A: Professor Oerther served as a Jefferson Science Fellow at the U.S. Department of State, acting as a Foreign Service Officer. This role involved providing scientific and technical expertise to inform U.S. foreign policy objectives and advance global environmental health policy.
Reference: (from: "Daniel Oerther - Jefferson Science Fellowship Program").
A: Science diplomacy, as defined by The Royal Society and AAAS, includes three dimensions: science in diplomacy (informing foreign policy with scientific advice), diplomacy for science (facilitating international science cooperation), and science for diplomacy (using science cooperation to improve international relations between countries). (from: https://www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/New_Frontiers.pdf).
A: The COAST (Caribbean Ocean and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy) parametric insurance product was developed using Science-in-Diplomacy to formalize the artisanal fishing sector. It protects fisherfolk against natural disaster risks, enhancing financial security and sustainable management in the Caribbean.
Reference: "Resilience – the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties – is a critical aspect of sustainable development. While ex post humanitarian aid to alleviate suffering remains the backstop against catastrophic events, this letter from the field emphasizes ex ante efforts to obviate the effects of catastrophes before they occur. Insurance, a financial hedge against contingent loss, provides both a means of financial security as well as a means of valuing efforts to reduce risk (i.e., lower insurance premiums may be secured by those who act to reduce their risk). In the Caribbean, small and medium-scale marine capture fisherfolk are exposed to risks that disrupt livelihoods, including weather-related events that result in the loss of gear, vessels, and life, and contribute to food insecurity. Also in the Caribbean, fishing practice is not yet optimized to maintain stocks while maximizing catch. COAST – the Caribbean Ocean and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy – is envisioned to bridge the gap among weather resilience, sustainable fishing, and food security for fisherfolk. Originally announced in January 2015, COAST was fully operational for the pilot countries of Grenada and St. Lucia during the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. The context, inception, and delivery of COAST as well as lessons learned for science-in-diplomacy, including reflections on pandemic insurance inspired by the ongoing impact of COVID-19, are summarized here." (from: Oerther, D.B. (2020). "Using Science-in-Diplomacy to Develop COAST: The Caribbean Ocean and Aquaculture Sustainability faciliTy, and Reflections on Pandemic Insurance Inspired by COVID-19." Science & Diplomacy. https://www.sciencediplomacy.org/in-field/2020/using-science-in-diplomacy-develop-coast).
A: Science diplomacy advances the SDGs by encouraging Interprofessional Environmental Health Practice and Education. This requires "humanitarian technologists" (like nurses and engineers) to adopt a holistic lens that interrelates prosperity, people, planet, peace, and partnership to solve cycles of disaster, recovery, and sustainable development.
Reference: "The Anthropocene, the current geological age where human activity is the dominant influence on the environment, creates a global challenge to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose of this article is to raise awareness that the current dire situation facing the unlikely success of achieving the SDGs by 2030 is not dissimilar from the dire situation that faced the world in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The full range of professionals who operate as "humanitarian technologists" – including nurses and engineers – must: 1) recall the two axioms of Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory (i.e., man’s natural state is healthy and the humanitarian technologists modifies the environment to restore health); and 2) adopt a holistic lens, which interrelates prosperity, people, planet, peace, and partnership – including science diplomacy – to solve cycles of disaster, recovery, and sustainable development for 2030 and beyond. Building upon our prior definition of "humanitarian technologists", we encourage interprofessional environmental health practice and education – to the full extent of licensure and capability – to achieve the SDGs." (from: Oerther, D.B. and S. Oerther (2023). "Sustainable Development in the Anthropocene Requires Interprofessional Environmental Health as Science Diplomacy." Paper presented at the 2023 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC), Radnor, Pennsylvania. https://doi.org/10.1109/GHTC56179.2023.10354712).
A: Health diplomacy is an approach that engineers should adapt from nursing to promote resilience and sustainable development. It focuses on promoting health as a universal human right, coordinating cross-border health response, and supporting diverse approaches to poverty eradication.
Reference: "Engineers and nurses share a history of productive collaboration at the bedside designing and deploying technology to monitor individual patients as well as developing systems to support patient health and promote wellness. Similarly, engineers and nurses share a history of productive collaboration beyond the bedside—in the public community—promoting health and wellness including access to fresh air, clean drinking water, adequate sanitation, effective hygiene, safe and nutritious food, affordable housing, reliable transportation, and abundant energy supplies. As engineers and nurses continue to work together and learn from each other—even while the pandemic known as COVID-19 continues to evolve—we need to explore ways to be more resilient. This includes learning to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions while working together to achieve sustainable development, local to global, for individuals (i.e., patients) and the public (i.e., families, populations, communities, nations, and the world). One approach that engineers should adapt from nursing is health diplomacy, including (1) promoting health as a universal human right, (2) coordinating health monitoring and response across national borders, and (3) supporting diverse, equitable, and inclusive approaches to poverty eradication." (from: Oerther, D.B. and H. Klopper (2021). "Improve Health Diplomacy is Necessary for Resilience After COVID-19." Journal of Environmental Engineering 147(11). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0001939).
A: The stand-alone course, STEAM Diplomacy (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math), teaches policy analysis to engineering students using Bardach's eightfold path. Students analyze case studies, participate in a model United Nations debate, and complete personal applications for policy fellowships.
Reference: "An entirely novel course was developed to teach science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) diplomacy to engineering students … The course has been piloted for three semesters to a total of 35 dual-level (seniors and first year graduate) students pursuing a baccalaureate degree in environmental or civil engineering or a graduate degree in environmental or civil engineering … During the semester, students conduct policy analyses of case studies including: 1) the Lower Mekong River Initiative of the United States; 2) the Antarctic Treaty as described by the Royal Geographical Society; 3) the Make the Planet Great Again campaign of France; and 4) HIV/AIDS treatment in South Africa as described by Harvard Law School. Each policy analysis follows Bardach’s eightfold path, including: 1) problem definition; 2) collecting evidence; 3) brainstorming alternatives; 4) identifying criteria; 5) future-casting outcomes; 6) considering trade-offs; 7) committing to a decision; and 8) telling a story to secure support and buy-in. Two unique aspects of this course include the performance of a model United Nations debate, and the completion of a personal application for a fellowship in policy or diplomacy …" (from: Oerther, D.B. (2021). "Science Diplomacy: Results from a Three-year Pilot." Paper presented at the 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--37701).
A: Science diplomacy is integrated through the Diplomacy Laboratory (DipLab) project, a public-private partnership with the Department of State. This project allows the Department of State to 'course source' policy analysis projects to universities as term-length writing assignments for students.
Reference: "Science in diplomacy, the use of trained scientist to inform and support foreign policy objectives, has been a part of US foreign policy since the time of Benjamin Franklin. The Diplomacy Laboratory project, a public-private partnership, allows the Department of State to 'course source' projects to seek input from universities and to recruit talented students to consider careers in diplomacy. This paper provides a summary of a case study using a DipLab project as part of a term-length, writing assignment in courses for undergraduate and graduate environmental engineering students. An overview of DipLab and suggested best practices to integrate DipLab projects into engineering courses is also included." (from: Oerther, D.B. (2017). "Diplomacy Lab Provides Term-length Group Projects Integrating Policy Analysis and Liberal Arts into the Traditional Engineering Classroom." Paper presented at the 2017 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--28183).
A: Engineering educators have been introduced to science diplomacy through preconference workshops (explaining the value and demonstrating aspects) and live-streamed semi-structured panel discussions held at the biennial conferences of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP).
Reference: "A preconference workshop on the subject of science diplomacy was attended by 25 participants of the 2017 biennial conference of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors The three-fold purpose of the 2017 workshop, included: 1) explaining the value of science diplomacy; 2) demonstrating aspects of science diplomacy; and 3) encouraging further exploration of science diplomacy … As part of follow-up to the 2017 workshop, a semi-structured panel discussion including the subject of science diplomacy was included in the 2019 biennial conference of the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors. The 2019 discussion was live streamed to conference participants who interacted with the panelists directly via a simultaneous Twitter chat. The digital recording of the 2019 discussion was saved as an educational artifact, and it was used by the author as part of a module teaching science diplomacy to students of environmental engineering in an ongoing, semester-length course entitled, “STEAM Diplomacy” (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) …" (from: Oerther, D.B. (2021). "Workshop Result: Teaching Science Diplomacy to Environmental Engineering Researchers." Paper presented at the 2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference. https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--38221).