Heidi Ballard

Heidi Ballard is the Founder and Faculty Director of the Center for Community and Citizen Science. You can find more information about her past and current projects, and sign up for occasional updates at the Center’s website.

I am interested in environmental education that links communities, science, environmental action and learners of all ages. Particularly I’m interested in what and how people learn through public participation in scientific research (PPSR) as a form of informal science education.  From citizen science-type projects for conservation to participatory action research for natural resources management and environmental justice, PPSR projects can create unique opportunities for learning by participants and scientists. Understanding the outcomes and processes of these projects can contribute to better practices in environmental and science education, and better conservation and natural resource management.

Research Interests

Environmental Education; Citizen science; Participatory Action Research; In-service and preservice teacher learning; Science Education; Secondary Education; Service-learning. For more information.

Education

• Ph.D. (2004) Environmental Science, Policy and Management from University of California, Berkeley
• M.A. (1999) Teaching Biological Sciences from Miami University, Ohio
• California Single Subject Teaching Credential (1994) Science and English Literature, Stanford Teacher Education Program, Stanford University
• M.A. (1993) Education, Science Curriculum and Teacher Education, Stanford University
• B.A. (1993) Human Biology and English Literature, Stanford University

Academic Positions

University of California – Davis, Professor of Environmental Science Education, School of Education, Davis, CA.   2006-present.

Center for Community and Citizen Science, Faculty Director, School of Education, University of California – Davis, CA. 2016-present.

Oberlin College, Visiting Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies Program, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH.  2005-6.

Colorado State University, Post-Doctoral Researcher, Dept. of Forest, Watershed and Rangeland Stewardship, Fort Collins, CO. 2004-6.

Publications

Ardoin, N. M., Reid, A., Bowers, A. W., Ballard, H.L., & Monroe, M. C. 2026. Engaging people in educational processes that foster environmentally valuable outcomes: A synthesis of key findings across eight systematic reviews. People and Nature.

Gerhart, L., Ballard, H., Correia, C., Johnson, J., Meyer, R., & Winn, A. 2025. The Value of Garden-Based Participatory Environmental Science Projects in California Prisons. In Handbook on Lived Experience in the Justice System (pp. 380-392). Routledge.

Harwell, T. A., Meyer, R. M., & Ballard, H. L. 2025. How establishing a marine protected area network has shaped community and citizen science along California’s coast. Frontiers in Marine Science, 12, 1548864.

Race, A. I., Yan, S., Spurgin, C., Henson, S., Portier, E. F., & Ballard, H. L. 2025. Elementary students learning through data analysis and sharing findings: design-based research for community and citizen science in schools. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 1-21.

Jadallah, C. and H.L. Ballard. 2024. Learning and distributed expertise in community-based science. Science Education 1-18.

Miller, J.M, H.L. Ballard, A.I. Race, S. Yan, S. Henson, E.F. Portier, E.R. Schectman. Incorporating Community and Citizen Science into Elementary Schools: Key Program Design Features from Research and Practice. 2025. In Tsybulsky, D. and T. Tal (Eds.), Citizen Science Contributions to Biology and Environmental Education: Realities, Impact and Opportunities. Switzerland: Springer Nature.

Ballard, H.L., A.J. Lindell, C. Jadallah. 2024. Environmental education outcomes of Community and citizen science: A systematic review of empirical literature. Environmental Education Research, 1-34.

Herodotou, C. N. Ismail, A.I. Benavides Lahnstein, M. Aristeidou, A.N. Young, R.F. Johnson, L.M. Higgins, M. Ghadiri Khanaposhtani, L.D. Robinson, and H.L. Ballard. 2024. Young people in iNaturalist: a blended learning framework for biodiversity monitoring. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 14(2), 129-156.

Lorke, J., H.L. Ballard, L. Robinson. 2024. More complex than expected -Mapping activities and youths’ experiences at BioBlitz events to the Rosette model of Science Communication. Frontiers in Environmental Science 11:1270579.

Yan, S., A. Race, H.L. Ballard, E. Bird, S. Henson, E.F. Portier, A. Lindell, M. Ghadiri Khanaposhtani, J.M. Miller, E.R. Schectman. 2023. How Can Participating in a Forest Community and Citizen Science Program Support Elementary School Students’ Understanding of Socio-Ecological Systems? Sustainability, 15, 16832.

Jadallah, C., H.L. Ballard, A. Patterson-Williams, C. Carter-Ching, R. Meyer. 2023. “Seeing power” between young people and conservation professionals in the design of a community-based watershed monitoring initiative. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 33,(1), 1-40.

Eitzel, M.V., Meyer, R., Morley, S., Miller, I., Shafroth, P.B., Behymer, C., Jadallah, C., Parks, D., Kagley, A., Shaffer, A. and Ballard, H., 2023. Lessons learned from community and citizen science monitoring on the Elwha River restoration project. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, p.1216080.

Ballard, H.L. 2023. Community and citizen science in schools: nested inquiries, productive tensions, and the role of communities. Instructional Science: 1-7.

Ballard, H. L., Calabrese Barton, A., & Upadhyay, B. 2023. Community‐driven science and science education: Living in and navigating the edges of equity, justice, and science learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 60 (8): 1613-1626.

Dixon, C.G., E.M. Harris, and H.L. Ballard. 2023. Identities in Action: Opportunities and Risks of Identity Work in Community & Citizen Science, in H.T. Holmegaard and L. Archer (Eds.) Science Identities – Theory, method and research. Switzerland: Springer Nature.

Phillips, T.B. and H.L. Ballard. 2023. Informal Learning through Citizen Science: Authentic, Meaningful, Impactful, In J. Diamond and S. Rosenfeld (eds) Amplifying Informal Science Learning. New York, NY: Routledge.

Bird, E.B., H.L. Ballard, and M. Hart. 2023. Data to decision-making? How elementary students use their Community and Citizen Science project to reimagine their school campus.  Instructional Science 51(5), 763-791.

Ghadiri Khanaposhtani, M., H.L. Ballard, J. Lorke, A.E. Miller , S. Pratt-Taweh, J. Jennewein, L. D. Robinson, L. Higgins, R. F. Johnson, A. N. Young, G. B. Pauly and A. I. Benavides Lahnstein. 2022. Examining youth participation in ongoing community and citizen science programs in 3 different out-of-school settings. Environmental Education Research. 1-25

Wardlaw, J., A.I. Benevides-Lahnstein, L. Robinson, J. Lorke, S. Pratt, M. Ghadiri Khanaposhtani, H.L. Ballard, V. Burton. 2022. Impacts of re-framing a marine citizen science programme and shifting to virtual delivery on young people’s environmental science learning: A case study of the Big Seaweed Search. Connected Science Learning.

Herodotou, C., N. Ismail, M. Aristeidou, G. Miller, A.I. Benavides Lahnstein, M. Ghadiri Khanaposhtani, L. Robinson, H. L. Ballard. 2022. Online Community and Citizen Science supports environmental science learning by young people. Computers & Education.

Drill, S., Rosenblatt, C., Cooper, C., Cavalier, D., & H.L. Ballard. (2022). The Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associated Restrictions on Participation in Community and Citizen Science. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 7(1).

Jadallah, C.C. and H.L. Ballard. 2021. Social learning in participatory approaches to conservation and natural resource management: Taking a sociocultural perspective. Ecology and Society.

Hardie Hale, E., C.C. Jadallah and H.L. Ballard. 2021. Collaborative research as boundary work: learning between rice growers and conservation professionals to support habitat conservation on private lands. Agriculture and Human Values.

Aristeidou, M., Herodotou, C., Ballard, H. L., Higgins, L., Johnson, R. F., Miller, A. E., … & Robinson, L. D. 2021. How Do Young Community and Citizen Science Volunteers Support Scientific Research on Biodiversity? The Case of iNaturalist. Diversity, 13(7), 318.

Ballard, H.L., A. Calabrese Barton, and B. Upadhyay. 2021. Editorial, Call for Papers Special Issue, Community-Driven Science: Evidence of and implications for equity, justice, science learning, and participation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 58(5): 621-624.

Lorke, J., H.L. Ballard, A.E. Miller, S. Pratt-Taweh, J. Jennewein, A. Young, L. Higgins, R. Johnson, L. Robinson. 2021. Step by step towards citizen science – Deconstructing youth participation in BioBlitzes. Journal of Science Communication, 20(4).

Harris, E.M. and H.L. Ballard. 2021. Examining student environmental science agency across school science contexts. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 58(6): 906-934.

Stephens, A. and H.L. Ballard. In Press. Chapter 5. Developing environmental action competence in an urban high school agriculture and environmental program. In Esters, L.T., Patchen, A., DeCoito, I., Knobloch, N. (Eds.), Research Approaches in Urban Agriculture and Community Contexts.

Ballard, H.L., A. Calabrese-Barton, and B. Upadhyay. In press. Editorial, Call for Papers Special Issue, Community-Driven Science: Evidence of and implications for equity, justice, science learning, and participation. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 1-4.

Lorke, J., H.L. Ballard, A.E. Miller, S. Pratt-Taweh, J. Jennewein, A. Young, L. Higgins, R. Johnson, L. Robinson. In press.  Step by step towards citizen science – Deconstructing youth participation in BioBlitzes. Journal of Science Communication.

Harris, E.M. and H.L. Ballard. In press. Examining student environmental science agency across school science contexts. Journal of Research in Science Teaching.

Aristeidou, M., C. Herodotou, H. L. Ballard, A.N. Young, A.E. Miller, L. Higgins, R. F. Johnson. 2021. Exploring the participation of young citizen scientists in scientific research: The case of iNaturalist. PLos ONE, 16 (1), e0245682.

Bruckermann, T. Lorke, J., Rafolt, S., Scheuch, M., Aristeidou, M., Ballard, H., Bardy-Durchhalter, M., Carli, E., Herondotou, C., Kelemen-Finan, J., Robinson, L., Swanson, R., Winter, S., & Kapelari, S. (2020). Learning opportunities and outcomes in citizen science: A heuristic model for design and evaluation. In O. Levrini & G. Tasquier (Eds.) Electronic Proceedings of the European Science Education Research Association (ESERA) 2019 Conference, (pp. 889-898). University of Bologna.

Bird, E.B., P. Harte and H.L. Ballard. 2020. Birds near and far: Students investigate local environmental phenomena on campus and at a local pond. Science and Children, Sept./Oct. 2020, p. 48-54.

Ballard, H.L. and E.M. Harris. 2020. Training. In C. Lepczyk, T. Vargo and O. Wilson (Eds), Handbook of Citizen Science in Ecology and Conservation. Berkeley, CA, USA: University of California Press.

Herodotou, C., M. Aristeidou, G. Miller, H.Ballard and L. Robinson. 2020. What do we know about young volunteers?: An exploratory study of participation in Zooniverse. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 5 (1): 2, pp. 1-14.

Harris, E.M., C.G.H. Dixon, E.B. Bird and H.L. Ballard. 2019. For science and self: Youth interactions with data in community and citizen science. Journal of the Learning Sciences.

Phillips, T.B., H.L. Ballard, B.V. Lewenstein and R. Bonney. 2019. Engagement in science through citizen science: Moving beyond data collection. Science Education, 103:665–690.

Harris, E.M. and H.L. Ballard. 2018. Science in the palm of your hand: A framework for designing and facilitating citizen science in the classroom. Science and Children, April 2018.

Ballard, H.L., T.B. Phillips and L. Robinson. 2018. Conservation outcomes for citizen science. In A. Bonn, M. Haklay, S. Hecker, A. Bowser, Z. Makuch & J. Vogel (Eds), Citizen Science: Innovations for Science and Society. London, UK: University College London Press.

Funded Research

Lead PI, NSF-funded grant in Discovery Research in K-12 Learning program, “Collaborative Research: Designing for science learning in schools by leveraging participation and the power of place through community and citizen science”, (DRL#1908915, 8/1/2019-7/31/2023, 1,134,331 at UCD; 2,515,862 total).

Lead PI, international NSF/Wellcome Trust funded grant in Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, “Science Learning +: Youth learning in Public Partcipationin Scientific Research opportunities (crowdsourcing and citizen science) facilitated by natural history museums”, (DRL-1647276, 4/1/2017-3/31/2022, $1,371,404 in US, $2,222,750 total US and UK).

PI, sub-award from Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) from Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. “Community science for science learning for civic engagement”, (2016-2018, $160,000, $375,000 Total).

Co-PI, “Developing a Comprehensive Community Engagement Evaluation Framework”, Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Lead PI Public Lab) from Rita Allen Foundation (2015-2018, $79,200).

PI, “Exploring Engagement and Science Identity through Participation: A Meta-Analysis of Citizen Science Projects”, National Science Foundation, Advancing Informal STEM Learning Program (2013-2018, $995,000 total collaborative research project with Rick Bonney (Lead PI) Cornell Univ.).

Scaling up cost-efficient community engagement in coastal resource management (Co-PI), Tri-State Sea Grant (Dr. Julia Parrish Lead PI, University of Washington) (2014-2017, $250,000).

PI, Youth Community and Citizen Science – Public Participation in Scientific Research as a Tool to Promote Science Learning, Environmental Stewardship and Civic Engagement for Youth: A Proposal for Research on Practices, Tools and Outcomes, Stephen D. Bechtel Foundation (2014-2017, $800,000).

Co-PI, “Increasing the Capacity of Smallholder Farmers to Produce and Market Vegetable Crops in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Horticulture Collaborative Research Support Program. (2011-2014, $437,000)

Lead PI, “Citizen Science in the California Naturalist Program: Building the Nexus Between Learning and Action”, National Science Foundation, Informal Science Education Program (2011-2013, $249,972).

Environmental learning, mitigation strategies, and lion conservation in Tanzania (PI), Collaborative Interdisciplinary Research Grant, University of California, Davis. (2010-2012, $24,500)

Honors and Awards

• University of California, Davis Chancellor’s Fellow, 2015-2020.  ($25,000).
• University of California, Davis Hellman Fellow, 2010. $20,440. Social learning in contested fields: Collaborative research and action among rice growers and migratory bird conservationists.

Courses Taught at UC Davis

• Introduction to Environmental Education (upper division undergraduate, annually)
• Science Communication and Education (upper division undergraduate)
• Inquiry into Classroom Teaching (multi-course sequence) (MA/Credential, secondary science and elementary)
• Participatory Action Research Methods (graduate methods, annually)
• Science Literacy and Science Education Reform (graduate seminar)
• Science, Agriculture and Mathematics Education Research Seminar (graduate seminar)
• Environmental Education Research Seminar (graduate seminar)
• Ecology Seminar on Citizen Science (graduate seminar)

Graduate Student Researchers

Chris Jadallah
Amanda Lindell
Connor Rosenblatt
Emily Harris
Colin Dixon
Karen Bush
Jennifer Metes
Sinead Brien

Professional Experience

K-12 Teaching Experience

• 1995-1998 Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Also, California.  9-12th Grade Biology, Global Science, Physics, Applied Biology
• 1993-1995 John F. Kennedy Middle School, Redwood City, California. 7th Grade Life Sciences

Curriculum and Teacher Professional Development

• 1992-1993 Curriculum Developer, Stanford Project for International and Cross-Cultural Education
• 1993-1996 Curriculum Developer, Human Biology Middle Grades Life Sciences Curriculum Project, designed and wrote activities, and conducted teacher professional development for Evolution, Ecology, Human Sexuality and Reproduction curriculum units.
• 2000-2001 Science Consultant, Prentice Hall – Pearson Education, Conducted science textbook presentations and inservice workshops for middle and high school teachers throughout California.

Recent Scholarly Services

• Editorial Board, Citizen Science: Theory and Practice
• Editorial Board, BioScience
• Reviewer, Science Education
• Reviewer, Journal of Science Communication
• Reviewer, Environmental Education Research
• Reviewer, Biological Conservation
• Review Panels for National Science Foundation
• Advisory Board member of over 10 European Union-funded and National Science Foundation-funded projects
• Co-Editor in Chief, 2016 Inaugeral Issue, Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, Journal of the international Citizen Science Association.
• Governance Council, 2010-2015, Center for Collaborative Research for an Equitable California, University of California-wide Multi-Campus Research Unit

Professional Associations

• National Association for Research in Science Teaching
• American Educational Research Association
• Citizen Science Association
• North American Association for Environmental Education
• Society for Conservation Biology
• Ecological Society of America