Engaging the public to solve grand challenges:
Science meets civic engagement in project on emerald ash borer

You’ve heard them called “grand challenges” and “great, big hairy problems.” But, Assistant Professor Kathy Quick prefers “wicked problems.” And, the best way to solve them, she says, is to bring everyone to the table: scientists, government, interested parties, and citizens.

“When people are given an opportunity to be a part of the problem solving, they realize that they have a lot to contribute,” says Quick, who focuses her work on how managers in public and nonprofit organizations create opportunities for communities to address public issues together. “I’m interested in resilience. For me, that boils down to the ability of our systems to adapt, change, and keep on going in a desirable way.”

One wicked problem in particular is changing how Quick and Associate Professor Jennifer Kuzma think about other work. The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a tiny beetle threatening enormous damage to Minnesota’s north woods and residential tree forests. The invasive species, which originates in Asia, is considered one of the most destructive non-native insects in the United States, having killed between 50 and 100 million ash trees since it was discovered in North America in 2002. Since state agencies confirmed the first finding of EAB in Minnesota four years ago, they have been working to prevent widespread damage.

“The scientists and managers are learning as they go,” says Quick, who partnered with Kuzma on a project to gauge the public’s perception of Minnesota’s EAB problem, understand how those perceptions affect communications, and get more people involved. “One way to mobilize more resources and knowledge is through civic engagement.”

“It was a powerful project because, in doing our research, we affected change almost immediately, which doesn’t usually happen in academic research,” says Kuzma. Her initial interest in the project was focused on the public’s perception of biological controls for EAB: introducing another Asian-born species—a tiny wasp—known to attack the beetle. But, she says the project grew larger in scope. The change Kuzma refers to came with communication and civic engagement. During a workshop that involved different stakeholder groups, she says, “Contention early in the day eventually turned into collaboration.”

Quick and Kuzma’s completed their work in three phases:
• Conducted focus groups with three key audiences: specialists (scientists and government representatives), interested stakeholders (environmental and neighborhood organizations and lawn care professionals), and the general public (homeowners). Each group had a different perception of the EAB problem and risk-management options.
• Facilitated a round table workshop involving all the groups to share perceptions and problem-solving strategies. They asked participant to 1) describe what a successful outcome to the EAB problem would look like in 15 to 20 years and 2) identify actions needed to achieve that result.
• Presented recommendations on how to move forward to effectively manage EAB and potential future invasive species.

Kuzma and Quick concluded that current government leaders were doing commendable job overall handling the EAB problem, but could improve in two areas: enhancing communication to include more about the risks of EAB and strategies to control it (i.e., it’s better to share bad news than allow a sense of mistrust) and tapping the expertise and interest of more stakeholders—people like master gardeners, tree care professionals, and homeowners, who bring a lot to the table).

“The emerald ash borer is an example of how we need to cross all kinds of boundaries to solve problems, work together, and learn as we go,” says Quick about applying what she learned to other “wicked problems.” “We don’t have an ideal solution to big, complex problems, like climate change or academic achievement gaps. We have to learn as we go.”