C*Sci 2023 will kick-off with a virtual engagement day on May 17th. This pre-conference event will be full of engaging sessions and provide an opportunity to connect with peers in this field near and far. The Virtual Engagement Day will run from 1-5pm ET on May 17th and is open to all registered attendees. The event will launch with a keynote plenary called “Collaboration Not Competition: Building Global North-South Relationships for Sustainable Citizen Science Programs” presented by Dr. Russanne Low and Dr. Rodrigo Arantes Reis. Details below.
The Virtual Engagement Day will also feature two symposia, an online poster sessions, and opportunities to make meaningful connections ahead of the in-person event. Online posters, including online versions of in-person posters, will be available for all conference attendees from May 15-June 5th 2023. All plenaries, two concurrent symposia, and oral sessions of the in-person event will be live streamed for registered attendees only. You can view which sessions will be streamed on the program page (streamed sessions are bolded with an *). There are also two online workshops still accepting registrants.
Click here to register for the virtual or in-person event.
Virtual Engagement Day Schedule:
(times are listed in MST (UTC-7), the local time in Arizona)
10am – Pre-conference Keynote: Collaboration Not Competition: Building Global North-South Relationships For Sustainable Citizen Science Programs
11:15 – Virtual Poster Session
12:15 – Symposia
- Citizen Science Global Partnership
- “I feel less powerless”: Citizen Science as a Lever for Disrupting Environmental Injustice in K-12
1:30 – Pre-conference Meet-up
Collaboration Not Competition: Building Global North-South Relationships for Sustainable Citizen Science Programs

Before GLOBE Observer’s Mosquito Habitat Mapper was released in 2017, the app was piloted in communities at high risk for dengue and Zika in Brazil. These cross-cultural, cross-hemisphere connections were the stimulus of a collaborative effort to support vector education at underserved schools in Brazil. Organically, a strong partnership emerged, and through bilateral sharing of ideas expertise, technology, and resources, the PICCE citizen science program launched in spring, 2023, supporting 15 scientific protocols specific to the needs of Brazilian science and interests of Brazilian youth. This presentation will describe how scientists with an established citizen science program and a new state-wide citizen science program for youth in Brazil are collaborating to the benefit of both programs.
Speaker Biographies:
Dr. Russanne Low is a senior scientist with the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies. She also serves on the science team for GLOBE Observer, and science lead for GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper. She earned her PhD at the University of Minnesota, and served as a Fulbright scholar in Brazil at UFPR, Curitiba, and the Brazilian Space Agency, Brazilia, Brazil, 2021-2022.
Dr. Rodrigo Arantes Reis is an associate professor at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), Brazil, where he also serves as a permanent professor of the Sustainable Territorial Development and science lead of the Group LabMóvel. He is currently coordinator of the Citizen Science Project, PICCE. His research interests include science communication, citizen science and air quality. He earned an undergraduate degree in biological sciences, and his masters and doctoral degrees in biochemistry, from the Federal University of Paraná.
Concurrent Symposia:
Citizen Science Global Partnership
Martin Brocklehurst (Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP), UK); Libby Hepburn (Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP), Australia); Austin Mast (Citizen Science Association (CSA), USA)
Format: A combination of lightning talks and a fishbowl conversation
Priority Practices: Building Relationships and Community Trust; Designing for Action and Impact
Keywords: Networks; Partnerships; Collaborations; Sustainable Development
Summary: Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP) aims to advance citizen science for a sustainable world. In this session, we will share the ambition and objectives of the CSGP and gather and connect ideas to ensure an equitable and inclusive partnership, where diverse voices and perspectives count.
“I feel less powerless”: Citizen Science as a Lever for Disrupting Environmental Injustice in K-12
Brittney Beck (California State University, Bakersfield); Jesus Esquibel (California State University, Bakersfield); Rachel Harless (California State University, Bakersfield)
Format: Ignite session
Priority Practices: Practices for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Designing for Action and Impact
Keywords: Environmental Justice; K-12 Education; Storytelling
Summary: This session will share the results of a year-long environmental justice citizen science fellowship for high school students in the San Joaquin Valley of California. The students’ audio, video, and photographic stories of place offer insight into citizen science opportunities and needs in K-12 ed.
Posted on: April 27, 2023 | Category: #csci2023, Blog, conference, CSA Blog, News, news, Uncategorized