OSU is collaborating with Portland State University to host the annual Conference for Advancing Participatory Sciences (CAPS) from May 27-30, an event that aims to promote public engagement in the sciences through hands-on community involvement.
Participatory science, also known as citizen science or community science, is research done by volunteers who are participating for their own enjoyment rather than as part of a job or educational requirements.
“The conference is for anyone who is actively engaged in facilitating, supporting or researching participatory science programs, or anyone who is curious and hoping to learn more about how they can incorporate participatory sciences into their work,” said Heather Fischer, senior researcher with the OSU STEM Research Center and a member of the conference planning team. “This conference also serves as a major community building event.”
The conference program offers several field trips for attendees to engage in real-time participatory science. For the Oregon Bee Atlas trip with Andony Melathopoulos from OSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, attendees will practice the same process of preparing bee specimens that the program’s Master Melittologists learn to record Oregon bee species. They’ll also visit a winery.
Other field trips will focus on amphibian monitoring, bird responses to habitat restoration, American pika in the Columbia River Gorge and more. The four-day conference schedule is filled with skill-building workshops, poster exhibits, symposia, collaborative discussions, lectures and networking sessions, along with an opening reception at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and a Science for All Showcase at the World Forestry Center. Workshops and field trips have additional fees to offset the event cost.
The conference is run by the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences, previously named the Citizen Science Association. OSU is this year’s local host committee, responsible for fundraising and event organization, with Portland State partnering to provide a more convenient downtown Portland location. Some workshops will also happen at the OSU Portland Center.
Over the past few decades, Fischer said, participatory science has emerged as a major element of scientific investigations, as well as an avenue to engage the public in science.
“I hope that OSU researchers who are interested in including participatory sciences in their work will come to the conference to learn about best practices, connect with others and see the potential for both societal and academic benefits,” she said.
Worldwide, many participatory science projects focus on wildlife and the environment, recruiting volunteers to help monitor bird populations on eBird, identify plants and insects on iNaturalist, reporting weather conditions with Weather Underground’s personal weather station network, or even ringing a “fish doorbell” to help spawning fish in the Netherlands get through a canal lock.
At OSU, community volunteers have helped on projects like listening for the rare spotted bat to gauge its distribution in Central Oregon and reporting precipitation and seasonal plant changes for the Oregon Season Tracker.
“OSU has a strong commitment to engaged scholarship and strongly encourages that our research and teaching are intertwined with community needs and engagement,” Fischer said. “Participatory science is one of many ways to include engaged scholarship in our work.”
The conference’s objectives also align with OSU’s strategic plan, Prosperity Widely Shared, in the ways participatory science creates university-community partnerships and increases public buy-in with scientific efforts, Fischer said. The Science for All Showcase focuses on the way participatory science can create more experimental learning and teaching opportunities.
“We know that people are committed to attending other conferences and travel budgets are tight, but this is an amazing opportunity to attend a conference right in our backyard,” Fischer said.
Register here for the May 27-30 conference. For more information about registration or financial support, email [email protected].
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