MSU Scientist Selected as 2008 Leopold Leadership Fellow
5/12/08
Francie Todd
517-432-1555, ext.168
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Scott Swinton, a professor in the Michigan State University (MSU) Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, is one of 19 environmental researchers from across North America selected as Leopold Leadership fellows for 2008.
Pamela Matson, scientific director of the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, said the group was selected through a highly competitive process on the basis of their exceptional scientific qualifications, demonstrated leadership ability and strong interest in communicating science beyond traditional academic audiences.
Each of the fellows will participate in two weeklong intensive training seminars in June and September to learn to become stronger communicators with audiences outside of academia, including journalists and policymakers.
“Like many MSU professors, I've learned how to reach academic audiences via classroom teaching, journal article publications and conference presentations,” Swinton said. “But making scientific learning accessible to the general public and to policymakers is a greater challenge.”
Swinton’s areas of research include environmental economics, ecosystem services, pest management, sustainable agriculture, natural capital and agricultural issues. He studies how farmers make management decisions about agricultural systems, and he has a special interest in how farmers’ attitudes combine with price and policy incentives to influence their technology choices.
His current research with the National Science Foundation Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) agroecological site in Michigan focuses on management decisions to enhance the provision of ecosystem services from row-crop agriculture and explores farmers’ awareness, attitudes and incentives to adopt low-input cropping practices.
“My work with MSU's Long-Term Ecological Research site at the Kellogg Biological Station has persuaded me that the greatest ecological challenge today is to create incentives for humans to make more ecologically sustainable choices,” Swinton said. “I am an economist, and incentive design is central to what economists think about.”
The Aldo Leopold Leadership Program, located at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University, was founded in 1998 to fill a critical gap in environmental decision making: getting the best scientific knowledge into the hands of government, nonprofit and business leaders to further the development of sustainable policies and practices. The program recognizes the fact that environmental scientists are increasingly called upon to explain their research, provide comments on public policy and give advice within the public sector. This award helps facilitate the communication skills of renowned environmental scientists. The fellows also become part of a network of Leopold Leadership alumni and program advisers who are leaders in conducting scientific outreach beyond traditional academic and scientific circles.
“Aldo Leopold was committed to science that informs policy and makes a difference. I look forward to learning more about how to do that,” Swinton said. “The Leopold program draws from leading researchers with interests in ecology and associated policy. So, it looks like a promising chance to build the kind of professional ties that will enable both better research and research that makes a difference for society.”
Each year, up to 20 academic environmental scientists from across North America are selected to receive intensive experiential training, expert consultation and peer networking. More than 100 past fellows are actively engaged in scientific outreach on a range of issues from marine conservation science and river restoration ecology to the impacts of global climate change on human health. A list of 2008 fellows and more information about the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program is available online at www.leopoldleadership.org.
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