The 36-hour noncredit course "Citizen & Community Science: Designing Projects for Research and Engagement" offers participants a deep understanding of the purpose and promise of citizen and community science, also called participatory science. Through this course, participants will gain practical skills in designing projects that target specific audiences, collect meaningful data, and engage and educate project participants and volunteers. Taught by experienced professionals Malin Clyde and Alyson Eberhardt, who have decades of experience working with volunteers in scientific research, the course builds on the University of New Hampshire’s longstanding leadership in the field of citizen science.
Participants in this course will:
Each participant has the option to schedule a one-on-one coaching session (30 minutes) with a course instructor over Zoom to address any design challenges or questions related to their project.
This course is fully online and designed to be flexible, with participants engaging with materials like videos, directed activities, and online discussions on their own schedules. Optional Zoom sessions with the instructors will offer opportunities for live interaction. Open to a wide range of individuals, including scientists, educators, and community volunteers, the course will be valuable for anyone looking to engage the public in authentic scientific research across various disciplines.
Asynchronous Online Learning
Runs from 10/13/24 to 11/24/24
Engage with materials at your own pace (weekly)
Live Zoom Sessions (Optional)
Thursday, 10/24/24, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
Thursday, 11/7/24, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
One-on-One Coaching Session (Optional)
Available by appointment between Monday, Oct. 21 - Friday, Nov. 8
One 30-minute session over Zoom to assist with design challenges or questions
Microcredentials and certificates of participation will be available upon successful completion.
Learn more about related credit-bearing offerings at UNH: Graduate Certificate in Citizen and Community Science.
A limited number of scholarships are available for this program, as well as opportunities for group discounts. Please contact Valerie Brodeur at valerie.brodeur@unh.edu for more information.
Malin is an Extension Specialist in Natural Resources at UNH Cooperative Extension. Her interests and expertise are in volunteer engagement, environmental stewardship, and citizen and community science practices. She has degrees from Yale University and the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington, but has also amassed experience and guidance from landowners, colleagues and workshop participants over years of teaching. She led the creation of Nature Groupie in 2012 to improve stewardship and citizen science collaboration in New England, and to involve more people, use better technology, and empower generations of outdoor enthusiasts to volunteer for and study nature.
As the Coastal Ecosystems Specialist for NH Sea Grant and UNH Cooperative Extension, Alyson works with community members, natural resource managers and researchers to support management efforts to protect and restore coastal ecosystems. Her work involves community-based restoration and monitoring of coastal habitats, including salt marshes, sand dunes, and shoreland buffers. She also manages the Coastal Research Volunteers, a citizen science program that trains community volunteers to work on local, coastal research projects.
