Please join us in May of 2021 for a brand-new event format we are calling CitSciVirtual: Local, Global, Connected. 

Our events engage educators, community leaders, scientists, students, technologists, data managers and more. Across this broad field, we know that we do science better, together – and we connect to learn from and inspire each other.

How is this event different?

With ideas from across this community, we are taking the best elements of conferencing and mixing them with the unique opportunities of going online. We are excited this year to not just connect, but to engage. 

Activities will emphasize learning over listening, sharing over staring, and grounding conversations in communities that help us turn ideas into actions. And a new engagement space will encourage conversations and connections to grow long past the events themselves

Online activities throughout the month of May will include keynotes to inspire, workshops to learn, poster sessions to connect, and more. This is an unprecedented opportunity for sharing your questions and insights with friends and colleagues across this broad field.

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Event Details:

Event Scope: 

CitSciVirtual is a chance to share your experiences and the knowledge and skills you’ve gained, whether that was over the past year or through a career of engagement. We want to hear about the current state of citizen science, as well as what you’ve learned that is going to shape the face of citizen science in the future. We will learn together about the ways that citizen science practitioners, participants, and researchers are engaging with new communities and communities who have been excluded in the past, supporting students, educators, and cultural institutions, and working across disciplinary boundaries.

This year has underscored for everyone that advancing equitable citizen science is a shared responsibility and is relevant to all of our work. This is true whether we engage directly or indirectly with communities, or are designing websites, analyzing data, teaching undergraduates, or giving or administering grants. As a commitment to advancing equity in this field, we will be encouraging all presenters, no matter what the focus of your poster or workshop – to reflect on ways your work confronts issues such as diversity, accessibility, inclusion, or other anti-bias and anti-racist practices in science. More details and activities to support and encourage this will be forthcoming over the winter.

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Event Registration Details and Pricing:

Registration will provide comprehensive access to multiple events as well as to the community of registrants throughout the month of May 2021, with many activities and opportunities emerging. Pricing and key components included in the ticket price are outlined in an Event Registration Details Page here.

Registration will open in March 2021.

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Program Areas:

• Keynotes to Inspire: Keynote addresses will bring attention to cross cutting topics that unite the citizen science community and follow up discussion sessions will provide attendees with an opportunity to share ways that those big ideas play out in their work.
  

—The calls for posters and workshops have closed. Accepted presenters will be notified on February 15th, 2021.—

Conference registration is not required to propose a poster or workshop. You can find details for how to submit a proposal for a workshop here, or poster here. When a poster or workshop is accepted, lead presenters for posters, and all workshop presenters will need to register to take part in the event. Registration rates are being set to keep participation affordable. We are also currently seeking sponsors to support participation by individuals for whom registration fees are prohibitive.

See growing list of frequently asked questions for more information.

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Equity Statement:

CSA is committed to providing an equitable and inclusive virtual conference and celebrating the diverse voices in our space. CSA strives to offer diverse events by ensuring all our members and participants feel welcome and comfortable sharing their insights and contributions with the larger citizen science community, and that all our participants can fully engage in our events.

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Sponsor CitSciVirtual:

We are actively seeking sponsors to ensure equitable engagement opportunities for all participants. This event offers high-level opportunities to connect with influencers, engage with thought leaders, and the chance to reach hundreds of thousands of people taking part in projects around the globe. Interested in a sponsorship or have ideas for a potential sponsor? We aim to create custom opportunities for each sponsor, with many options for impact, accessibility and visibility. Please email citscivirtual@citizenscience.org if you have any interest or any leads – if you make a sponsor suggestion, we will not reach out without speaking with you first.

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Event Schedule:

Events will be scheduled throughout the month of May and will feature a mix of synchronous and asynchronous opportunities to engage. A full schedule of events will be released in early 2021.

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Event Host:

The Citizen Science Association (CSA) is a member-driven organization that connects people from a wide range of experiences around one shared purpose: advancing knowledge through research and monitoring done by, for, and with members of the public. As one way of exchanging ideas and inspiring practices, CSA has hosted regular conferences since 2012. We are excited about ways that we can keep ideas flowing virtually until we can convene again in person.

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Planning Team:

This event would not be possible without the efforts of a dedicated volunteer planning team. This group has devoted their time and attention to making this virtual event as engaging and accessible as possible. A full list of planning team members to come.

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