AAAS Leshner Fellowship Update with MREC’s Roger Kjelgren

Last Updated on October 15, 2018 by Angela Colonna

This past year, Roger Kjelgren, MREC’s center director, was awarded an American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) Leshner Fellowship. We had a chance to chat with Kjegren about his experience as an AAAS Leshner Fellow so far and how this experience has helped shaped his position as the center director of the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka, Florida.

The focus of the AAAS Leshner Fellowship is to connect the science world with society to enhance public engagement and understanding of the importance of research.

  1. What have you learned so far from your AAAS Leshner Fellowship? That public engagement is a step beyond science communication. I had previous experience as a Jefferson Science Fellow in a distilling science message to a lay audience. The Leshner fellowship emphasizes engaging the public in a dialogue so you the scientist is more able to see the world through the eyes of your listener.

    Here is Dr. Kjelgren at the Leshner training in the chair’s seat of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources committee meeting room.
  2. What is one thing you were surprised to learn about science communication and policy? That crafting a scientific message and format that can truly engage a specific audience is not easy. To do it well takes training, such as that provided by the Leshner program, practice, team work, and lots of thought.
  3. What do you see as the benefits of combining the area of policy with natural sciences like horticulture? Horticulture affects everybody every day, in the food we eat, the medicines we take, and the physical environment around us. Making a slice of the public aware that they interact with horticulture all the time is an opportunity to make them stakeholders in science
  4. What do you see as the barriers of combining the area of policy with natural sciences like horticulture? Again, crafting a meaningful message, finding a venue for that message to be heard, and then being vigilant in listening to the response to that message.
  5. What do you think the future looks like with scientists getting more involved with policymaking? I distinguish policymaking from public engagement. Scientists with a knack and interest in advocacy can influence policy with appropriate training, and while related, advocacy is not the same as public engagement because it doesn’t necessarily involve a dialogue.
  6. What tools do you think are the most useful to communicate science? Seeing the world through the eyes of your audience so you never talk down to them.
  7. Do you think print (hard copy brochures, flyers) or digital media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, websites, blogs) have different impacts on your ability to communicate science? Or both? Both are tools in the toolbox that you use depending on the audience.
  8. What role do you think organizations like American Association for the Advancement of Science play with the policymaking? With industry? With scientists? AAAS’s mission is in part to educate scientists about communication and policymaking, so they play a fundamental role.
  9. Anything else you would like to add? I spent a year as a Jefferson Science Fellow communicating science to non scientists, taught a science communication course for two years, and now am a Leshner Fellow, and I feel like I am just beginning to get this stuff figured out. Maybe by the time I retire, if I’m diligent and lucky. 😊

 

The Leshner Leadership Institute is an initiative of the AAAS Center for Public Engagement with Science and Technology. Each year, a group of 15 public engagement fellows are chosen from different research areas to look at the relationship between society and science. This cohort meets for a week of intensive training covering the topics of science communication training and public engagement plan development.More information can be found here.

For another UF/IFAS blog post about Kjelgren receiving the fellowship, follow this link.

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Posted: October 15, 2018


Category: Horticulture, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: AAAS, Fellow, Interview, Research, Science, Science Communications


Comments:

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January 24, 2022

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Denise Lictawa
October 14, 2021

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Yilin

September 30, 2021

Thank you for your interest. You can find all the Water Wednesday recordings on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD1BxYa33g85HaQCLMz99CQ/videos

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September 30, 2021

Where can I watch The Power of Ponds?

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August 25, 2021

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Ok ok, letsgo
August 23, 2021

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Yilin

August 17, 2021

Update: We will switch this class to Zoom. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Yilin

August 6, 2021

Thank you for your interest. You do not need to bring water samples to the event. We will hand out testing kits at the event.

Sidney
August 6, 2021

What size water sample is needed for the testing? A Pint?

Yilin

August 3, 2021

Thank you for your interest. The webinars are recorded. We are building a webpage to house all the recordings. Please stay tuned!

Rodney Hyde
August 2, 2021

Hello Yilin, I work for a local jursidiction and was wondering if you would be able to offer a presentation on this subject at our conference this year.

Peter Meyer
July 30, 2021

I wish you would record the seminars so those of us who cannot attend live could see the seminar later.

Yilin

July 23, 2021

Thank you for your interest. We are building a webpage to house all the recordings. Please stay tuned!

Yilin

July 23, 2021

Thank you for your interest. The event will be held at the UF/IFAS Extension Hernando County. The address is 16110 Aviation Loop Dr., Brooksville, FL 34604.

Diane Kirby
July 15, 2021

Would like to attend but where is this event located?

Carolyn Mudgette
July 15, 2021

How do we access webinars that we missed? Thanks!

Yilin

June 26, 2021

Thank you for your interest. Recordings will be available after the webinar is conducted.

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June 25, 2021

Please make the webinars available for those who cannot attend sessions.

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June 25, 2021

Very timely topic.

contractors2021
June 17, 2021

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Tech
April 30, 2021

Such an amazing content about AI. Way to go!

Yilin

April 22, 2021

Thank you for your interest. I am sorry you have time conflict. Please register the topics that you are interested. We will share the recordings with the registrants including those who are unable to attend.

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April 21, 2021

I am interested in this series. I am in clinic seeing patients every Thursday and am wondering if there will be an opportunity to see this series online/evenings.

Yilin

March 1, 2021

Thank you!

Tech
February 27, 2021

Ai is the new thing. It has so much potential. Nice article by the way

Caroline Warwick

February 22, 2021

Nancy, what are you treating specifically?

Nancy Hodgkins
February 13, 2021

Do you have any organic herbicides to recommend?

Avatar photo
Donna Torrey

January 27, 2021

Great to hear about the Tree-cycling and Chop and Drop as ways to compost! I have been landscaping like this for over 15 years and the results are remarkable. I use no fertilizer (except on veggies) and my additional water use is minimal. My trees and shrubs never need pesticides or interventions and are beautiful. It works and keeps all that bio-mass out of the landfills! Thank you for spreading the word.

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January 22, 2021

Thank you for sharing this beautiful information with us about the Health of Septic Tank System. if you are looking for < Septic tank installations in Colchester Essex Try Ashwaste Environmental, they provide this type of services in Colchester, Chelmsford, Epping, Essex, and nearby areas.

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January 12, 2021

My dad noticed that his septic tank is producing an awful smell, which is why he's thinking of having it pumped. Well, it never occurred to me that smaller tanks will need more pumping. I'll also keep in mind to tell him that he must not flush wipes or tissues in his toilet since this may cause a blockage.

Ryan Gregory
December 29, 2020

Hello Dr. Warwick. Is it possible for me to register to view a recrording of this webinar? Thank you!

Yilin

December 14, 2020

Thank you for your comments. Florida's springs are facing various complex threats, including decreasing spring flows and excessive nutrients. Spring flows decrease because of declining water levels in the groundwater aquifer that sustains them. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Withdrawals, Uses, and Trends in Florida, 2015 report indicated that 5,720.82 million gallons of water were withdrawn every day. Commercial-industrial-institutional-mining (CIIM) freshwater withdrawals are reported at 408.99 million gallons per day (MGD). Bottled water companies are one industry included in CIIM category. On Page 21 of the report (https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2019/5147/sir20195147.pdf): “Food production (including water-bottling) accounted for about 20 MGD of the freshwater withdrawals in this category in 2015, of which about one-quarter (5 MGD) was withdrawn specifically for water-bottling.” As a Floridan, we are all responsible to reduce the plastic use and protect our water resources.

Jayant Kowe
November 28, 2020

Work done by Mr Yuvraj is quite remarkable and may prove very beneficial for farming sectors around the globe especially for country like India where 70% of population is dependent on agriculture directly or indirectly. We also work with farming equipment provider giant in India Mahindra & Mahindra. We manufacture components for there tractor and are manufacturing partner. You can get details in our website www.dishaengg.com , company name is Disha Engineering, Nagpur. Best wishes to Mr Yuvraj for his work.

Nick Dennis
November 18, 2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/opinion/bottled-water-is-sucking-florida-dry.html you people are either 2 faced or have your heads in the sand, companies are destroying our springs

David Dale
November 18, 2020

If the springs are so valuable (which I agree with BTW) then why are applications from companies like Nestle even considered? They drain the aquifer, generate single use plastic, and don't provide any real financial benefit.

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July 31, 2020

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Yuvraj

July 21, 2020

yes, I dry the young leaves and flowers to use it along with green tea.

Rochelle
July 15, 2020

Is this garden project still active? Would Robby Pletcher reach out to me, please?

Benjamin Markus
July 9, 2020

Spanish Needles (Bidens alba) is edible! Try a flower.

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June 17, 2020

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June 11, 2020

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June 11, 2020

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June 11, 2020

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June 11, 2020

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June 10, 2020

Having a no or low tolerance for a landscape would be the ideal way to enhance and get rid of my grass! Enjoyed your post.

Yilin

June 8, 2020

Thank you for your kind words. We always appreciate the education too.

Yilin

June 8, 2020

Hi there. We don't generally recommend septic system additives. Studies found septic system additives are not significantly effective to increase the bacteria or the sludge level in the tank.

Dearik
May 31, 2020

Hi Yilin, thanks for sharing these. Do you recommend septic treatment chemicals? https://nodrippingsewage.org

Yilin

May 26, 2020

Thanks for you interest. This is the map of the 2014 Florida Department of Environmental Protection verified list of impaired waters, which contained 2575 entries. Here you can find an updated list: https://floridadep.gov/dear/watershed-assessment-section/content/assessment-lists

Anh Volmer
May 25, 2020

What year was the map of 2,600 bodies of water impaired? was that map from 2018?

Vanessa
May 16, 2020

Hi, I would appreciate Non-chemical recommendation To control Corinespora Leaf spot Infestation on a young Papaya tree. I’m trying to do my small in-house papaya garden but I’ve notice these leaf lesions which I think is this fungal infection based on my own research. I’m using natural home made compost and even small trees are budding nicely but this new infection might ruin my papayas. I don't want artificial chemicals. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated. This is a new hobby for me. Thanks

Carmen
April 17, 2020

This is pretty cool! Makes me want to go out and try gardening veggies after several tries years ago. Thanks for the information!

Sanjeet Singh
April 16, 2020

Information given is very useful for us in India Weed management is very difficult here in India

James
April 3, 2020

I might wanna do this soon. Own weather station, plus web scraping of hourly data for comparison. Got my spidey senses riled up by something a few days ago.

Heidi
April 1, 2020

What would we do without all these adorable pets? Thank you Caroline

Liz
March 31, 2020

Something positive, what a fun post!

Chris
March 31, 2020

LOL So funny to see all the critters.

Nancy McD
March 31, 2020

Really fun and well done. Keep up the good work and thanks for making the day a little better.

Jake
March 31, 2020

Nice fun post Caroline Roper Warwick.

Carmen
March 31, 2020

These were so cool! I had to laugh at some of these. So cute! Just what we need right now.

G. Skinner
March 26, 2020

Thank you for making this clear. The packages should have clear printing so you know without searching for these warnings. We do not need clogged pipes added on to what we are facing now. Appreciate the education.

Angela Colonna

November 15, 2019

We had a great time on our tour and learned a lot! It's great work, we agree.

April M.
November 15, 2019

Awesome work!!!

Amber Shahzadi
July 8, 2019

its really beautiful very nice

Amber Shahzadi
July 6, 2019

thanks for sharing its really amazing

Daniel F. McDade
March 6, 2019

Nice to see that the "advanced scaffolding and lift system" that I designed and fabricated in 2004 is still being used today. Simple and basic in design it rolls along the overhead heating pipes giving access to the plants from one end of the facility to the other across the full width.

Angela Colonna
February 22, 2019

Thanks for reaching out! For more information about plants in the Tampa area check with the Hillsborough County Extension office: http://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/hillsborough/ To find plant suppliers, go here: https://www.plantant.com/ Click on 'plants' and search for the plant by name.

Steve Welborn
February 15, 2019

Your picture of maiden hair fern is not the Pedatum species ( or five finger fern) I would like to know if the Pedatum species can be grown in shady,sandy soil Tampa gardens. And, if so where can I buy sevreal? Thanks.

Mack patel
February 11, 2019

Nice post!

Angela Colonna

February 4, 2019

Joe's Nursery is located in Florida but the nursery ships items to South Carolina for clients. So unfortunately you would not be able to visit the business for future travels.

Renee Enlund
September 19, 2018

I just traveled thru SC. Where is Joe's Nursery located? I'd love to visit on my next trip. Renee Enlund, Master Gardener Bay Co. Fl.

Tom
August 19, 2018

That's a very motivated brilliant young lady.She is an asset to any lucky company.

Tom
August 19, 2018

That's a very motivated brilliant young lady.She is an asset to a very lucky company.

Zahid
July 8, 2018

thank u for your site..very useful..Zahid

Native Plant Consulting
June 26, 2018

I recently met Dottie on the Native Landscape Tour at The Villages, sponsored by the Florida Assn. of Native Nurseries. A couple of weeks later, she visited St. Augustine to learn more about how I do business. She is passionate about her business and most of all - about the sustainability of our wildlife and food production through the utilization of native plants in our landscapes. Dottie and Kevin rock. Check out their website and visit their beautiful nursery.

Mariano curiel
June 6, 2018

Good work,very interesting,this can grow Texas climate conditions?

Michelle
June 6, 2018

I loved this article It made me want to get my own fairy garden

Carolyn Kieler
June 2, 2018

I love what Dottie and Kevin are doing with their property and their lives. And they keep honeybees too!!!

Michelle
May 28, 2018

Whoa this is awesome!

Tammy Stockdill
May 24, 2018

Impressive to hear about and see.

Cathy Lowenstein
May 23, 2018

What a great example of a nursery enterprise working with natural processes and promoting environmentally friendly gardening! The demonstration garden looks intriguing.

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