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USGS Workshop    Woods Hole, Mass.     February 6-8, 2001

Making USGS Information Effective in the Electronic Age

In this workshop, staff of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program will be joined by experts in the fields of political science, philosophy, and communication science, to aid us in considering the role of government and the historical development of the USGS, in defining key communication purposes and audiences, and in understanding effective communication strategies. Building on these fundamental considerations, the workshop will develop strategic plans for program information products that effectively apply our scientific expertise in the service of the nation.

Who should attend:
(1) Staff of the Coastal and Marine Geology program who are involved in the management and delivery of information, especially those working with the Knowledge Bank, National and Regional Assessments, and Web Sites.
(2) All who wish to have a clearer sense of mission as government scientists in the electronic age.

To Register, contact Joanne Sedlock, jsedlock@usgs.gov, or 508-457-2286. Program questions can be forwarded to Fran Hotchkiss, fhotchkiss@usgs.gov, or 508-457-2242.
The Workshop will be held in the Swope Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory, in Woods Hole, and housing accommodations have been arranged there.

Presenters' Precis:   (below)

Agenda:
Part One: The Challenge of Vision
How is it that our highest ideals, both of scientific truth and of public service, can be served by publications for a non-scientific audience? By taking a fresh look at why our nation needs earth scientists within its government, we will clarify our purpose in communicating scientific knowledge and our standards for successful communication.

Tuesday, February 6 - morning

  • 8:45 Registration with coffee and pastries
  • 9:00 Introductions and announcements
  • 9:15 "Government and Citizen" led by Jene Porter
  • 11:45 lunch
Tuesday, February 6 - afternoon
  • 1:15 PM "The Role of Public Scientist " led by Jene Porter
  • 2:45 "A Philosophical History of the USGS" led by Bob Frodeman
  • 4:45 Adjourn for the day

Wednesday, February 7 - morning

  • 9:00 AM "The Role of USGS Scientific Information" led by Bob Frodeman
  • 10:45 Summarizing: To whom do we communicate, and for what purposes?
    • Result: List of critical communication purposes
  • 11:30 lunch

Part Two: The Challenge of Skill
How can we match our publications and online services to the abilities and interests of their audiences? By learning basic skills of marketing and communication, we can use these tools in presenting and delivering knowledge so that it achieves its purpose.

Tuesday, February 7 - afternoon:

  • 1:00 PM "Audience Analysis" led by Gail Wendt and Mike McDermott
  • 4:30 Summarizing: What audience characteristics affect our key communication purposes? Result: a white paper describing critical CMGP communication purposes and, for each, an audience analysis.
  • 5:00 Adjourn for the day
Part Three: The Challenge of Strategy How can we organize our efforts in order develop program information products that effectively apply our scientific expertise in the service of the nation? We will spend a day on strategic planning for knowledge management within the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program.

Thursday, February 8 Morning:

  • 9:00 AM Working group sessions (facilitator to be announced)
      Results:
        1. Strategic plan for development of Marine and Coastal Web Site.
        2. Strategic plan for development of Marine and Coastal Knowledge Bank.
        3. Strategic plan for development of regional and national assessments.
    4:45 Adjourn
Workshop Leaders:

Moderators:
Catherine Norton is Director of the MBL/WHOI Library in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

Robert Frodeman is a philosopher and geologist at the Center of the American West, University of Colorado, and the 2001-2002 Hennebach Professor in the Humanities. He is well known to USGS audiences.

Michael McDermott currently works as a team leader for customer research in the USGS Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis. He has a broad range of experience in applying the concepts of marketing (e.g. developing products, promoting and distributing products, etc.) to the nonprofit and public sectors.

Jene Porter has taught the history of political philosophy for over 30 years. He is particularly interested in the areas of the philosophy of science and in questions of authority and persuasion.

Gail Wendt has more than two decades of experience in communications, from publishing and editing to media relations and external communications. Currently, she serves as one of the team leaders in the USGS Office of Communications, responsible for our communication to external constituents.

Debbie Hutchinson is Chief Scientist of the USGS Woods Hole Field Center.

Description | Agenda | Porter | Frodeman | McDermott/Wendt | Hutchinson | Accomodations