CCES Winter School “Science Meets Practice”

There is a growing consensus that scientists need to interact more with people and institutions outside the scientific community. This interaction is not trivial but requires the willingness and capability of scientists to understand and critically reflect about their research activities and consequences for society and the environment. The proposed project supports the conceptual development and implementation of the first CCES Winter School «Sustainability Science Meets Practice» which is a new course for PhD students. It brings together students, lecturers practitioners in order to create and strengthen dialogues and interactions beyond scientific boundaries. The project contributes to the discussion and implementation of scientific outreach in ETH curricula. It provides theoretical insights into concepts of knowledge sharing at the interfaces between science, policy, practice and society at large, reflexive moments for translating theoretical concepts into specific situations encountered in individual research projects as well as test fields for a spectrum of methods and tools for communication and interaction of scientific and non-scientific stakeholders. Being launched as a Winter School, the project uses the winter break to provide extra-term time stimulus for thinking and experimenting at the interface of science, policy, practice and society.

• The participants critically reflect the role of science in society.
• The participants know concepts and approaches and confidently apply tools for science-society interactions.
• The participants have experienced the innovation potential of science-practice/society interfaces and the empowering process of knowledge sharing in stakeholder workshops.

The project brings together a multi-disciplinary group of participants who are supported and coached by experienced lecturers, intermediaries and communicators to make own experiences in organising and implementing interactions with real stakeholders from policy, administration, practice and civil society.

The project was evaluated carefully and this continues to be so in the future implementation of the Winter School. Because of the partnership teaching and learning arrangement, the annually changing overall theme, and the group composition it is always a learning experience for students, lecturers as well as for stakeholders.

Please see our website for testimonials: http://www.cces.ethz.ch/winterschool/impressions and http://www.cces.ethz.ch/winterschool/video

• The students are a great source of knowledge and inspiration and it’s important to give them room for expression and discussion.
• Involve people from outside the scientific community to contribute to the lecture programme and to share their views and experiences with the students.