AAPS Blog Home - Page 3 of 35 - Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences

19 Nov 2025

Virtual Fishbowl Tips from AAPS

Uncategorizedvirtual events

We successfully adapted the fishbowl format to a fully virtual setting for our 2025 Fall Meeting and Community Conversation. Here are four strategies we used that can help you plan your next virtual fishbowl: Pre-select your first round of participants. This group received prompts in advance and had a meeting to discuss expectations and talking points. Having a group model the format helped others know how to engage. Use a virtual background to display discussion prompt and timer. This helped keep the prompt visible without a shared screen, and kept the timer front and center. We leveraged the pre-set features…

19 Nov 2025

By Reanna Putnam

Building Resilience in the Participatory Sciences: Insights from Our Community Conversation

Uncategorized

The path forward for science is rarely straightforward—especially in times of funding uncertainty. Yet, by coming together, we can uncover new ways to strengthen our work, partnerships, and resilience. Last month, AAPS hosted a dynamic community conversation on project resilience, exploring strategies to sustain vital programs during lean funding cycles. Common Challenges in a Tight Funding Landscape We shared a pre-event survey in lead up to the event that highlighted shared challenges: maintaining staff capacity, engaging communities, disseminating results, and sustaining infrastructure, equipment, and DEI efforts. Funding uncertainties have amplified these issues, forcing many to rethink how they support their…

16 Oct 2025

By J_Shirk

Introducing AAPS Membership Value Fellow: Veronica Del Bianco

Fellowshipsevaluation, member value, people

Over the past year, AAPS has begun piloting an early-career Fellowship program, one that has revealed the breadth of expertise and passion shaping this movement's future. Dr. Veronica Del Bianco, our second AAPS Fellow, has been a member of this Association since her early grad school days, and we are pleased to know that she forged significant connections via our conferences to expand her project evaluation skills. Through this Fellowship she has used those skills and insights to help better understand what AAPS members value, and inform next steps for AAPS to build on that. You may have already connected…

16 Oct 2025

By Reanna Putnam

Conversation with Platform Leaders: 4 December 2025

Uncategorized

Curious about platform features? Want to hear what’s new? No matter where you are in your project’s lifecycle and whether you are on a custom or shared platform, this conversation with platform developers will give you insights, ideas, or inspiration for your project’s next steps. In this webinar, we walk you through some key considerations for choosing the right platform and hear from the six most commonly used web platforms for data collection/classification supporting participatory science projects in North America: CitSci.org; Zooniverse; FieldScope; Anecdata; iNaturalist; and GLOBE Observer. While we spend some time on platform features and updates, we will…

16 Oct 2025

By Sadie Coffin

Four Highlights from the NASA Cit Sci Leaders Series

FellowshipsNASA Cit Sci Leaders Series, project design, stories

Over my 12 month fellowship, I had the opportunity to watch all 35 hours of event recordings on the NASA Cit Sci Leaders series. For my final post as AAPS fellow, I want to share four highlights from the series that shaped how I approach my own project, to inspire you to explore the series and see what resonates most with you and your project. Highlight 1: Equity isn’t an outcome, it’s part of project design Watch ????: Keynote, Raj Pandya Keynote: Discovery, Learning, Equity and Action: Unleashing the Power of Citizen Science Of all the great things Dr. Raj…

16 Oct 2025

By Sadie Coffin

3 Questions that Changed How I think About Volunteers/Audience

FellowshipsNASA Cit Sci Leaders Series, project design, stories

https://youtu.be/4t_hrjinR3w In my time as the NASA Cit Sci Leaders series fellow, I’ve come across advice, lessons, and tools that have already helped improve the quality of our science and my understanding of our audience. In this video, I’m sharing a review of one of the tools I’ve found most useful as a researcher and project leader: the Anticipated Volunteers Reflection Tool. This resource helps project leaders think intentionally about who they’re trying to engage, where to find them, what they need, and what motivates them. Understanding and connecting with your audience is about more than just sharing information, it’s…

15 Oct 2025

By Reanna Putnam

Call for Abstracts Policy and Decision-Making

Journalspecial collection

CITIZEN SCIENCE: THEORY AND PRACTICE Special Collection: Citizen Science for Evidence-based Policy and Decision-Making Call for Abstracts Issue editors: Muki Haklay1,2, Smriti Safaya3,4, Jay Benforado5, Peter Elias6, Marius Oesterheld7 University College London, UK Learning Planet Institute, France Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, UK CitizenScience.Asia Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences, USA University of Lagos, Nigeria Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Germany Citizen Science: Theory and Practice is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal providing a central space for cross-disciplinary, scholarly exchanges aimed at advancing the field of citizen science by providing a venue for citizen science…

01 Oct 2025

By Reanna Putnam

Support attention to a topical area of practice at CAPS 2026

Uncategorized

Partner with us! Highlight your leadership and bring new dimensions to the attendee experience. There is still time to partner to convene a topical strand to bring critical attention to priority topics throughout the week long event. If you are interested in supporting attention to a topical area of practice, contact us for options (director@citizenscience.org). We are also looking for sponsors interested in supporting translation services for the event. If you would like to help make conferencing accessible for Spanish speaking colleagues in the Global South (and elsewhere), please contact us ASAP. Past Partners Have Supported: A Biodiversity Beyond Borders special…

17 Sep 2025

By AAPS Board

AAPS Submits Amicus Brief on Community Air Monitoring in Louisiana

AAPS News, Law & Policyposition statement

Jay Benforado, Board Chair, Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences On September 5th, AAPS submitted an amicus brief (available below) to support a May 2025 lawsuit challenging a 2024 Louisiana law that restricts community air monitoring. AAPS has been tracking this legislative process, first formally commenting on it in December of 2024. The impacts of the law are significant, and the implications for the field of participatory sciences are concerning (i.e., other states enacting similar laws, future restrictions on other environmental monitoring like water quality, etc.). This has already had a chilling effect on community air monitoring in Louisiana, as large…

11 Sep 2025

By Reanna Putnam

Now accepting proposals for CAPS 2026 Sessions

ConferenceCAPS 2026

Our virtual conference highlights emerging and long-time leaders within the participatory sciences via dynamic discussions in a variety of formats. While session topics for the virtual conference have historically been identified by the Program Committee, this year we are turning to the community to tell us what conversations you most want to hear. We know that with your help, we will build a virtual conference program that is inspiring and actionable. Proposing a conference session is your opportunity to elevate the issues you care most about, build collaborations, and share your unique perspective with the broadest possible audience. Convening a session at CAPS Virtual (May…