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At SESYNC, we define actionable research, or actionable science, as solutions-oriented, environmental research that informs decisions, behaviors, and discourse outside academia.
Historically, environmental research occurred primarily within disciplinary siloes. But there is now widespread consensus that bringing multiple perspectives, experiences, and expertise together to examine an issue is the most productive path forward for solving complex challenges. Actionable research embodies this belief by prioritizing building bridges between disciplines and stakeholder.
For more than a decade, SESYNC has supported interdisciplinary teams focused on conducting actionable research that produces viable options for addressing critical environmental problems.
For example, we have seen firsthand how a hydrologist’s water samples, an economist’s valuation of water resources, a sociologist’s survey of attitudes toward water use, and an engineer’s water pump design together can solve a water conservation problem more easily than any one of them alone.
Below, we’ve curated a list of SESYNC-developed resources that introduce learners to actionable research and provide useful steps for adopting this methodology in their own sustainability work.
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