LibGuides: Citizen Science: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Achieving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Science

The Citizen Science Initiative serves as the primary vehicle for achieving diversity, equity, and inclusivity within CMU Libraries' Open Science and Data Collaborations (OSDC) program. Pandya (2012) writes,

“Citizen science (CS) has the potential to democratize science (USEPA 2016) by making the scientific process participatory and inclusive of many stakeholders in knowledge generation, dissemination, and decision-making (Jordan et al. 2017; McCormick 2007). Furthermore, CS may confer broader benefits to communities (environmental democracy, scientific literacy, citizen inclusion in local issues) and local ecosystems (conservation and biodiversity efforts) (Ballard et al. 2018; Cooper et al. 2007; Conrad and Hilchey 2011; Larese-Casanova and Prysby 2018; Mueller et al. 2012). However, while studies have shown positive outcomes for CS participants in terms of scientific learning (Evans et al. 2005; Jordan et al. 2011; Phillips et al. 2018) and civic engagement (Dunlap 1992; Marcinkowski 1993; Nerbonne and Nelson 2004), participation in CS does not reflect the broader demographics of the US (Pandya 2012).”

DEI and Citizen Science in the Media

Black Birders' Week (NPR)
#BlackBirdersWeek emerged last year from a groundswell of support for Christian Cooper, a Black man and avid birder, who was harassed by a white woman while birding in Central Park.
Inclusion in citizen science (Science Mag)
As the scientific community, like society more broadly, reckons with long-standing challenges around accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, we would be wise to pay attention to issues and lessons emerging in debates around citizen science.
Citizen science needs to look more like society (Science Mag)
Citizen science needs to look more like society, report says. By Jeffrey Mervis, Nov. 1, 2018.
Making citizen science more participatory, inclusive and citizen-led (IGB)
The ACTION Accelerator team – led by IGB’s Kat Austen – works with on-the-ground citizen science projects that address pollution as part of the ACTION project. In February, eleven citizen science projects joined us at IGB on the banks of Lake Müggelsee, for a workshop making citizen science more participatory, more inclusive and more citizen-led.

DEI Challenges in Citizen Science

Despite its promise, citizen science has not been effective at engaging individuals across all demographic categories equally. Pandya (2012) continues,

“Citizen science is a powerful tool for connecting people to science, but in the US, such initiatives have not connected as well to groups that have been historically underrepresented in science. Research suggests that while several factors contribute to this lack of diverse participation in citizen science, the critical hurdle may be an absence of alignment between community priorities and research objectives” (Pandya 2012).

To overcome these obstacles, the OSDC’s Citizen Science program is taking special measures to ensure that its programming accounts for the unique challenges faced by historically underrepresented groups and incorporate special accommodations to better enable and encourage their participation.