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Scientists who engage in policy-relevant research yearn to make our results, knowledge, and ideas useful to decision-makers. More and more scientists are talking directly with stakeholders, policy makers and the public face-to-face and via the internet, both formally and informally. At the same time, many of us are employed by universities, and our jobs are stabilized through a merit-based tenure system. This can create daily pressures that add up to annual requirements and ultimately help give shape to whole careers. Given the realities of what scientific institutions require of their scientists, where does societal engagement fit in?
In theory, being a professor can offer nearly unlimited freedom to engage in outreach and policy, as universities are some of the most spectacularly make-it-up-as-you-go-along institutions to be found. Many professors are taking advantage of this unique employment arrangement. They are interpreting the few rules that do exist in ways that allow them to incorporate outreach into teaching. They push the existing systems to facilitate outreach. They use outreach to complement the research they are already doing to get tenure. Individuals exploring the boundaries of what their universities will let them do has gone a long way towards helping some individuals engage in outreach activities. Continue reading
