Science with Impact

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Anne Toomey, PhD
Associate Professor, Environmental Studies and Science

What is the central theme of your book?

The book tackles what it means to have one’s science make a difference in the real world. It addresses how research can make its way into policy and shift societal norms in a meaningful way. Science with Impact argues that impactful research is not only possible for a small minority of socially engaged researchers and science communicators, but rather the way forward for the entirety of the global scientific enterprise.

 What inspired you to write this book?

 I first started thinking about what it means for science to “have impact” when carrying out my PhD research in the Bolivian Amazon. That work led me to explore the topic through the perspective of environmental practitioners, indigenous leaders, and researchers across multiple disciplines. I learned that while many of us have opinions about what constitutes impact in science, “impact” in itself is a very understudied topic. Writing this book allowed me to take a deep dive into the science of impact and to talk with experts from around the world.

Why is this book important in your field? What does it contribute to the current body of knowledge on this topic?

Science with Impact brings forth new research on the science of what, where, when, and how impact occurs. Conventional wisdom suggests that the most impactful science is big, loud, and on the national news. But scholarship that focuses on how information spreads challenges the idea that bigger is better. Rather, scholars have found that change often starts in the peripheries, in small and tight networks, and research that makes a difference can, too.

Tell me about a particularly special moment in writing this book.

I had a great “ah-ha” moment when I went to interview farmers in Pennsylvania about their perspectives on science. Most told me that they had a relatively negative impression of universities and researchers, but then they mentioned a certain scientist who they thought was different than the rest. Chapter 4 tells the story of that scientist and how his research helped to change farming practice and policy in the United States.

What is the one thing you hope readers take away from your book?

I hope that readers will come to see that we, as researchers and students of science, already inhabit spaces where we can begin to have a bigger impact on society. We have more power than we realize, but our power comes from fully inhabiting the places where we already exist–our classrooms, the places where we collect our data, and our own communities–in new and meaningful ways.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your book?

When I was finishing the first draft of the book, I reached out to various academic listservs to find reviewers–and find them I did. Approximately 30 researchers from diverse countries and disciplines reviewed various parts of the book, and some chapters were peer-reviewed by more than 15 individuals.

Fun Facts

When did you join Dyson?

2016

What motivates you as a teacher?

The students who are passionate about making a difference and who see college not just as a place to receive education, but where they can learn how they can contribute. These are the students who teach me just as much as I teach them, and the ones who I will never forget.

What do you do in your spare time; to relax/unwind?

I rock climb on the weekends, and during the week I watch survivalist shows–most recently, the Netflix series, Outlast, which is fascinating if you’re interested in human social behavior.

What are you reading right now?

Wool by Hugh Howey, which is a post-apocalyptic novel about humans who live in underground silos because of some undisclosed calamity that has befallen the planet.