Just International Science

UF faculty and students are deeply engaged with the world, doing research in almost every country.  The International Center wants to ensure that our research is conducted with the highest standards and regard for colleagues, communities, and stakeholders in the countries in which we work.  Thus, we offer these resources on helicopter science to better inform international researchers about the practice of doing and performing research in other countries.

Known by several terms or phrases, helicopter science occurs when researchers from higher income countries or from more privileged settings carry out research in resource-poor settings with limited to no involvement of local communities or researchers.  Helicopter science does not recognize the knowledge and contributions that local researchers offer and may even not acknowledge their participation. 

Another term for helicopter science is parachute science.  This occurs when researchers “drop down” from a higher income country or ivory tower into a foreign community to work – gather field data and samples, interact with local communities, rely on local researchers – and then zip back home without any acknowledgement of the contributions of the local researchers.

Relatedly, the movements to decolonize science also recognize elements of helicopter and parachute science in that the movement means to challenge the legacy of white European thought and culture in science and education.  One element of decolonization is to fully recognize the contributions of previous scientists and educators and to make every effort to include and acknowledge past contributions as well as current ones.

This website contains previous and upcoming events, in addition to information about the seminar series that will bring in speakers from different disciplines to talk about and interact with the UF community about helicopter science. 

Just International Science Workshop Series (Spring 2024 Semester)

• Graduate Student Workshop: Navigating Intersectionality and Identify in Fieldwork
• Jordi Rivera Prince: Forming Sustained Communities & An Equity-Centered Approach to Academic Writing
• Helicopter Science Retreat
  
  

Helicopter Science Workshop Series (Fall 2023 Semester)

• Graduate Student Workshop: Reimagining Fieldwork: Sharing Experiences & Transforming Approaches

Helicopter Science Workshop Series (Spring 2023 Semester)

• Helicopter Science Group Kickoff: Concepts, Practices, and International Collaborations
• Rebecca Tarvin and Valeria Ramírez Castañeda: The Fieldwork That We Envision: A Future of Equitable Field Biology and Reciprocity with Local Communities
• Elizabeth Hoffecker: Engaging Respectfully and Effectively in International Development Research Collaborations
• Student Workshop: Integrative Interests Fieldwork: A graduate student workshop
• Joanna Crane: Power Dynamics in International Research Partnerships. An Ethnographic Study

Crane, J. (2020). Dreaming partnership, enabling inequality: Administrative infrastructure in global health science. Africa, 90(1), 188-208. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0001972019001001

Ramírez-Castañeda, V., Westeen, E. P., Frederick, J., Amini, S., Wait, D. R., Achmadi, A. S., Andayani, N., Arida, E., Arifin, U., Bernal, M. A., Bonaccorso, E., Bonachita Sanguila, M., Brown, R. M., Che, J., Condori, F. P., Hartiningtias, D., Hiller, A. E., Iskandar, D. T., Jiménez, R. A., & Khelifa, R. (2022). A set of principles and practical suggestions for equitable fieldwork in biology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(34). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2122667119

Roxani Krystalli, Elizabeth Hoffecker, Kendra Leith, Kim Wilson, Taking the Research Experience Seriously: A Framework for Reflexive Applied Research in Development, Global Studies Quarterly, Volume 1, Issue 3, September 2021, ksab022, https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksab022

Other Relevant Citations

Feel free to contact any of us on the Helicopter Science committee for further information:

• David Blackburn - Florida Museum of Natural History, dblackburn@ufl.edu
• Andrea Chavez - Tropical Conservation and Development Program, achavez@ufl.edu
• Jonathan Dain - Natural Resources Leadership Institute, Center for Latin American Studies, jdain@ufl.edu
• Silvia M. Futada - School of Natural Resources and Environment, sfutada@ufl.edu
• Claudia Garnica - Biology Department, claudia.garnicad@ufl.edu
• Karen Kainer - School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, kkainer@ufl.edu
• Michael Kung - UF International Center, mkung@ufic.ufl.edu
• Bette Loiselle - Tropical Conservation and Development Program, loiselleb@ufl.edu
• Marit Ostebo - Department of Anthropology,  marit.ostebo@ufl.edu
• Audrey Smith - Department of Geography, audreyculver@ufl.edu 
• Michele Tennant - Health Science Center Libraries,  tennantm@ufl.edu
• Ana Ykeuti Meiga - School of Natural Resources and Environment, a.ykeutimeiga@ufl.edu