Citizen science has emerged as a potentially transformative tool for scientists and communities to build better understanding of complex environmental issues. Professional scientists can expand the power and reach of their work and make discoveries that would otherwise have been impossible. Different parts of society—schools, museums, government agencies, local communities, and of course, scientists—are collaborating in new ways to generate questions and use scientific processes to gain knowledge about their environment.

At the Center, we research ways to broaden and improve participation in science by diverse communities. Through our projects, we investigate the ways that citizen science can effectively improve scientific learning, and develop resources and tools that researchers, managers, and others can use to build successful citizen science programs.