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Climate change and biodiversity loss trigger policies worldwide, many of which target or impact local communities. Although research, international development, and policy implementation (and, thus, success in fighting both threats) require thoughtful consideration and communication of the underlying concepts, field work encounters a cascade of tangible barriers. Technoscientific representations of quantifiable causes and effects often remain alien to local perspectives, and failure to involve communities constantly and genuinely creates gaps that may ultimately prevent research and policy success. Therefore, in this article, we present the results of a collective self-assessment exercise for a panel of eight case studies (covering four continents) of communications between project teams and local communities within the context of climate change or biodiversity loss. Our analysis develops eight indicators of good stakeholder communication, which we construct from the literature, in addition to Verran (2002) 's concept of postcolonial moments as a communicative utopia. Our study contributes to the (analytical) understanding of such communications, while also providing tangible insights for field work and policy recommendations. We demonstrate that applying our indicators can foster a more successful communication, although we find an apparent divergence between timing, complexity, and (introspective) effort of the project teams. While three case studies qualify for postcolonial moments, our findings show that especially the scrutiny of power relations and genuine knowledge co-production are still rare. We verify the potency of various instruments for deconstructing science; however, we also show that their sophistication cannot substitute other crucial factors. Instead, simple deconstruction efforts may suffice, while trust-building, proper time management, and an advanced awareness of the scientists are crucial. Lastly, we consider that reforming rigid and inadequate funding policies will help overcome significant barriers and improve the work in and with local communities.

Treball desenvolupat en el marc del programa "European Project Semester". Even though new systems like 3D printing start to get more viable, casting remains an important manufacturing technology. During a casting process, some segments at different spots of the material at the microscopic level are solidifying. Those are called grains, and they greatly influence the mechanical properties of the material. To increase the material properties the material science part (CDAL) of the UPC started with the development of a viscosity analysis prototype. This prototype analysis the viscosity, but the measured data is not accurate enough and the casting process doesn´t stop automatically. For this reason, the results from the previous group were analyzed and the existing inputs and outputs were described. With this information the main tasks were started, that include designing a case for the prototype, developing a viscosity model, doing research on viscosity and developing a software solution for the existing prototype. The results of those tasks lead to a safety increase through the case, an accurate viscosity analysis and an automated closed loop system to control the viscosity analysis. This system is now able to read the torque and speed values via Modbus, calculate the viscosity for various materials, include safety features, provide an interface and to enable customization through a maintenance window. Only the problems with the Festo motor control couldn`t be solved, due to the high complexity and communication problems between the devices. Further development could be to integrate the two motors into the program. To simplify that, replacing the motor and its control system is recommended. Incoming

Interdisciplinary faculty collaboration is an effective technique for preparing college students for the demands of working in contemporary organizations. Higher education institutions should encourage and support faculty from different academic disciplines to educate students from interdisciplinary perspectives. When faculty from multiple academic disciplines collaborates, they are not only teaching students from new viewpoints, but they are also modeling the importance of communication, teamwork, diversity, and how to critically think from a holistic approach. This case study explored the synergy that exists between the academic disciplines of psychology and business. Twenty-five senior psychology students were introduced to a self-reflection assessment and an interactive discussion on motivation in the workplace from a business perspective. This was accomplished by illustrating the complementary motivational theories relating to Maslow’s Needs Hierarchy and Alderfer’s ERG Theory. Students’ receptivity to these different, yet harmonizing, theories further demonstrated that various perspectives can still share several commonalities. Contemporary organizations increasingly value employees with diverse skill sets. Superseding a single discipline in favor of a multiple discipline approach highlights the value that interdisciplinary collaboration can provide to organizations as they achieve their goals and fulfill their respective mission and longer-term vision statements.

We examine issues to consider when reframing conservation science and practice in the context of global change. New framings of the links between ecosystems and society are emerging that are changing peoples' values and expectations of nature, resulting in plural perspectives on conservation. Reframing conservation for global change can thus be regarded as a stage in the evolving relationship between people and nature rather than some recent trend. New models of how conservation links with transformative adaptation include how decision contexts for conservation can be reframed and integrated with an adaptation pathways approach to create new options for global-change-ready conservation. New relationships for conservation science and governance include coproduction of knowledge that supports social learning. New processes for implementing adaptation for conservation outcomes include deliberate practices used to develop new strategies, shift world views, work with conflict, address power and intergenerational equity in decisions, and build consciousness and creativity that empower agents to act. We argue that reframing conservation for global change requires scientists and practitioners to implement approaches unconstrained by discipline and sectoral boundaries, geopolitical polarities, or technical problematization. We consider a stronger focus on inclusive creation of knowledge and the interaction of this knowledge with societal values and rules is likely to result in conservation science and practice that meets the challenges of a postnormal world.