Researcher Chat: David Bidwell on Community Engagement Processes and Perceptions

How does an impactful community engagement process look? How are members of the public consulted, informed and spoken to? This research team looked into how the process itself shapes how communities respond to change. Additional Resources:“Perceived misinformation in offshore wind: Insights from participants in Northeastern U.S. offshore wind planning and permitting processes” (2025) “Communication silos: A governance network approach to the offshore wind planning and permitting process” (2025) “Uncertainty confounds justice: the offshore wind ‘Devil they don't know’ in the Northeast United States” (2025) “Watered down justice: Experiences of the offshore wind transition in Northeast coastal communities in the United States” (2025) Sea Grant plays a unique role in bridging science and community engagement. To do so, we are a neutral entity. We value our non-partisan approach to our work, because it allows us to work with all communities, facilitate sometimes tough conversations, and bring people together to find solutions to difficult challenges. However, we’ll be vulnerable with you, and say that navigating some complex topics while remaining neutral can be hard. So please have some grace with us, and grace with each other as we listen and learn together. As we go, we might come up with more questions to pursue, and you might have some as well. Please reach out, we’d love to hear from you!  -  Feedback Form