Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has announced a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to launch a community project that will engage middle and early high school students in environmental citizen science. The hiring of educators and graduate assistants for SIUE’s new youth-led citizen science network project is already underway, with the student program slated to begin in fall 2019 and run through spring 2022.
The project formally called A Youth-Led Citizen Science Network for Community Environmental Assessment, will introduce students to sensors, as they monitor human impact in four environmental areas, including air, noise, soil and the natural and built environment. Citizen Science Cafés will launch in fall 2020 and run through spring 2022.
“We’re excited and grateful that the NSF sees value in this project, and its potential for supporting youth in STEM,” said principal investigator Georgia Bracey, SIUE STEM Center research assistant professor. According to Bracey, the project also aligns with several of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas by focusing on humans and technology.
Since 2017, NSF has been building a foundation for the Big Ideas through pioneering research and pilot activities. In 2019, NSF said it plans to invest $30 million in each Big Idea and continue to support Big Ideas that serve America’s future.
“Participants will use hi-tech sensors and drones to collect and analyze soil, air, noise and landscape data from their surroundings,” Bracey explained. “During Citizen Science Cafés, students will present their research and lead community members in hands-on citizen science, under the direction of Drs. Greenfield and Martinez and their graduate students. This will allow them to reach an additional 300 community members, including those families living in the subsidized housing developments targeted for this project.”
Bracey’s co-principal investigators include SIUE STEM Center Director and Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences Sharon Locke, Ben Greenfield, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences, and Adriana Martinez, assistant professor in the Departments of Environmental Sciences and Geography.
Working with SIUE faculty and local educators, students will design and conduct research in their communities, and then share their experiences and their results with the public through the NSF-funded Teen Science Café Network, extending project impacts to a national audience.
Collaborative partners are the SIUE Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Research, Education and Outreach, the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Environmental Sciences and the Madison County Housing Authority.
“This grant offers a great opportunity to strengthen our commitment to equity and diversity,” added Nicholas Guehlstorf, Ph.D., chair of the SIUE Department of Environmental Sciences. “Departmental faculty, Drs. Greenfield, Locke, and Martinez will participate in this NSF-funded plan to change lives and transform the collective identity, character, and politics of future science employment. This innovative project will engage disadvantaged communities and youth with science learning and mentoring, which is an investment in a necessary environmental justice campaign to broaden American opportunities.”
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach contributes educational expertise to SIUE undergraduate classes and provides professional development for K-12 teachers.
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