Collaborative Outreach in Ecology Through Social and Natural Science Partnerships in the Classroom

ABSTRACT

Ecologists increasingly work in multi‐disciplinary projects with communities, land managers, and policy makers to translate ecological knowledge into on‐the‐ground action, yet graduate training rarely provides structured practice in the cross‐disciplinary collaboration that this work demands. We present a case study of a project‐based graduate seminar co‐taught by an ecologist and a social scientist that paired eight social science master's students (Emory University) with two ecology doctoral students (San Diego State University and University of California, Davis) in a semester‐long, largely remote collaboration. Student teams used a research proposal as a boundary object to co‐produce socially‐informed ecological research designs, supported by readings and staged feedback, mid‐semester cross‐team discussion, and final presentations. The collaboration yielded two applied proposals: (1) an assessment framework for an elementary, place‐based science program using pre/post “sticker” surveys, observation, and stakeholder interviews/focus groups; and (2) a mixed‐methods study of how US restoration researchers and practitioners' goals and decision‐making are shifting, including openness to using ecosystem function targets versus historic species composition. Student reflections highlighted several friction points, including translation across disciplinary language, differing methodological instincts and epistemic norms, and virtual coordination constraints, but also reported meaningful gains in mutual respect, clearer communication, and a more realistic understanding of the labor required to collaborate well. We synthesize these lessons into practical recommendations for course design, including early cross‐training, frequent structured touchpoints, iterative co‐generation of questions and methods, and balanced instructor presence.