Abbreviation | CSA |
---|---|
Formation | 2013 |
Type | 501c3 |
Registration no. | 81-2763794 |
Legal status | Charitable Organization |
Fields | Citizen Science |
Interim Executive Director | Dr. Jennifer Shirk |
Shannon Dosemagen (Chair), Alison Young (Vice Chair), Michael Pocock (Secretary), Anne Bowser (Treasurer), Alison Parker, Angel Hjarding, Tina Phillips, Julie Vastine, Caren Cooper, Greg Newman, Lea Shanley, Cat Stylinski, Sarah Kirn, Na'Taki Osborne Jelks | |
Affiliations | Schoodic Institute - host organisation, European Citizen Science Association, Australian Citizen Science Association |
Website | citizenscience |
The Citizen Science Association (CSA) (now renamed as the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences) is a United States member-based professional organization for practitioners and researchers of citizen science, where scientific research is conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur or nonprofessional scientists. The Association aims to expand the reach, relevance, and impact of science and research in the United States and internationally. The CSA was founded in 2013 [1] in the United States and was recognized as a charitable organization with a 501c3 designated status in June 2017. [2]
The concept for the Citizen Science Association originated at the Public Participation for Scientific Research Conference in 2012 held in conjunction with the Ecological Society of America conference in Portland, Oregon. Through a series of NSF grants (DRL-0610363, DRL-1020909, and DRL-0813135) the network of citizen science projects and professionals was further developed and the Citizen Science Association formation as an official organization developed along with a website. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology hosted the beginning of the Association web content and the Schoodic Institute helped launch the organization and is a continuing fiscal sponsor the CSA. [3]
The CSA was renamed as the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences in April 2024. [4]
Activities of the association include conferences, collaborations, an academic journal and various working groups.
The association holds a professional focused conference series every two years for the practitioner and research community to discuss the best practices in citizen science titled the Citizen Science Association Conference or CitSciXXXX where XXXX would be replaced by the year. For example, CitSci2019 was held March 13–19, 2019. [5] [6] The association has a board of directors elected by the members and a collection of professional working groups establishing standards, identifying best practices, focusing research, building technology, and exploring the ethics of Citizen Science.
The Citizen Science Association has a memorandum of understanding with other Citizen Science Associations for collaboration and coordination. These other organizations include the European Citizen Science Association, the Australian Citizen Science Association, and the forming communities and associations in Asia (CitizenScience.Asia) and Africa. The United Nations officially recognised the Citizen Science Association and is working with the Citizen Science Global Partnership on how citizen science can best be applied to help tackle the Sustainable Development Goals.
The association has an open source peer-reviewed journal called Citizen Science: Theory and Practice published by Ubiquity Press on behalf of the association. The journal provides a venue for citizen science researchers and practitioners to share best practices in conceiving, developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining projects that facilitate public participation in scientific endeavors in any discipline. The journal includes reports on research, reviews and synthesis, case studies, essays, methods, and meeting reports. [7] It is published online throughout the year along with special article collections.
The working groups as with many professional organizations focus on priority areas of the science and practice of citizen science. As of February 2020 the following nine working groups have formed. [8]
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how individuals relate to each other and to their environments.
Action research is a philosophy and methodology of research generally applied in the social sciences. It seeks transformative change through the simultaneous process of taking action and doing research, which are linked together by critical reflection. Kurt Lewin, then a professor at MIT, first coined the term "action research" in 1944. In his 1946 paper "Action Research and Minority Problems" he described action research as "a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action" that uses "a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action and fact-finding about the result of the action".
Citizen participation or public participation in social science refers to different mechanisms for the public to express opinions—and ideally exert influence—regarding political, economic, management or other social decisions. Participatory decision-making can take place along any realm of human social activity, including economic, political, management, cultural or familial.
The United Nations defines community development as "a process where community members come together to take collective action and generate solutions to common problems." It is a broad concept, applied to the practices of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens, and professionals to improve various aspects of communities, typically aiming to build stronger and more resilient local communities.
The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting behavior analysis. The organization has over 9,000 members. The group organizes conferences and publishes journals on the topic of applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABAI has issued detailed, specific position papers intended to guide practitioners of ABA. The ABAI publishes six scholarly journals including The Psychological Record and their primary organ, Perspectives on Behavior Science, formerly The Behavior Analyst. They also publish an informational journal, Education and Treatment of Children, describing practical treatment of children with behavioral problems.
Citizen science is research conducted with participation from the general public, or amateur/nonprofessional researchers or participants for science, social science and many other disciplines. There are variations in the exact definition of citizen science, with different individuals and organizations having their own specific interpretations of what citizen science encompasses. Citizen science is used in a wide range of areas of study including ecology, biology and conservation, health and medical research, astronomy, media and communications and information science.
Participatory action research (PAR) is an approach to action research emphasizing participation and action by members of communities affected by that research. It seeks to understand the world by trying to change it, collaboratively and following reflection. PAR emphasizes collective inquiry and experimentation grounded in experience and social history. Within a PAR process, "communities of inquiry and action evolve and address questions and issues that are significant for those who participate as co-researchers". PAR contrasts with mainstream research methods, which emphasize controlled experimentation, statistical analysis, and reproducibility of findings.
The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), is the largest soil-specific society in the United States. It was formed in 1936 from the merger of the Soils Section of the American Society of Agronomy and the American Soil Survey Association. The Soils Section of ASA became the official Americas section of the International Union of Soil Sciences in 1934, a notable role which SSSA continues to fulfill.
The scientist–practitioner model, also called the Boulder Model, is a training model for graduate programs that provide applied psychologists with a foundation in research and scientific practice. It was initially developed to guide clinical psychology graduate programs accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Public participation, also known as citizen participation or patient and public involvement, is the inclusion of the public in the activities of any organization or project. Public participation is similar to but more inclusive than stakeholder engagement.
The Society for Conservation Biology (SCB) is an 501(c)(3) non-profit international professional organization that is dedicated to conserving biodiversity. There are over 4,000 members worldwide, including students and those in related non-academic sectors.There are 35 chapters throughout the world.
The International Federation for Systems Research(IFSR) is an international federation for global and local societies in the field of systems science. This federation is a non-profit, scientific and educational agency founded in 1980, and constituted of some thirty member organizations around the globe..
Participatory planning is an urban planning paradigm that emphasizes involving the entire community in the community planning process. Participatory planning emerged in response to the centralized and rationalistic approaches that defined early urban planning work.
The American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is the world’s premier professional society for horticultural science. Founded in 1903, the mission of ASHS is to promote and encourage national and international interest in scientific research and education in horticulture in all its branches. The more than 4800 ASHS members in all 50 states and 60 countries around the world fulfill this mission by sharing the results of their research, teaching, extension, and community engagement activities with their colleagues and humankind the world over.
The concept of team science is a field of scientific philosophy and methodology which advocates using cross-disciplinary collaboration from diverse scientific fields to solve present-day to day problems. The field encompasses conceptual and methodological strategies aimed at understanding and enhancing the processes and outcomes of collaborative, team-based research by pooling resources from different countries, labs and groups to solve problems.
The Operational Research Society, also known as The OR Society, is an international learned society in the field of operational research.The OR Society is a leading professional body for operational research (OR) practitioners and academics. Based in the United Kingdom, the society promotes the understanding and use of operational research in addressing real-world problems across various sectors, including industry, government, and academia.
Peter Beresford OBE, FAcSS, FRSA is a British academic, writer, researcher and activist best known for his work in the field of citizen participation and user involvement, areas of study he helped to create and develop. He is currently visiting professor and senior research fellow in the School of Health & Social Sciences at the University of East Anglia, emeritus professor of citizen participation at the University of Essex and emeritus professor of social policy at Brunel University London. Much of his work has centred on including the viewpoints, lived experience and knowledge of disabled people, mental health and other long term service users in public policy, practice and learning, and working for a more participatory politics.
The European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) is a membership and networking organization for practitioners and researchers of citizen science in Europe. ECSA was founded in 2014 in Germany and is registered as a charitable and member-based professional organization.
The International Society of Exposure Science (ISES), is a non-profit organization established in 1990 by a group of scientists and engineers, including Paul Lioy. The formation of this society was at least partially in response to a National Research Committee (NRC) on Exposure Assessment that held a series of meetings and workshops beginning in 1987 that formed the foundation of exposure science and defined basic principles. The expertise of members in ISES is interdisciplinary and draws upon a broad array of disciplines, including: exposure assessment; biochemistry; risk assessment; bioinformatics; physiology; toxicology; epidemiology; ecology; environmental chemistry; and environmental engineering. The Society’s membership is professionally diverse and includes academic, governmental, and private sector scientists, as well as policy makers who have a common interest in exposure science. ISES has operated with a President, President-elect, Treasurer, and Secretary as well as Councilors. Councilors are elected from the membership and are allocated from the various professional categories that represent Society membership. The first set of Bylaws was approved by the membership in 1991.
A nurse scientist is a registered nurse with advanced education and expertise in nursing research. These professionals play a critical role in advancing nursing knowledge, improving patient care, and shaping the future of the nursing profession. Highly educated and specialized, nurse scientists conduct research to generate new knowledge about nursing care, employing a deep understanding of nursing theory, research methodologies, and clinical practice. Nurse scientists are essential contributors to the development of new nursing interventions and practices. Their skills extend beyond academic settings and these advanced nurses work in hospitals, research institutes, and community organizations. Through their efforts, nurse scientists have a profound impact on the quality of healthcare, contributing significantly to the improvement of patient care and the overall advancement of the nursing profession. They possess advanced qualifications, typically holding a Ph.D. in nursing or a related field, demonstrating expertise not only in research principles and methodology but also in-depth content knowledge within a specific clinical area. The primary focus of the role is to provide leadership in the development, coordination and management of clinical research studies; provide mentorship for nurses in research; lead evaluation activities that improve outcomes for patients participating in research studies; contribute to the overall health sciences literature. Nurse scientists have been regarded as knowledge brokers. They participate in nursing research.
... According to Jennifer Shirk of the Citizen Science Association, a group founded in 2013,...
June, 2017
... The Schoodic Institute helped launch the Citizen Science Association and its inaugural Citizen Science 2015 in San Jose, Calif., Feb. 11-12 with 650 participants from 23 countries. ...
Bring your ideas and your questions to CitSci2019, and be a part of our growing family tree!
...CitSci 2019, the biennial conference held by the Citizen Science Association. This year the event was held March 13–17 in Raleigh, North Carolina. ...