Research on Tour
Posted: September 30, 2009
Each year, shortly after the state budget passes – well, usually the state budget has passed – the Penn State Ag Council, an external advisory and advocacy group for the college, hosts a college research tour to highlight to our stakeholders some of our key research projects.
Bryan Swistock talks about the impact of gas exploration on water consumption and quality.
About 100 legislators and/or their aides, agency officials, agribusiness representatives, and other stakeholders come to University Park to get a small glimpse of what’s going on in our college and to see first-hand the return on investment from our state appropriations. As the Associate Dean for Research, I played a small role in the planning of the event by providing insights into the breadth of research from which the council could choose when deciding what to feature on the tour.
In my new role as Dean, I was even more motivated to tell a good story about the impact of our work. Our college operates on public funds, and balancing the need to conduct cutting-edge research with the demand to use those research results to solve society’s problems is on my mind daily. As has been the case in each of the past 10 years, our faculty came through in extraordinary fashion. The presentations on H1N1 influenza and other livestock (and human) disease issues, the impacts of Marcellus Shale natural gas extraction on Pennsylvania’s water supplies, new techniques for management of tree-fruit crops to help fruit producers deal with labor shortages, proactive approaches to food safety, and our key role in new nutrient management solutions all were right on target. Our guests remarked over and over how informative the presenters were and how effective our programs are in bringing scientific research to the service of Pennsylvania agriculture and consumers.
working with citizens
"Our college operates on public funds, and balancing the need to conduct cutting-edge research with the demand to use those research results to solve society’s problems is on my mind daily."
This is really great! Thank you for saying it so explicitly!
I also liked what you said at the faculty meeting the other day. I appreciate the openness!
Finally, Ted Alter can help re: wordsmithing, but I'd like to suggest that the phrase "solve society's problems" eventually evolve into something that emphasizes that our role is to empower citizens to solve their local challenges related to food, agriculture and environment.
Like I said, Ted (or Jill Findeis) could help with the phraseology. Perhaps something like Ted suggested to me: "working with and for citizens to solve society's problems". That also keeps the word "steakholder" / "Stakeholder" out of the phraseology, as it has many definitions based on who is reading / interpreting it. On the other hand, there does need to be a "catch-all" phrase used to represent inclusiveness of others who have particular interest in college programs beyond that of most citizens.
Thanks again, Bruce, for being willing to take on this leadership role! We are at a critical juncture, and I am absolutely convinced you are the best person for the role!
Cheers!
jack