Table 2.

How social science supports solutions-driven research.

It improves	Because it helps
Case study research	Produce generalizable knowledge from case studies.
Environmental justice	Analyze socioeconomic and political dimensions of risk distribution.
	Provide a framework for community engagement.
Environmental modeling	Incorporate social dynamics and human behavior to improve characterization of ecological and health endpoints.
Human health and exposure research	Specify how social and environmental stressors interact to affect chemical exposure and human health.
Participatory research	Involve stakeholders to build trust, increase scientific literacy, and produce usable results.
Research planning	Clarify the problem to study and provide a more comprehensive framing.
Risk communication	Develop and test messaging strategies.
	Consider the social context of communication.
Solutions	Identify actions EPA programs and regions could take & evaluate effectiveness.
Systems research	Analyze social-environmental systems.
Tool development & use	Design tools that align with decision-making.
	Develop place-based applications for tools.