Program Description

SciStarter helps bring together the millions of citizen scientists in the world; the thousands of potential projects offered by researchers, organizations, and companies; and the resources, products, and services that enable citizens to pursue and enjoy these activities. Libraries across the country already are engaged in our citizen and community science network, empowering their community to get involved in real science that advances research.

In the session, you will:

• Learn about the many ways to turn your library into a community hub for citizen, community, and civic science.
• Find and use turnkey materials to help you build and promote citizen science kits that are proven to increase science literacy in your community.
• Build a roadmap for your library to engage in Citizen Science Month (April) through relevant programming for your community

Presenter Bio

Emma Giles is a public outreach specialist for SciStarter, in which she trains library staff and advises public program creation, hosts the weekly webinar “SciStarter LIVE,” trains volunteers through SciStarter’s Corporate Volunteer Program, and coordinates public outreach campaigns including “Do NASA Science LIVE” and Citizen Science Month.

She is a Master of Science and Technology Policy from Arizona State, where she was a SciStarter Fellow and former member of the Center for Smart Cities and Regions in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Emma is a graduate of the University of Vienna Scientific World Conceptions summer school on Climate Science: Historical, Philosophical and Sociological Issues. She was a math and science teacher in the Phoenix metro area until 2022 and received a Teach Earth Fellowship from Earthwatch in 2021 to study caterpillars and climate change in Southern Arizona. Emma is now based in Washington, D.C.

AZLA2023 SciStarter.pdf