2024 Rachel Carson Distinguished Anniversary Series Lecture by William Sutherland

September 26 (Thursday) at 10 am ET    Register

William Sutherland Pic

Converting science into policy: a career inspired by Rachel Carson

Abstract:I remember reading Silent Spring as a student when I learnt about the power of marshalling evidence to change policy. This has been key to my subsequent career. For much of my career I have considered how we can improve the decision making process by making evidence available, creating tools for delivering change and creating a culture in which it becomes unthinkable not to use evidence. I have also recently been attempting to follow Rachel Carson’s footsteps by promoting an understanding of ecology and conservation science https://www.youtube.com/@Bill_Sutherland. In this lecture, I will review the barriers and opportunities to deliver change and argue that we are making progress but there are many easy wins. I will also discuss our work showing how AI is likely to fundamentally change how we operate.

Dr. William Sutherland is Professor of Conservation Biology, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK. He is a leading ecologist and conservation scientist. Over the last twenty years he has pioneered a range of approaches to policy and practice including novel means of horizon scanning, identifying policy-relevant research agendas, new techniques for collating and assessing evidence, and processes for embedding experiments into practice. With over eleven hundred named collaborators he has created the website www.conservationevidence.com (which reviews the evidence for the effectiveness of 3155 conservation actions), and a set of tools for making evidence-based decisions and embedding evidence into practice. He was President of the British Ecological Society and regularly advises government and conservation organisations. His outstanding accomplishments have earned him numerous prestigious awards and honors. For example, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a Commander of the British Empire. He is also a recipient of the ECI Prize, Sir John Burnett Memorial Lecture Medal, Distinguished Service Award from the Society for Conservation Biology, Marsh Award for Ecology from the British Ecological Society, and many others.

More information about Professor William Sutherland is available here.

Service

Michigan State University
  • Spartans Will.
  • © Michigan State University

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer, committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential.

Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Quentin Tyler, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. This information is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707.

We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).