CCS Fellowship

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CCS in Conservation Fellowship

Training, mentorship, and funding for graduate students in conservation

Effective conservation brings together research, partnerships across disciplines and sectors, and a commitment to iterative learning that supports long-term stewardship. In conservation science, community and citizen science (CCS) approaches can be especially powerful and yield valuable data while also advancing other parts of a conservation program, such as education and community engagement. However, formal training in CCS is not yet widely available for graduate students pursuing degrees in conservation science. Whatever their career paths, graduate students can benefit from an awareness of, and experiences with CCS approaches, applied in a conservation context.

The UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science offers the Community and Citizen Science in Conservation Fellowship to provide graduate students in conservation with the opportunity for training, funding, and guided hands-on experience with CCS. To qualify for the fellowship, graduate students must complete a 10-week seminar in the spring exploring CCS approaches and applications broadly related to conservation. Accepted fellows will be awarded a stipend for research support and given mentorship and professional development opportunities throughout the following academic year.

New Partnerships in 2023

We are excited to partner with two centers of excellence at UC Davis to expand the CCSiC Fellowship program: the Institute for the Environment, and the Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute. These partnerships allow us to increase the number of fellowships available, and expand the professional development and networking opportunities provided to graduate students during their fellowship experience.

Blog entry

Learning about coyotes in San Francisco from their scat

Read about research from Citizen Science in Conservation Fellow, Tali Caspi.

In recent decades, humans and animals have increasingly co-occurred in high densities in urban areas. Although declines in biodiversity are associated with urbanization, numerous species have adjusted to and thrive in cities. The success of urban animals is largely attributed to the expansion of their diet to include human-provided food, resulting in frequent conflicts with people.

Blog entry Sage Madden, CCS in Conservation Fellow

FREE Workshop: Using Community Science Apps to Study and Support Nature Near You

February 24, 2024

Conservation in Your Pocket: Using Community Science Apps to Study and Support Nature Near You

Saturday, February 24, 2024
10:00 AM – 11:45 AM
Effie Yeaw Nature Center
Register here

Learn how to use apps to support Citizen Science in Conservation Fellow, Sage Madden, and UC Davis graduate students studying a local songbird!
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Meet Our 2023 CCSIC Fellows

Congratulations to the 2023 Community and Citizen Science in Conservation Fellows! We are excited about the projects these early career scientists are pursuing. Each one demonstrates creativity and innovation in community and citizen science. Learn more about the CCSiC Fellowship program here, and stay tuned for more updates from our fellows over the course of the next year.

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Community and Citizen Science in Conservation Course

The Center for Community and Citizen Science offers a 2-unit ”Community and Citizen Science in Conservation” course at UC Davis. The course involves weekly discussion and exploration of community and citizen science (CCS) approaches and applications broadly related to conservation. With an emphasis on recent academic literature, each session focuses on a different topic such as equity and justice, project design and implementation, and participant and conservation benefits. Other topics are identified and explored based on student interest. This course allows students to develop ideas for CCS projects within their own research. 

Students who complete the course are eligible to apply for the CCS in Conservation Fellowship, offered annually by the UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science.

If you have any questions, please contact Ryan Meyer, rmmeyer@ucdavis.edu,  or Todd Harwell, taharwell@ucdavis.edu.

Download the 2023 course flier

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