Join Engineers & Scientists Acting Locally and Until Justice Data Partners to hear from panelists working to empower communities to leverage science and engineering to address local issues!
Community science efforts foster collaboration between scientists and members of the communities in which they live and work. Frequently, these efforts result from a solicitation by a scientific organization for mass data collection by non-scientists. However, an alternative approach puts communities at the center of scientific projects, allowing groups to identify local priorities and leverage research and data to address them. This model provides an outlet for voices that have been historically excluded from scientific research to shape priorities and empower themselves with scientific knowledge. It also provides an avenue for scientists and engineers to better understand the needs of the people their work impacts. The benefits of such collaborative efforts can range from increased scientific understanding of high-priority community challenges to local policy changes.