Center for Community & Citizen Science Blog
Sharing Community & Citizen Science with Local Educators
Submitted by jmmetes on Mon, 04/24/2017 – 10:44pm
A morning of Teen Nat – Conservation Science, but so much more
By Sandi Funke, Education Director, Pepperwood Preserve
New Book Chapter in Citizen Science: Innovation in Open Science, Society and Policy
Our Faculty director, Heidi Ballard, has co-authored a chapter “Conservation outcomes of citizen science” with Tina Phillips and Lucy Robinson in ”
2 year Anniversary of the Knights Landing Environmental Health Project
By Skye Kelty and Alfonso Aranda
Skye Kelty and Alfonso Aranda are graduate students at UC Davis, and Campus Affiliates of the Center for Community and Citizen Science. In this post they describe their multi-year collaboration with community members in Knights Landing, a wonderful example of student-led community science that has crossed many disciplinary and institutional boundaries.
Where To Find Us – NAAEE 2018
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) will be holding the 47th NAAEE Annual Conference October 9th-13th in Spokane, Washington and we are going to be there so keep an eye out for us!
The NAAEE is dedicated to strengthening environmental education and increasing the efficiency of the profession, while working alongside a diverse group of educators. They strive to accelerate environmental literacy and civic engagement amongst all ages through environmental education.
3-Day Institute prepares educators for real science in the garden with students.
We are still glowing from our three days of shared learning, planning, and camaraderie with local partners, teachers, after-school educators, school garden coordinators. With thanks to our partner, Yolo Farm to Fork, who developed the article below, we offer some initial insights from this workshop, with more to come in the near future!
Welcome Chris Jadallah
We’re excited to welcome Chris
Jadallah to the the Center for Community and Citizen Science this
fall. Chris is a NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the UC Davis
School of Education, and will be pursuing a PhD in Science and
Agricultural Education. He recently completed his B.S. in
Conservation and Resource Studies at UC Berkeley, where he also
worked as a researcher and project manager studying native bee
conservation. He is interested in exploring the linkages between
environmental education, conservation biology, environmental
studies, and social justice with the ultimate goal of supporting
healthy and empowered communities. Welcome, Chris!
Reflecting on our Woolman Center workshop
Named after a mythical land from a novela when the Spanish first arrived, California was said to be paradise on Earth. However, times have changed since the Spanish first laid their eyes on the place we now call home. Social activists have spoken openly about the disasters of environmental change and many, from the top of California’s government to grassroots organizations are beginning to create much more systematic and widespread awareness and change with initiatives.
Remodeling Science:
An Opportunity for UC Davis
Rajul (Raj) Pandya, is the
founding director of the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving
Earth Exchange (TEX). On Monday, May 7th, at the Shrem
Museum, Pandya will deliver a keynote address to kick off a day
of learning, discussion, and networking activities with faculty
members, researchers, and other partners, sponsored by the
UC Davis Office of Research.
New Paper: A Framework for Teachers to Design and Facilitate Citizen Science Activities
A new paper by
recently graduated Emily Harris and the Center’s Faculty
Director, Heidi Ballard, provides a framework for educators to
design and implement citizen science projects in the classroom to
facilitate meaningful student learning. This publication adds an
important component to our suite of materials aimed at
helping educators use Youth-focused Community and Citizen Science
in their work.
May 7 at the Shrem Museum
Interdisciplinary Research Catalyst: Conversations in Community and Citizen Science
UPDATE: The full agenda is now available. RSVP now to reserve a spot!
Gwen Ottinger visits for 2 events on April 4
We are pleased to be hosting Gwen Ottinger at the School of Education on April 3rd & 4th. Ottinger is an Associate Professor in the Department of Politics and the Center for Science, Technology, and Society at Drexel University, where she directs the Fair Tech Collective, a research group dedicated to using social science theory and methods to inform the development of technology that fosters environmental justice.
Youth-focused Community and Citizen Science
This blog post, authored by Ryan Meyer, Heidi Ballard, and Lila Higgins, originally appeared on the Blue Sky Funders Forum blog.
When do experiences with science lead young people to create change in their lives, landscapes, and communities? Consider this reflection from Rachel Anne Arias, a 12-year-old living in La Crescenta in Southern California:
What works in YCCS?
We asked our partners – expert researchers and practitioners — what it looks like when youth participate in community and citizen science. The resulting video speaks to the tremendous potential of youth-focused community and citizen science (YCCS) in the classroom, in the field, in a science museum, or anywhere in between.
New Book: Citizen Science for Coastal and Marine Conservation
Co-edited by Dr. John Cigliano and
our Faculty Director, Heidi Ballard, this new volume provides a
broad range of case studies exploring the utility and
feasibility, as well as limitations, of using marine and coastal
citizen science for conservation to leverage these resources and
address these tensions.
New Paper: Investigating Soil Knowledge in Uganda
Center researchers collaborated with
colleagues on a
new paper that points to the importance of engaging directly
with existing knowledge when attempting to bring new knowledge
and practices into farming communities. Working in Uganda, the
researchers examined similarities and differences between
smallholder farmers’ knowledge about soil health and scientific
concepts. In cases of dissimilarity, they find that new concepts
are unlikely to be assimilated without concerted effort and they
recommend hands-on experimentation with novel practices as a
means of building confidence with improved soil management
practices. Our Faculty Director, Heidi Ballard, and former
student researcher, Emily Harris, collaborated with UC Davis
colleagues Lauren Pincus (Plant Sciences), and Kate Scow (Land,
Air and Water Resources) on this research.
