OST - Science Services for the Ocean Protection Council

Photo courtesy of
G. Wolford

Meetings

OPC Meeting
March 3, 2010
Sacramento, CA

Announcements

OST Selects Skyli McAfee as new Executive Director and OPC Science Advisor

OPC Science Advisory Team Ocean Observing Consensus Statement

OST 2008-2009
Annual Report

MPA Monitoring Enterprise South Coast Facilitation RFQ

MPA Monitoring Enterprise Vacancies:
Assistant Scientist &
Knowledge Manager

Oil and Gas Public Briefing Minutes Available

Gov. Schwarzenegger
appoints former OST ED as OPC ED

Science Integration at the Ocean Science Trust

California is committed to science-based decision making. In general, the prevailing model in California is for science to come from state agencies and go to state agencies to support decision making. There is a need in this prevailing model for 1) science to be technically reviewed to ensure the approach and results are credible; and, 2) include outside expertise as new questions and issues emerge. The state agencies do not have the capacity to address all of these needs, nor change the model in which they work.

To address the above challenges the OST plays a primary role in Identifying Science Needs for Decision Makers, Producing Relevant Science, and Linking End-users with Science and Information.

The OST additionally facilitates collaboration and activities with key audiences and partners in Translating Results for Decision Making in a Timely Manner, and the OPC in Integrating Science into Decision-Making.

The OST carries out these roles by working with decision makers to identify science priorities, needs, and management questions in the following ways:

The OST supports and hosts workshops with decision makers and scientists on relevant issues.

The OST works with OPC and Sea Grant grant recipients to facilitate proposal development and integration of results.

The OST works with researchers and experts to conduct and present research, analyses, and synthesis that are relevant and useful for decision makers.

The OST provides, when appropriate, technical review and experts, to ensure credibility of science as well as build science knowledge and capacity across the state.

Unique to the OST is our focus on linking managers and decision makers with researchers and their research to ensure that science and information are shared and linked effectively. Examples of workshops, literature reviews, scientific studies, and how we coordinate with the Ocean Protection Council, can be found by following the links below.

Science Integration at the Ocean Science Trust