We are pleased to share that our host partner institution, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS), has received funding to offer financial assistance for minorities underrepresented in STEM and community-based environmental sciences to participate in the CitSci2019 Conference.

You can apply online HERE.

Conference scholarships cover the following:

The NSF has awarded funding to NCMNS to broaden participation of racial and ethnic minorities in science and STEM learning via citizen science. Specifically, the NSF has awarded support for about 75 practitioners from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups who use citizen science in their community-based environmental work to participate in the CSA conference and grow their networks and capacity in citizen science. This includes people from environmental justice communities. The PI team anticipates offering scholarships for about 50 people from across the country and 25 from closer to Raleigh.

• Conference registration fees
• Hotel stay at the Marriott in downtown Raleigh (next to the Convention Center)
• Travel to/from Raleigh, via airplane, train, or auto

The NSF funds will be administered by the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and they will minimize recipients’ out-of-pocket expenses. They will arrange and pay for a hotel room, arrange and pay the Conference registration fee, and arrange and pay for an airplane or train ticket directly. Those traveling by auto will be able to submit their reimbursement paperwork while at the Conference. Recipients will be responsible for meals that are not covered by conference registration as well as other incidentals.

A committee will disperse these scholarships on a competitive basis. The committee includes representatives from environmental justice organizations and the Board of Directors of the Citizen Science Association:

• Omega Wilson, West End Revitalization Association, NC Environmental Justice Network
• Onté Johnson, North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association
• Sacoby Wilson, University of Maryland
• Caren Cooper, North Carolina State University
• Angel Hjarding, North Carolina Wildlife Federation
• Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, Spelman College

Meeting some or all of the following criteria makes an individual competitive for scholarships:

• not a member of the Citizen Science Association
• has not attended a prior CSA conference
• is involved in citizen science relevant efforts
• is part of an environmental justice community of practice
• is a racial/ethnic minority
• has limited or no other financial support to attend the conference
• will present a talk, poster, workshop, or table.

You can apply online HERE.

Questions? Please contact Omega <wera1usa@gmail.com> or Caren <caren@scistarter.org>