Posts in: Leadership in Action

By Chad English Published September 30, 2014 Title: Lessons From The Policy Trenches Categories: Policy, Communication Tags: fellowships, perspective, relevance, training, Chad English Sometimes, students are the best teachers. I think this is particularly true when you’re pushing yourself beyond the boundaries of hard facts or scholarship into the realm of prac...

By Erica Goldman Published May 5, 2014 Title: Balancing Act: Finding A Place For Policy Engagement Categories: Tags: credibility, culture, government, mentors, public, trust, Erica Goldman Academics are hearing the message loud and clear that society needs what they have to offer. In Nicholas Kristof’s recent provocative column, “Professors, We Need You!,”...

By Chad English Published April 22, 2014 Title: Lessons From Leopold (Part I) Categories: About COMPASS, Policy Tags: fellowships, relevance, training, Chad English As a scientist with an ever-growing list of responsibilities, you want to invest your time wisely in any activity you take on. Even as time becomes an increasingly valuable commodity, many of you ma...

Since March 2011, I have spent a considerable amount of time with research scientists in the ocean acidification community – attending meetings, organizing conference symposia, prepping them for policy briefings, and leading them through communication workshops. In this time, I’ve seen the breadth of research and number of scientists working on ocean acidi...

Persistent plastics pose problems for the planet. (Say that five times fast!) While many groups and organizations have been working to document and combat the problem, it wasn’t until recently that several scientists took a bold step. By identifying a gap between existing science and outdated policy, the scientists were able to suggest a policy change that mi...

COMPASS co-founder Dr. Jane Lubchenco announced this week that she will leave her position as administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at the end of February.  She will return to her home on the West Coast and resume her life in academia, and with her family.  She is the first woman and first marine ecologist to ever run the sci...