CoCoA: The future ingredient for geoscientific research

Abstract

Even the best bakers update their recipes every now and then, to improve their world-famous chocolate pies. Why then should we not do the same within the geosciences? To keep our future research as tasty and inspiring as ever, we could start by adding some CoCoA: Cooperation, Communication and Adjustment. Concerning cooperation, it is important for scientists from different disciplines and countries to work together and in this essay, I come up with some examples of good cooperation which could serve as possible solutions. As for communication. I argue that scientists should focus on lay-people more often by means of disseminating their knowledge. This could be done in four different ways: through Public Awareness of Science, through Public Understanding of Science, through Public Engagement with Science and through Public Participation in Science. Regarding adjustment. I emphasize the importance of looking at our research topics from different viewpoints - at macroscopic and a microscopic level, through the eyes of our fellow scientists and through the eyes of the lay-public. In my opinion, interdisciplinarity and cooperation should become keywords in the scientific world and by means of this essay, I hope to stimulate the dialogue between scientists and society.