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by Abigail Ahlert, CSTPR Science Writing Intern<\/em><\/p>\n Last semester, Anna Kukkonen had a quintessential \u201cBoulder\u201d experience. A friendly man waiting next to her at a bus stop asked what she worked on. When she explained her research on climate change debates in the media, the man mentioned that he was a part of the Shanahan Ridge Neighbors for Climate Action\u2014a South Boulder group that discusses local sustainability issues\u2014and invited her to join. She was delighted by the coincidence. Boulder is a hub for those interested in the environment, and as a Fulbright<\/a> visiting scholar at University of Colorado\u2019s Center for Science and Technology Policy (CSTPR<\/a>), Kukkonen is truly finding opportunities around every corner.<\/p>\n Kukkonen is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Helsinki, and applied for a Fulbright grant with CU\u2019s high ranking<\/a> environmental policy program in mind. She anticipated that visiting CU would provide many opportunities for collaboration, particularly since her research is well-aligned with that of Dr. Max Boykoff, Director of CSTPR. In 2017, Kukkonen and her co-authors published a paper<\/a> applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF<\/a>) theory to U.S. media coverage of climate change from 2007-2008. According to Kukkonen, \u201cThe general\u00a0beliefs\u00a0concerning the reality\u00a0of\u00a0anthropogenic climate change,\u00a0the importance\u00a0of ecology over\u00a0economy\u00a0and desirability\u00a0of governmental regulation divide organizations\u00a0into three advocacy coalitions:\u00a0the economy, ecology\u00a0and\u00a0science coalitions\u201d. Specific beliefs concerning\u00a0policy instruments such as cap and trade and alternative energy do not.\u00a0She found that the ACF theory could be clarified to better\u00a0account for how beliefs contribute\u00a0to coalition formation\u00a0in specific points in time and policy domains.<\/p>\n During her time in Boulder, Kukkonen is working on multiple projects involving climate change politics. First, she is comparing media discussions of climate change<\/a> in the United States, Canada, Brazil, India and Finland. Kukkonen works with researchers from these countries and others in the Comparing Climate Change Policy Networks (COMPON<\/a>) project. She finds writing with international colleagues to be very rewarding and acknowledges that the writing process is the most challenging part of her work. \u201cYou really grow as a person when you do this kind of stuff, and you learn to take critique,\u201d she says. Additionally, Kukkonen is studying the roles of different types of policy actors (such as non-profit organizations, universities and businesses) and the moral justifications they use in the Finnish and Canadian media debates on Arctic climate change.<\/p>\n When she isn\u2019t working on her PhD research, Kukkonen attends classes offered by CU\u2019s Environmental Studies Program, where she has learned more about the interactions between science and policy. To her surprise, many of her classmates are natural scientists. \u201cIt has been very enlightening how differently we think,\u201d she says. \u201cThey have their own conception of what social science is and that has been very interesting.\u201d Discussions with her classmates have challenged her to describe her work and its use to researchers outside of her field, and this has given her greater confidence in her role as a social scientist.<\/p>\n Kukkonen also appreciates how many scientists at the University of Colorado prioritize communicating their results with the public. \u201cThis is another reason why I came to CSTPR, because here I think they focus a lot on how researchers can communicate their research to the general audience. I notice that people in the US like to talk about their research in a way that people who are not experts in that field can understand it,\u201d she says. In May, Kukkonen will return to Finland to complete her PhD. She is excited about the direction her research has taken at CSTPR and hopes to continue studying climate change after graduate school. \u201cNow I find purpose in my research better than before I came here,\u201d she says. \u201cI feel more motivated after this experience because I\u2019ve had to think about my research in a more practical way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Abigail Ahlert, CSTPR Science Writing Intern Last semester, Anna Kukkonen had a quintessential \u201cBoulder\u201d experience. A friendly man waiting next to her at a bus stop asked what she worked on. When she explained her research on climate change … Continue reading