Blog entry June 5, 2023

C*Sci 2023 Conference Brings Inspiration for the Future of the Field

In May, affiliates of the Center for Community and Citizen Science attended the Citizen Science Association’s C*Sci 2023 conference. The conference brought together scientists, researchers, practitioners, teachers and more all interested in the field of community and citizen science (CCS).

To kick off the conference, about 40 folks joined the Center’s symposium to discuss ideas for improving data feedback loops in CCS. Two talks led discussion sessions on the Our Forests and Spinning Salmon projects. Over the week, the Center presented 7 posters describing our research and projects with students, researchers, agencies, and communities in California (and beyond!). We’re so grateful for the thoughtful questions and curiosity from colleagues about the Center’s projects and research. We’re taking home ideas for better collaboration, tools to utilize in our projects, ways to protect data, and reflections from great conversations with colleagues.

The keynote speakers brought forth compelling ideas, inspired us to try new approaches in collaboration, and caused us rethink about how we define science. A wide variety of colleagues forced us to think practically and expansively on who we work with. We thought a lot about how we define success and how that is important to framing the goals of CCS projects. The variety of presentations allowed us to see the capabilities of different tools – some new and some familiar. We can’t wait to take these all back and incorporate them into our work at the Center.

Thank you to the Citizen Science Association for an amazing conference. We’re glad to have the opportunity to highlight our work and partners. It was wonderful to connect with new and long-time colleagues in the field after years apart. We’re excited to see what the future brings.

Check out the list of symposia, talks, and posters from the Center presented at this year’s C*Sci 2023.

Symposia

Tuesday, May 23
What Happens to the Data? Investigating Data Feedback Loops

Todd Harwell, Ryan Meyer, and Heidi Ballard (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); Rebecca Johnson (California Academy of Sciences)
What do program leaders, participants, scientists, and managers understand and care about with respect to their data, and why does it matter? Building off examples of data feedback loops in California marine/coastal c*sci programs, this session opened larger conversations about our understanding of the impacts of data feedback loops across research & practice.
Find more information on the project page.

Organized talks

Wednesday, May 24
Spinning Salmon: High school students investigating salmon development alongside researchers

Peggy Harte and Roxanne Liang (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); Abigail Ward (UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences; Richard Munoz (CA Department of Fish and Wildlife); Stacey Garrett (Gear Up College Opportunity Program, UC Davis); Joshua Davis (Solano County Office of Education)
Spinning Salmon involves watershed scientists collaborating with teachers and students to monitor behavioral effects of Thiamine Deficiency Complex in an ongoing iterative program across 5 California counties.
Find more information on the project page.

Thursday, May 25
Connecting Elementary Students, Teachers, Foresters to Design Community and Citizen Science at Scale

Evan Portier, Solomon Henson, and Jeff Lauder (Sierra Streams Institute); (Sierra Streams Institute); Shulong Yan and Heidi Ballard (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science, School of Education, UC Davis)
We presented the process and outcomes of designing a forest monitoring program for 3rd-5th grade classes county-wide connecting teachers and students to stakeholders in their community in California.
Find more information on the project page.

Poster presentations

Wednesday, May 24
Stewardship through citizen science and education in the Clear Lake region, California
Sarah Angulo (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); et al.
This project will build stewardship for the oldest freshwater lake in North America by developing environmental education and citizen science that supports existing local programs and research.
Find more information on the project page.

Wednesday May 24
Spinning Salmon: High school students investigating salmon development alongside researchers
Peggy Harte (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); et al.
Spinning Salmon involves watershed scientists collaborating with teachers and students to monitor behavioral effects of Thiamine Deficiency Complex in an ongoing iterative program across 5 California counties.
Find more information on the project page.

Wednesday, May 24
Exploring Policy Impacts of California’s Marine Protected Areas on Community and Citizen Science
Todd Harwell (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); et al.
To explore the growing relationships that exist between c*sciences and policy, we highlight ways California’s Marine Life Protection Act impacted c*sci programs active within marine protected areas.
Find more information on the project page.

Wednesday, May 24
A Citizen Science Approach for Monitoring Recreation and Other Human Activities
Ryan Meyer (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); et al.
Monitoring human activities is a critical component of the conservation of natural spaces. Our literature review examines if/how volunteers are engaging in this category of citizen social science.
Find more information on the project page.

Wednesday, May 24
How can community forest science impact elementary students’ sense of place?
Jadda Miller (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); et al.
We present findings from a study of elementary students’ attachment to, identity with, and stewardship of their place as a result of participating in a year-long forest monitoring project.
Find more information on the project page.

Thursday, May 25
Using participatory data science to understand human coastal use
M.V. Eitzel (UC Davis Center for Community and Citizen Science); et al.
We describe the ways in which analysis of citizen science data requires iterative partnerships and processes to generate useful results, using the case study of MPA (Marine Protected Area) Watch.
Find more information on the project page.

Thursday, May 25
Connecting Elementary Students, Teachers, Foresters to Design Community and Citizen Science at Scale
Evan Portier (Sierra Streams Institute); et al.
We present the process and outcomes of designing a forest monitoring program for 3rd-5th grade classes county-wide connecting teachers and students to stakeholders in their community in California.
Find more information on the project page.

Symposia

Organized talks

Poster presentations

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