Test Hypothesis

Preliminary Project Timeline (Model: The Scientific Method)

Field research methods (preliminary)

Sketched broadly, we see a helpful analogy between the transformation a scientific idea undergoes when it is translated into terms that a general public can understand – a translation that shifts based on the intent of the translator – and the process of fracking itself. A mixture of science and perspective is pumped through the various lenses of different communities, extracting various understandings of fracking and its effects. We are interested in unpacking this translation pattern in Pennsylvania and North Dakota, looking at what happens at different points in the cycle. Ways we plan to approach this include:

• Interviews with scientists, industry employees, lobbyists, etc.
• Ask members of communities to answer the question, “What is hydraulic fracturing?” Use a variety of methods here: social media, in-person interview, public “ask-booths”
• Forum theatre and group interviews in communities with a stake in fracking
• Site visits to hydraulic fracturing locations