Engaging faith-based communities in forest ecology

Introduction<br>Science and religion are often thought of as being in conflict (e.g., evolution vs. creationism); however, many faiths promote stewardship of the Earth and reference nature in sacred texts. For example, references to trees and forests frequently appear in the Bible, the Talmud, the Qu’ran, and Buddhist scriptures. Although ways of understanding the world may differ, this appreciation for the natural world is shared by both religious communities and ecologists. I am a forest ecologist who grew up in a mixed religious household, where I developed an appreciation for diverse beliefs and ways of knowing. I sought to draw on my interests to bridge faith-based organizations and the scientific community.<br><br>Methods<br>To inform the engagement format and content, I spent several months attending religious services, building relationships with congregants, meeting with clergy, and studying religious texts. During these “immersion visits” I noted the customs of each congregation (e.g., sacred areas in places of worship, service format) and references to trees and forests. Based on my immersion visits, I identified a sermon as an appropriate communication format that would fit seamlessly into the ongoing activities in many places of worship. I drew on references to trees in religious texts when preparing the sermon (Nadkarni 2002, Nadkarni 2007). I shared a draft of my sermon with clergy at the Unitarian Universalist Church for input and was given permission to take the pulpit to deliver the sermon. <br><br>Results<br>The first sermon was delivered at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Olympia, Washington to 75 congregants. Clergy later recommend me to leaders at other places of worship. The Trees and Spirituality sermon was ultimately delivered to 41 congregations including Episcopalian, Baptist, Unitarian, Zen Buddhist, Jewish, Catholic, Methodist, Unitarian, and interfaith organizations. I extended this work based on input from clergy and congregants to also include discussions in Bible study groups and Sunday schools. I participated in church tree plantings on invitations from congregants and my graduate students became involved by working with church members to create a guide to trees on church grounds (Schencker, 2012).<br><br>Discussion<br>This engagement activity demonstrated that an ecologist can draw on shared values (i.e., the significance of trees both ecologically and spiritually) to effectively engage outside traditional informal science learning venues (e.g., outside museums, science centers). The approach inspired the development of the STEM Ambassador Program (STEMAP), a training program to guide scientists in carrying out engagement activities in non-traditional venues to engage those who do not or cannot participate in science through conventional outlets. Since STEMAP began in 2016, the program has trained 65 scientists who have engaged over 2,300 people in 50 venues including correctional facilities, senior centers, and cafes (Nadkarni et al., 2019). STEMAP training formalizes the process I followed to engage religious communities by integrating the impact identity framework (Risien and Storksdieck, 2018) with the Design Thinking process (Goldman, 2017), and Portal to the Public science communication training (Selvakumar and Storksdieck, 2013). STEMAP guides scientists in integrating their research, personal interests, experiences, and values to develop an “impact identity.” They then identify a community or “focal group” that resonates with their impact identity. For example, I identified religious communities as a focal group based on my personal experience growing up in a mixed religious household and shared appreciation of the ecological and spiritual significance of trees. After identifying a focal group, the scientist conducts an immersion visit to learn about the group. The scientist then applies the Design Thinking process to brainstorm engagement activities that are specific to the focal group based on information gathered during the immersion visit. The scientist builds communication skills through participation in training modules adapted from Portal to the Public to implement the engagement activity. Outcomes and scientist reflections are disseminated via the STEMAP newsletter (www.stemap.org). <br><br>

## 引言
人们通常认为科学与宗教处于对立状态（例如进化论与神创论的论战），但诸多宗教都倡导对地球的管护，并在圣典中提及自然。例如，《圣经》、《塔木德》、《古兰经》以及佛教经典中，频繁出现关于树木与森林的记述。尽管二者认识世界的路径各异，但宗教社群与生态学家共享着对自然世界的敬畏与珍视。笔者作为一名森林生态学家，成长于多元宗教信仰的家庭，由此培养了对不同信仰与认知方式的理解与尊重。笔者希望依托自身的研究兴趣，搭建起宗教组织与科学界之间的沟通桥梁。

## 研究方法
为确定科普活动的形式与内容，笔者耗时数月参与宗教礼拜活动、与信众建立联结、与神职人员交流研讨，并研读宗教经典。在这些“沉浸式走访”过程中，笔者记录了各宗教社群的习俗（例如宗教场所的圣区设置、礼拜流程），以及其中提及的树木与森林相关内容。基于沉浸式走访的观察，笔者确定布道是合适的科普传播形式，可无缝融入诸多宗教场所的日常活动。在筹备布道内容时，笔者引用了宗教经典中关于树木的记述（Nadkarni 2002, Nadkarni 2007）。笔者将布道稿提交给一神普救派教堂（Unitarian Universalist Church）的神职人员征求意见，并获得了登台布道的许可。

## 研究结果
首场布道在华盛顿州奥林匹亚市的奥林匹亚一神普救派会众教堂开展，共有75名信众参与。随后，神职人员将笔者推荐给其他宗教场所的负责人。这场以“树木与灵性”为主题的布道最终覆盖了41个宗教社群，包括圣公会、浸信会、一神普救派、禅宗佛教、犹太教、天主教、卫理公会及跨信仰组织。基于神职人员与信众的反馈，笔者拓展了这项工作，将内容延伸至圣经学习小组与主日学校的研讨活动中。笔者应信众邀请参与了教堂的植树活动，我的研究生则与教堂成员合作，编制了教堂场地树木指南（Schencker, 2012）。

## 讨论
本次科普活动证明，生态学家可依托共享的价值理念（即树木在生态与精神层面的双重意义），有效在传统非正式科学学习场所之外开展科普活动（例如博物馆、科学中心以外的场景）。该活动启发了STEM大使计划（STEM Ambassador Program, STEMAP）的开发，这是一项培训项目，旨在指导科学家在非传统场景开展科普活动，以覆盖那些无法或不愿通过传统渠道参与科学活动的群体。自2016年STEMAP启动以来，该项目已培训了65名科学家，他们在包括监狱、老年活动中心与咖啡馆在内的50个场景中开展了科普活动，覆盖受众超2300人（Nadkarni et al., 2019）。STEMAP培训将影响身份认同框架（Risien and Storksdieck, 2018）、设计思维流程（Design Thinking, Goldman, 2017）以及“公众门户”（Portal to the Public）科学传播培训（Selvakumar and Storksdieck, 2013）三者结合，将笔者对接宗教社群的流程进行了规范化。STEMAP指导科学家整合自身研究、个人兴趣、经历与价值理念，以塑造“影响身份”。随后，科学家需确定与自身影响身份相契合的社群或“目标群体”。例如，笔者基于自身在多元宗教家庭成长的经历，以及对树木生态与精神意义的共同珍视，将宗教社群确定为目标群体。确定目标群体后，科学家需开展沉浸式走访以了解该社群。随后，科学家可基于沉浸式走访收集的信息，运用设计思维流程头脑风暴出适配目标群体的专属科普活动方案。科学家可通过参与源自“公众门户”的培训模块，提升沟通技能，以顺利开展科普活动。活动成果与科学家的反思将通过STEMAP通讯（www.stemap.org）进行传播。