Open AccessBuilding Capacity for Action-Oriented Research in Arizona’s Helium Extraction Boom
Author(s) -
Kirk Jalbert,
Katherine Ball,
Noa Bruhis,
Sakshi Hegde,
Lisa Test
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
engaging science, technology, and society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2413-8053
DOI - 10.17351/ests2021.719
Subject(s) - scholarship , affordance , boom , corporate governance , action (physics) , public relations , political science , sociology , engineering , management , psychology , economics , law , physics , quantum mechanics , environmental engineering , cognitive psychology
Northeast Arizona’s Holbrook Basin is an epicenter in the rush to secure new helium deposits in the U.S. While the helium boom has revealed unease amongst residents, significant knowledge and procedural gaps have prevented the public from making sense of the industry and its potential impacts. These gaps are produced by the opacity of critical minerals extraction, long-term regulatory neglect, and lack of commitments to public participation in environmental governance. However, we suggest that engaged STS scholarship can meaningfully assist at-risk communities in navigating these complexities. This is illustrated in a series of workshops developed by STS researchers and residents for the purpose of building local capacity for independent research and knowledge production. We detail the mutual affordances of these workshops and offer a potentially replicable framework: The Capabilities Model for Social Learning in Engaged STS. We conclude by arguing that this model is a useful lens for examining how STS critical thinking can be leveraged in collaborative research to pursue long-term social change.