Coffee & Geography 6x08 Aparna Bamzai-Dodson (USA) Climate adaptation, actionable science, gaming

Kit Marie is joined by Aparna Bamzai‑Dodson, Assistant Regional Administrator at the North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (CASC) within the US Geological Survey (USGS). Aparna explains how the USGS functions as the science arm of the US Department of the Interior and how the CASC network supports climate adaptation across public lands and resources. The conversation focuses on what “actionable science” looks like in practice: building partnerships, designing research questions with end‑users, avoiding stakeholder fatigue, and ensuring science is accessible in the format decision‑makers actually need. Aparna shares how she changed direction from physical climate modelling toward work that helps people do something with climate knowledge, and how she built her PhD research around improving stakeholder engagement processes—work that fed directly back into how her team operates. Kit and Aparna discuss why place matters in adaptation, how to “meet people where they’re at,” and the practical realities of balancing priorities across legislation, gateway communities, visitors, and Indigenous partners. A particularly strong example explores difficult decisions around protecting cultural artefacts threatened by future flooding, and how early science‑informed conversations can create time for communities to decide what they want. 🔗 Aparna's staff profile at the US Geological Survey (USGS): https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/aparna-bamzai-dodson 🔗 Scientist Spotlight on Aparna: https://www.usgs.gov/programs/climate-adaptation-science-centers/news/scientist-spotlight-finding-yourself-open-world 🔗 USGS Climate Adaptation Science Centers (CASC network): https://www.usgs.gov/programs/climate-adaptation-science-centers 🔗 US National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/ 🔗 Kashmiri “Kahwa / Kaffa” tea background (tea discussed; name varies by spelling): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahwah **Disclaimer: Our discussion on specific video games is based on Aparna’s personal views and does not represent a US federal government endorsement*** #CoffeeGeogPod #ClimateAdaptation #USGS #ActionableScience #ScienceCommunication #StakeholderEngagement #ClimateServices #PublicLands #EnvironmentalManagement #Geography #AppliedGeography #ClimateRisk #DecisionMaking #CASC Theme music: "Spark of Inspiration" by Silvermansound.com