Sound Science Blog

Clear as mud

David — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:19:45 +0000

by David Maddox Sound Science LLC Must deep and illuminating content be at odds with clear and effective communication? I hope not. Informed policy requires information and data needs to be effectively transformed into information that is appropriately delivered to … Continue reading →

Lorca’s poetry about nature and place

David — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:19:00 +0000

by David Maddox Sound Science LLC As part of the New York Botanical Garden exhibit on the gardens of the Alhambra (Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra), the designers beautifully incorporate many of the poems of Spanish writer Fredrico García … Continue reading →

We need to measure urban sustainability

David — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:14:49 +0000

by David Maddox Sound Science LLC Early references to “sustainability” in an ecological sense referred to sustainable harvests in agriculture. For example sustainable harvests of trees were those that did not exceed the replacement capacity of the forest. Similarly for harvests … Continue reading →

The Future of Urban Forestry

David — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 21:24:24 +0000

by David Maddox Sound Science LLC Whether a work of art, the creation of a new business, or the development of a green city, all successful endeavors begin with a vision. A clear vision of what one hopes to accomplish … Continue reading →

Global Chemistry Class

David — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:01:06 +0000

by Michael Batcher Sound Science LLC Global climate change refers to all of the possible changes in climate that may result from the addition of global warming gases such as carbon dioxide, methane and chlorofluorocarbons. Some critics feel that changing … Continue reading →

It is difficult to take in all the glory of the Dandilion

David — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 00:36:45 +0000

Words like improvisation and imagination can sound awkward in the context of science. But these are the very abilities that we need to be able to see past and beyond the details -- this species is here, that process is there -- to create and understand how a vast and majestic thing works and how it might change. Perspective is another important word -- a sense of what you VALUE in the picture you are creating. The Dandilion seeds are close up in Burchfield's picture. He values them. You need to see the patterns and perspective and not only the details; the beating of the heart and not just the heart's location in the chest. How do you "take in" a complicated multidimensional thing like a mountain? With an act of scientific imagination. Continue reading →

Ecologists Should Try to Understand “Climate Deniers”

Cindy — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:46:54 +0000

by Cindy Salo Sound Science LLC This piece appeared previously on Sagebrush and Spuds Ecologists have accused “climate deniers,” who do not believe that the world’s climate is changing, of “not thinking” and have described them as “angry.” Climate deniers … Continue reading →

1+1+1=2

David — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:02:48 +0000

David Maddox Sound Science LLC I participate in lots of discussions about data, and information, and how to design databases. Sometimes a database is just a repository of data – a place to store it for some future use. More … Continue reading →

The only constant is change. So why don’t we know more about what’s going on?

David — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:17:39 +0000

Whether they are called "Measures of Success", "Theories of Change", or "Impact Monitoring", or just "monitoring", organizations should know whether their actions are effective, and whether they are making progress toward their organizational goals. They need to evaluate both the effectiveness of individual projects and the overall impact of their work; that is, they need to seek to understand how effectively their mission is being achieved. Continue reading →