As part of an NSF Consortium for Research on the Human Dimensions of Global Change, this award supports the Center for Integrated Study of the Human Dimensions of Global Change. The Center activities, coordinated through Carnegie-Mellon University, will be conducted by more than thirty researchers from fourteen institutions located in seven countries around the world. The mandate of this Center is the systematic integration of global change research. Such a systematic integration can reveal new insights from the existing body of knowledge, help identify the neglected issues, and promote the necessary research. While integrated analysis will form the core of the Center's efforts, this analysis will be supported with basic and applied research on selected issues of substance, theory, and methods. This work will involve: Descriptive and behavioral studies which aim to understand how humans perceive and behave in their environment, and normative and analytical studies which aim to characterize forces of change in the environment and evaluate alternative policy options. In addition to research, the Center will be active in facilitating better communication between the public, students, decision-makers, and researchers. In summary, the Center will: 1) Provide a single research framework within which to analyze and compare a variety of different aspects of global change; 2) Be a dynamic source of new research ideas and a stimulus for basic research activity on the human dimensions of global change; 3) Advance the state of the art of integrated research and modeling; 4) Facilitate greater collaboration between social and natural scientists on a cross-institutional and cross-national basis in the context of a shared analytical environment; 5) Provide an important vehicle for discourse on global change issues between researchers, the public, and key decision makers around the world; and 6) Provide innovative educational services to citizen groups, schools, universities, and decision-makers.
