations, communities and tribal nations, park visitors and media outlets in the region.  The SciComm products will aim to inform these audiences of the purposes, best practices, funding opportunities and impacts of the regional resource initiatives. Accompanied by actionable steps or a “call to action” that invite further engagement, we anticipate multiple ways that the key audiences may benefit, including exposure to new ideas, taking steps to adopt the latest research or implement evidence-based management practices.

Description of Roles and Responsibilities

ESA staff will recruit and organize training for SCIP fellows and coordinate input from the project advisory committee, and facilitate meetings between Fellows and relevant NPS personnel to gain understanding of SciComm needs.

  • Teresa Mourad, Project Director
  • Jon Miller
  • Mary Joy Mulumba

Contact: scip@esa.org

The NPS Program Officer will serve as the primary NPS contact for the project, including facilitating coordination between NPS and ESA, identifying NPS science communication project liaisons, and working with the liaisons to describe priority science communication needs. 

Brian Mitchell 

Project Manager will mentor and support SCIP Fellows and provide resources and feedback on products.

Jasjeet Dhanota

NPS Science Communication Project Liaison will be a resource to SCIP Fellows working on their topic and may be asked to connect Fellows to members of selected audiences for more information or feedback on products as needed. Liaisons will have the opportunity to review applicants for their project between May 16-23, 2025. We anticipate 2-3 meetings with Fellows and/or SCIP project leaders to ensure that products are addressing the SciComm objectives. 

 

Questions?

Contact scip@esa.org