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National
Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center

Bridging boundaries for research & discovery.

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) brings together the science of the natural world with the science of social systems and decision making to solve problems at the human-environment interface. For 10 years, SESYNC has accelerated research and learning that seeks to understand the structure, functioning, and sustainability of coupled social and environmental systems. To further this work, we invite you to explore our research and learning resources.

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Center Highlights

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Explainer: What Are Ethnographic Methods?
This brief, introductory article explains the fundamentals of ethnography and provides examples of ethnography-driven research questions, as well as published research that integrates ethnographic methods.
An image showing the top portion of the SESYNC newsletter with a photo of blue mountains against a pink sky and a hiker in the foreground. The header says "Interdisciplinary Perspectives: People, Politics, and Money”
Our Latest Newsletter
What are inherent to pretty much all socio-environmental challenges? People, politics, and money, of course! Check out these SESYNC resources that introduce learners to the basics of anthropology, political ecology, and economics.
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Critical Discourse Analysis: Artificial Intelligence, Social Network, & Social Media Analysis
This explainer shows how researchers can harness software’s quantitative analytical power to enjoy new qualitative insights about complex socio-environmental interactions.