We offer trainings for educators, and are developing programs for scientists, practitioners and others interested in community and citizen science. See below for more information, and to learn about upcoming opportunities.
CCS Collabinar
Through the CCS Collabinar, we collaborate with others on exciting challenges and opportunities in community and citizen science. This informal, occasional series invites researchers and practitioners to present their work, engage with each other, and get feedback. Our guests will give brief presentations on their work, but the focus of the Collabinar is on working through challenges and design opportunities, while exploring mutual learning and potential collaboration.
To stay informed about upcoming Collabinars, sign up here.
Educator Workshops
Our workshops for in-school and out-of-school educators are grounded in research on what works in youth-focused community and citizen science. Participants learn about key practices for youth and educators, which can be applied in a wide range of existing citizen and community science projects, or in the development of new ones. They do hands-on citizen science work, and connect with Next Generation Science Standards.
We currently offer two programs: a half-day workshop, and 3-day (12-hour) institute, and are very open to collaborations that allow us to pilot additional training and support models.
Building Career Pathways and Networks for Underrepresented STEM Students
Tuesday, June 11th
From 1:00pm-3:00pm PST
At this Collabinar, we will be hearing from Melissa B. Wilson, who will share her experiences working in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Our discussion will focus on ways to engage underrepresented students in STEM careers.
Our CCS Collabinar Series featured another great presentation—
CALeDNA, Next Steps:
Creating a scalable roadmap for how a community science program involved in cutting edge research can build a strong feedback loop.
Friday, May 24th
from 11:00am-1:00pm PST
Launched in 2017, CALeDNA is a University of California community science program that uses environmental DNA to monitor California’s biodiversity. Creating an open data platform aimed at the public and researchers alike was a first step in engaging both parties in this research. Analyses thus far have demonstrated the effectiveness of marine protected areas, the relationship between fire and plant biodiversity, and the spread of invasive species. They have also shown which questions are well-suited to eDNA methods and which are not. CALeDNA wants to empower their broad community with genetics literacy and the ability to use eDNA for innovation and problem solving.
We have enjoyed continuing our Collabinar series this spring! On Friday, May 17th we had the fascinating opportunity to learn more about—
Sci Starter Education: a new, pilot, Ed-Tech platform to integrate facilitator-led citizen science in schools through district- and school-wide approaches
Many may have heard of SciStarter, which helps people find, join, and contribute to citizen science through its database of thousands of citizen science projects taking place all over the world. In this event, we learned about a new SciStarter initiative that points to possibilities for scaled up integration of citizen science in the classroom.
The Center hosted another CCS Collabinar event from 9:00-11:00 AM on Wednesday, December 5th. The presentation focused on place-based citizen science in Lake Tahoe, and integrating multiple projects in a single framework.
The Center hosted another CCS Collabinar event on Wednesday, November 7th, from 9:00-11:00am— with Dr. Palesa Mothapo!
Dr. Palesa Mothapo is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Stellenbosch University, South Africa and a current Mandela Washington Fellow who researches the impacts of invasive species on natural and human environments. She presented her work, ”Tshotshi101, Ants in my Backyard: A case study of citizen science for biodiversity education in South Africa,” then we workshopped some of her questions about using citizen science to monitor invasive species distribution, abundance, and notable impacts.
Our first CCS Collabinar was held on Wednesday, October 24, 9-10am. Caren Souza and Nayara Hachich presented their work on two new citizen science initiatives in Brazil, one in Conde and another in Mucugê, which will engage participants, including youth, in biodiversity science. The interdisciplinary team gave us an overview of the project, and then we worked together on a variety questions related to motivations, learning, and science and biodiversity.
We are still glowing from the last 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!
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.
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.
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.
If you’re attending the California Science Teachers Association meeting in Sacramento this weekend, we’d love to see you at our Saturday afternoon workshop, led by our wonderful colleagues Erin Bird, and Peggy Harte:
In February, we teamed up with Pepperwood Preserve and Sonoma County K-5th grade educators to run a workshop on how to facilitate community and citizen science in the classroom. Activities included observational sketching, a mini bioblitz, and sharing the YCCS Environmental Science Agency framework. Educators left eager and equip to try out new projects in creative ways with their students.
