About the Citizen Science Association

Association

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Why an Association?

Whether through grassroots action or technology-mediated crowdsourcing, there has been a rapid increase in public participation in scientific research (citizen science, volunteer monitoring, Pro-Am partnerships, community-based participatory research and more).
The success of these initiatives takes dedication not just from volunteers, but from organizers, educators, scientists, data managers, technology specialists, evaluators, and others. Practitioners (paid or unpaid) work to design, support, and implement projects, manage and use data, and evaluate and research individual initiatives or the practice itself.
We can speed innovation by sharing insights, across all fields of study, among peers who support these initiatives – our membership already exceeds 4,000 individuals from over 80 countries. Our early services to support idea-sharing include a conference and a journal.

Our Beginning

The Association has been years in the works. Momentum to solidify into a more formal organization came about as a result of the Public Participation in Scientific Research Conference, held in Portland, Oregon, in 2012. We work with numerous organizational partners, and continue to rely on the community for growth of the Association.

You are the Voice of the Association

Association membership is now available. Members have the opportunity to shape the development of the Association by voting on key decisions about direction, priorities, and leadership. Members and non-members alike can sign up to receive updates through a monthly newsletter, and are welcome to join a discussion listserv for sharing questions, ideas, innovations, and announcements among peers in this field.

Organizational and Institutional Members

A number of organizations and institutions support the Citizen Science Association through annual memberships. Each of these members also has the opportunity to offer an educational webinar annually. Watch the CSA blog and email list for information about upcoming webinars, and in the meantime, feel free to check out their websites and learn more about the work in which they are engaged!