Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Cultivating "Science-Savvy" Citizens: Empowerment and Risk in Shrimp Aquaculture Development in China

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Graduate student Yu Huang, advised by Dr. Celia Lowe, will undertake research on the local effects of government promotion of new, small-scale economic enterprises. The researcher will trace how expert and lay knowledge connect and what effects this has on how people perceive decision making and risk. The research will be carried out in China, using the promotion of scientific aquaculture as a case study. The investigator will use a mixed methods approach, including archival research, participant observation with extension workers and shrimp farmers, and semi-structured interviews. The research will contribute to understanding how rural development strategies intersect with scientific knowledge, politics, ecology, and culture. This is critical in the current context of increased industrialization of food production worldwide. Funding this research also contributes to the education of a graduate student.