NSF NCAR Earth System Science and Technology Hubs (NESTs) Phase I Report

Over the past three years, the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) has been exploring the concept of NSF NCAR Earth System Science and Technology hubs (NESTs) and conducted a feasibility study toward establishing a set of regional hubs across the U.S. These envisioned hubs would enable university-led research, science, and technology innovations at the regional to local level to discover and amplify the best ideas in climate change mitigation and extreme weather adaptation and mitigation to bolster community resilience through community-based participatory research. Through community workshops, listening sessions, and engagement efforts, the NEST concept study has helped NSF NCAR learn more directly about community science and what it takes to genuinely engage at the local and regional level. We heard through the community workshops that if the research at a NEST is for the community, it must be done with and by the community and that community members must be valued as knowledgeable collaborators. We also heard that traditional academic and research practices are not enough to reach the goals of NESTs. While some of the report findings are already known by individuals with a history in interdisciplinary and community-engaged research, the NEST concept study has institutionalized for NSF NCAR what is needed to conduct community-engaged research well. We know that longer-term investment and commitment is needed to establish successful NESTs for both researchers and community members. Ultimately, actionable science is a viable opportunity space for NSF NCAR and that can take many forms. We thank the greater Earth system science community for their involvement in this effort, and we're excited to see the future of regional, place-based research at NSF NCAR and elsewhere.