Chartered Groups

AAPS Conferences rely on the input from a group of volunteer planning committee members that reflects the diversity of the field. Like much of this field, our conference is supported by volunteer committee members who shape both the vision and design of our events as well as hands-on support with logistics. The Conference Planning Committee meets monthly to discuss event themes, structures, and opportunities for innovations in how we conference. 

Notable projects include pivoting to a virtual event in 2020, establishing structures to efficiently plan and implement virtual and in-person events, and making diversity, equity and inclusion a central focus of our conference events.

*Charter pending approval

The purpose of this group is to support, advance, and facilitate data interoperability among and between citizen science projects, and other data repositories; and, to promote collaboration in citizen science via the development and/or improvement of international standards for data and metadata.

Notable projects include establishing global, transdisciplinary data and metadata standards for use in  Public Participation in Scientific Research (Citizen Science) projects called PPSR Core, building and maintaining a Data Quality Resource Compendium for Citizen and Community Science, and hosting useful workshops at AAPS conferences.

The goal of this group is to create, sustain, and advance norms of data ethics in participatory science. This group seeks to actively support the understanding and use of the Data Ethics Toolkit by providing a space for conversations and questions about the toolkit and beyond. They will regularly host asynchronous conversations about data ethics and invite group members to reflect on the ethics of their own practices.

This group (new in 2023) emerged from a NSF funded Grant “Establishing Norms of Data Ethics in Citizen Science,” No. [1835352], that resulted in the Data Ethics for the Participatory Sciences Toolkit. The seed for this project was planted in the Ethics Working Group (active 2015-2021). The toolkit was co-created with input form over 150 individuals, including many members of AAPS working groups and beyond.

The purpose of this group is to facilitate and investigate effective integration of scientific and educational goals, practices, and outcomes in citizen science with a focus on enhancing accessibility, equity and inclusion.

Notable projects include a five part webinar series on using Citizen Science in Higher Education, a thoughtful post with 10 prompts to reflect on learning, and organizing successful sessions at AAPS conferences.

Fostering discourse and develops resources to support integrity, responsibility, and ethics in the conduct of c*science research and practice. This group currently hosts a discussion forum on AAPS Connect.

This group hosted webinars, authored blog posts, planned conference sessions, and curated a resource guide (available here) as an active working group. Group members also helped curate a Special Collection on Ethical Issues in Citizen Science in the journal Citizen Science: Theory and Practice.  Conversations started in this group inspired a grant proposal for the Building Trustworthy Data Practices Initiative that resulted in the Data Ethics Toolkit for Participatory Sciences.

*Charter pending

Environmental Justice Practitioners Working Group (EJPWG) leaders have helped to mobilize AAPS to address the science-to-action gap in research, especially as it relates to equity in science and in community partnerships. The leadership of the EJPWG has provided an invaluable service to both AAPS and the field of citizen science as a whole by working twice monthly with AAPS board and staff for open, honest, and transparent conversations to confront and advance  the state of the field. 

This 2022 Letter of commitment to the Environmental Justice Community from CSA Leadership outlines a set of organizational commitments to stand up for integrity in science inspired by conversations with and documents drafted by leaders of this group.

Notable achievements of this group include being awarded the 2023 Rick Bonney Award for Leadership.

The JEDI Working Group is a hub for collaborative action within the Association and the broader field of C*Science. This Group advances JEDI in C*science research and practice through collaborations within AAPS and beyond by creating safe spaces for participation, engagement, and expect ethical and inclusive conduct of science by all. 

Notable projects include leading an effort to harmonize broad contributions by AAPS members to define Fundamental Values, Process Principles, and Relationship Outcomes for community-driven partnerships, helping shape the Community Guidelines for AAPS, and being available to review AAPS programs and policies with an equity lens.

This Group provides collaborative opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback on evaluation tools, research in progress, IRB policies, and other human subjects protection issues. They facilitate the sharing of evaluation findings and provide access to outcomes of citizen science that can be communicated to broader audiences. Additionally, the group seeks to understand the status of research in the field and determine gaps to suggest a robust research agenda, which advances the development, implementation, and evaluation of citizen science. 

Notable projects include leading successful evaluation workshops at AAPS conferences, curating a resource guide of relevant literature, and hosting discussion events with AAPS members. This group also helped formalize a process for distributing surveys on behalf of individuals researching the field. 

The purpose of this group is to create a place where students and early career professionals working in the participatory sciences can have access to tools, resources, feedback, and networks that they may not be able to receive from their local professional community Students in this field often do work that is unique to the other research happening in their more local communities of practice (departments, programs, universities, etc.) Similarly, early career professionals in the field may be struggling to find a place to apply their expertise, might feel that they are disconnected from resources on participatory sciences, or might feel that they are serving a role that is unique within the organizations or institutions within which they work.
Note: This is AAPS’s newest chartered group, established in 2024.