Call for Nominations: Advancing Social and Behavioral Science Research and Application within the Weather Enterprise

The Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (BASC), the Board on Environmental Change and Society (BECS), and the Board on Human-Systems Integration (BoHSI) are pleased to announce a new National Academies study to improve the nation’s weather readiness by providing advice on the application and integration of social and behavioral science within the weather enterprise. We are seeking nominations for committee members by Wednesday, April 13, 2016.
 
The committee will develop a framework for generating and applying social and behavioral science (SBS) research within the context of meteorology, weather forecasting, and weather preparedness and response. It will identify opportunities to accelerate relevant findings and better engage researchers and practitioners from multiple social science fields with the weather enterprise, including multiple users of weather information (e.g., transportation, military, agriculture). The overarching goal of the study is to improve the nation’s weather readiness by providing advice on: research priorities for advancing the application of SBS within the weather enterprise; frameworks and processes for better integrating SBS and meteorology to improve meteorological practices, products and policies; and public, private, and academic sector coordination to develop compatible visions for SBS within the weather enterprise. The full Statement of Task is included below.
 
Members of the planning committee should have expertise on topics including, but not limited to: weather forecasting, meteorological research, behavioral economics, communication research, decision making, risk perception, assessment and communication, human factors and product design, disaster and risk management and response, meteorology education and work force development, and weather institutions and policy.
 
To make a nomination, fill out this form no later than April 13, 2016.
 
Having the appropriate membership is the key to the success of every activity of The Academies, so we appreciate your help in the committee nomination process.  Thank you for your assistance.
 
 
Statement of Task
 
An ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine will develop a framework for generating and applying social and behavioral science (SBS) research within the context of meteorology, weather forecasting, and weather preparedness and response. It will identify opportunities to accelerate relevant findings and better engage knowledge and practitioners from multiple social science fields with the weather enterprise, including multiple users of weather information (e.g., transportation, military, agriculture, aviation, energy).
 
Specifically, the committee will:

1. Assess current SBS activities and applications within the weather enterprise, which encompasses meteorological research, operational forecasting, and users of weather information.
2. Describe the potential value of improved integration of SBS and meteorological sciences and institutions, and identify barriers to better integration.
3. Develop a research agenda aimed at advancing the application of social and behavioral sciences for improving the nation’s weather readiness while providing opportunities to advance fundamental social science knowledge.
4. Identify infrastructural and institutional arrangements necessary to successfully pursue SBS weather research and the transfer of relevant findings to operational settings. This will include:
   1. An examination of present roles within the public, private, and academic sectors of the weather enterprise for conducting SBS research and applying findings, and recommendation of strategies that could improve coordination.
   2. Specific mechanisms for improving interagency coordination to advance SBS research relevant to weather forecasting and emergency response.
   3. An assessment the types of routine observations needed to conduct SBS research in support of weather operations, as well as mechanisms within the enterprise for contributing to data collection.
   4. A discussion of implications for work force development, staffing, and training within the weather enterprise.