The Center for Community and Citizen Science is partnering with Public Lab to see what we can learn about a global community of individuals bridging science learning, civic engagement, and environmental advocacy.
Our specific projects (read more on these below) all contribute to a broader set of questions about the institutional landscape of citizen science, community science, and the communities contributing to open science and technology solutions to environmental problems. In that sense, our partnership is an exploration of the roles that different organizations can play in advancing research, best practices, and values such as empowerment, democratization, equity, and justice.
Read posts below to learn more about our past and current projects.
About Public Lab
The Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) is a unique community, anchored by a nonprofit organization, building a model of community science that encourages civic participation. With 5,500 participants and 20 chapters around the world co-developing tools and collecting valid scientific data individually and in organized groups, Public Lab is a fully realized “community of practice” made of experts and novices working together online and in-person as citizens with purposeful engagement in the scientific enterprise to redress specific challenges.
The Center for Community and Citizen Science and Public Lab have
received funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to
explore a shared interest in discovering what effect
participating in community science has on civic engagement. The
research team – Shannon Dosemagen, Liz Barry, Gretchen Gehrke
from Public Lab, and Dr.
A strong evaluation program is key to the long term growth and
success of every nonprofit organization, but is especially
important for Public Lab because they focus not just on breadth
of engagement, but also depth of engagement, and ownership of
results. This requires a more nuanced understanding of who is
participating, how, and why.
About Public Lab
