"The Exploration of Science and Research" NRS 310 Assignment 1

Science and research are vital to natural resource professionals as they gather information through observation and provide empirical evidence. Research is the process of gathering and analyzing data to answer questions. Social science can shed light on natural resource issues, such as understanding the emotional significance of landscapes and the challenges faced by developing countries. Rather than shaming these countries, it's important to understand their circumstances and work towards solutions. Science and research provide the knowledge and tools to guide better solutions for conserving natural places and addressing resource issues. Hello, everybody, and welcome to today's episode of the Exploration of Science and Research. Science is what brings us together today. Just a little Princess Bride reference to start us off right. In all seriousness, my name is Andrew Heath, and we're going to talk about what science and research are and how they are vital to natural resource professionals. Much like the reference I began with, science and research bring us together with the natural world as well as the people surrounding us. Science is a way to systematically gather information through observation. As Philip Pecorino stated, knowledge has to be a justified and true belief. This essentially means that you cannot claim to know something without having empirical evidence of it. Research, on the other hand, is the how behind scientific inquiry. It's the process of gathering data and analyzing it to answer questions or solve problems. Now, let us transition into the main topic for the day, the critical role that science and research have and continue to play in the field of natural resource professionals. Whether they're working in wildlife conservation, environmental policy, or just the social science field, their knowledge is always being informed through research that observes, measures, and explains social phenomena. One way to understand the role of social phenomena in relation to the natural resource field is to look at how landscapes can have emotional significance for people rather than just looking at the environmental impact of places. In an article titled, Understanding Place Meaning Through Integrative Research, Perspectives from the Natural Resource, Social Sciences, and the Humanities, the author Boudreaux states that, quote, the complex and dynamic nature of the human experience in places makes conventional disciplinary approaches to understanding places inadequate. She shows how places hold historical and religious weight in people's minds rather than thinking only of a place as the vegetation and wildlife that resides there. This qualitative research that is done on places with people in the local community provides more depth for understanding why certain places can be more valuable than initially thought. Another reason why the social sciences can shed light on natural resource issues is in the way we view developing countries. Many of these countries are often behind on green practices and technology, and developed countries sometimes look down on them for not making a bigger commitment to such ideals. But as researchers dive further into this issue through interviews and just taking a vested interest in the local community, it can be seen that many of these countries just don't have the time or money to do anything else. Taking a course with Rho Afetchao, he informed us that his country, Togo, has one of the highest levels of forest loss and degradation in the world. He explained to us that many communities have large families with minimal or no income. These families need a source of heat to cook and sanitize their water, and their only option is to use the surrounding trees as the fuel. Energy or propane are not major commodities in many parts of the country, so the only way many of these families can survive their daily routines is to cut down trees and use it as a heat source. Rather than shaming countries that are not using sustainable practices, it's valuable to understand the why, because as we've heard, these families have no choice but to deforest their own land for the survival of their families. This can help natural resource professionals gain a new perspective and work towards ways in which we can help build a country's infrastructure up, as well as developing new policies to alleviate some of their struggles. Examples of these sorts are only a fraction of the tip of the iceberg, and using research to observe and explain these phenomena can inform scientists of better ways in which to solve these problems, whether it's conserving natural places or gaining a better understanding of different natural resource issues, science and research provide the knowledge and tools to guide people towards better solutions. Alright, that's all I've got for you guys today on the Exploration of Science and Research podcast episode. I hope this information was helpful in the understanding of the definitions and the role social science plays in the natural resource fields. My name is Andrew Heath, and you have a good night.