Public Engagement

Recently I tuned in to a PBS program on the moose and wolves of Isle Royale. It described the work of Rolf Peterson, a Professor in Michigan Tech's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, and his wife. The Petersons have been leading the study of these interacting populations for 34 years.

The single-minded dedication of the Petersons to their project may be unusual even among environmental scientists, but other aspects of their endeavor are typical of the publicly-engaged nature of much environmental research:

• They deal with an issue of clear, understandable public significance.
  
• The issue is understandable and dramatic enough to be a good subject for media coverage.
  
• The issue involves broader issues in society, in this case stress hormones in the wolves due to snowmobiling, and heat stress in the moose due to rising temperatures.
  
• They involve the public, both students and interested amateurs, as volunteer research assistants.
  
• Other institutions in society, such as departments of natural resources and tourism bureaus, are concerned about the issue and contribute their knowledge and points of view.
  
• The work is long-term and definitely non-profit, but of societal importance, making it consonant with the public role of universities.

Link: Press release from Michigan Tech