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ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Bridging the gap between science, the public and policy makers is more important now than ever before, researchers said today, as people struggle to understand increasingly complex issues that range from emerging diseases to environmental change and natural resource disputes.

It's no longer sufficient for scientists to just do their research, publish it and step back into the shadows, said Jane Lubchenco, the Wayne and Gladys Valley Professor of Marine Biology at Oregon State University, speaking today at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"We have to change the culture of academia so that it's more acceptable to speak in the public arena, make contacts, help explain complicated topics, and provide the latest findings," Lubchenco said. "Science should not dictate, but it can and should inform our policy debates. Scientific information is a critical component to consider along with moral values, economic issues, and political views."

Toward that goal, Lubchenco said, one of the most successful programs in recent years has been the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program - a pioneering effort begun at OSU in 1998, and now based at Stanford University's Institute for the Environment. Each year, it has trained about 20 mid-career academic environmental scientists in how to improve their outreach and communication with policy makers, the media, industry, government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

The focus is on environmental issues, and the initiative is supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

"I think, beyond everything else, that our training programs have helped researchers learn how to better understand their audiences," Lubchenco said. "You don't talk to political leaders the same way you would to a business person, or to a reporter who's on a deadline. To be an effective communicator, you have to understand what the other people know, what they are looking for, what their interests are, what time frame they work in. That's a big part of the battle."

Scientists have always struggled, Lubchenco said, to distill their highly complicated language into one that can be more easily understood by non-scientists. "If we want our science to be useful and used, we need to ensure that scientists not only understand the issues and perspectives of decision makers, but also have the communication and leadership skills to reach them and share knowledge with them," said Pamela Matson, dean of the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University, a Leopold Fellow and current chair of the program. "The Leopold Leadership Program helps environmental scientists develop these skills."

Participation in the Leopold Program is a highly competitive process, with the highlight being two week-long training sessions on scientific leadership and outreach techniques. The work includes "hands-on" interactive sessions, role playing, message development, and mock interviews. One session is held in Washington, D.C., and includes interaction with state and federal agencies, a mock Congressional hearing, and practice giving testimony.

More information on the program can be found on the web at www.leopoldleadership.org

The program is also gradually building a "community of practice" of academic scientists who can serve as a resource on a broad range of issues. They have expertise in such topics as tropical plants, forest ecology, aquatic parasites, infectious disease, carbon cycles, climate change, urban ecology, agriculture and many other areas.

David Lodge, a professor of biology at the University of Notre Dame, said that his Leopold training gave him an inside view of how government and the media work, the knowledge to conduct more policy-relevant research and the techniques to communicate it effectively. He called the work "the most valuable training I've had since graduate school," and used his skills, for instance, to establish and lead an interagency task force on invasive species.

"Scientists often complain that policies on natural resource issues do not reflect what they know about how nature works," Lodge said. "Policy-makers often complain that scientists can't provide clear information in a timely way. For a growing group of scientists, the Leopold Leadership Program has provided wonderful opportunities to learn how to bridge that divide."

Lubchenco said the program "has been more effective than we dared dream it would be."

"It is abundantly clear that the best scientists are willing to be more active communicators and leaders - this program gives them the tools, the networks and the opportunities," she said.

"We're connecting scientists to the world," Lubchenco said. "I see what our Leopold fellows are doing, both in public and behind the scenes, and it's very impressive. With their help, good science will inform decision-making on environmental issues, to all of our benefit."