Lauren, what is your organization’s role in the FAIR2Adapt (F2A) project?

The Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB) is responsible for leading two work packages in the FAIR2Adapt project. One focuses on developing user-friendly data and information services that support climate change adaptation research and decision-making. A key goal for the TIB is to understand the data needs of climate researchers and practitioners, and translate those needs into concrete services that support their data analysis and knowledge synthesis activities. The TIB also leads a work package on outreach, communication, and dissemination. This work is key to sharing the services and approaches developed in the FAIR2Adapt project with the broader climate change research and policy community, as well as to the public. 

How does F2A relate with you and your team’s background and interests?

Our team focuses on the intersection between research infrastructures and research communities, and in particular understanding how research communities generate and use scientific knowledge. This is also a key goal in the FAIR2Adapt project—understanding how climate change adaptation researchers and practitioners produce and use knowledge so we can develop services to support their workflows. As an interdisciplinary researcher with a background in agroecology and food systems, I serve as a bridge between the research data management experts developing these services and the research communities that can benefit from their implementation.

How will F2A optimize and contribute to the development of climate change adaptation (CCA) strategies?

Developing solutions to the climate crisis requires coordinated efforts across scientific disciplines and stakeholder groups who often speak different professional languages and work with different kinds of data and information. This means we need to develop effective ways of integrating diverse information sources. FAIR2Adapt aims to address these needs by identifying the kinds of information climate change stakeholders work with and understanding how they produce it. With this knowledge, the project can design tools and approaches that enable agile and responsive decision-making.  

Which stakeholder groups can benefit from F2A?

FAIR2Adapt will directly benefit the climate change research community by creating services that streamline data production and reuse. These services will also benefit policy- and decision-makers who rely on these data to develop science-based climate change adaptation strategies. By supporting the process of transforming scientific data into actionable strategies, the project can also support local and national institutions in their efforts to respond to climate change.

Which are the most significant challenges and opportunities related to climate change adaptation in your opinion?

I believe one of the biggest challenges is accurately communicating the seriousness of the climate crisis without invoking a sense of apathy or hopelessness in the public. Often, climate change messaging focuses heavily on what is going wrong. For example, what new threshold has been transgressed and what are the consequences of this transgression. This is critical information, but when provided on its own it can lead to paralysis. Providing consistent, clear messaging about the mitigation and adaptation strategies available to us is key to inspiring collective action. From a more personal perspective as a researcher, it requires strength to confront the gravity of the climate crisis on a daily basis. This is why it is so important to find elements of joy and creativity in our work, so we can recharge and continue to bring our best to projects like FAIR2Adapt. 

Which are your personal expectations for the FAIR2Adapt project?

I am eager to strengthen my understanding of the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles. I also want to be able to point researchers to concrete tools they can implement to make their research more FAIR.

How far will the F2A project contribute to the improvement of citizen’s climate literacy?

Given the interdisciplinary team working on FAIR2Adapt, we have the opportunity to create engaging and motivating educational content that targets diverse audiences. I am eager to get the public excited about the project by telling the stories of the people behind it and using non-traditional forms of communication to explain the work we are doing.

Do you have professional ambitions and visions that you hope to achieve in the climate sector?

I hope I can use my passion for science communication to motivate and empower people to protect our environment and climate. If I can, even in a small way, encourage positive change, I would be really happy.

What are you proud of, personally?

I am very proud of, and grateful for, my community of friends and colleagues. While working as a field ecologist, I had the privilege to travel internationally and meet inspiring people all over the world. Many of these people have become close friends and role models, setting a high bar for how I would like to move through life and contribute to society.

In your opinion, how can women be further supported so that gender equality can be sustainably improved?

Astoundingly, women remain underrepresented in so many parts of society, from the workplace and leadership roles to clinical research and human rights. Right now is a very hard moment for me personally as I watch women and other underrepresented communities in the U.S., my home country, being stripped of their rights. There is no straightforward solution, but I believe an important place to start is ensuring all girls and women have access to high-quality education, and that they are afforded the freedom and opportunity to pursue their passions. I think we also have to raise boys to respect strong women and challenge our social constructs around so-called traditional gender roles.

What would you wish for all ladies on March 8th?

To have their voices heard and respected.