Make it personal

Addressing our planet’s grand environmental challenges – biodiversity loss, global climate change, invasive species – requires us to engage across all levels of society. To effect real change, scientists must step out from behind the curtain and directly engage with policymakers and the public. Booming, wizardly proclamations of fact won’t get us very far; rather, I argue – based on my experience in science policy, extension, and citizen science – that it’s time to get personal, to make our science more accessible to the individuals and communities who collectively have the power to make a real difference.