Why Do We Call It Participatory Science?
Here at SERC, we define participatory science as any research or science in which volunteers and students are engaged in the scientific process. Many research labs at SERC invite volunteers and students to engage in the data collection phase, but there are also some projects that do research or science to support community-driven questions.
Our mission as the Participatory Science Program is to support SERC research and community partner goals. We act as a bridge connecting volunteers, students and scientists so we can meet the needs of all involved and do great science!
To answer questions that you might have, we have created a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If you still have questions, please reach out to Rachael Mady, the Participatory Science Coordinator (MadyR@si.edu).
- When did we change the name from "Citizen Science"?
- Why not call the program "community science"?
- Why use the term "participatory"?
- Can I still say "citizen science"?
When did the switch happen?
The Citizen Science Program at SERC changed its name on December 12th, 2023, and is now referred to as the Participatory Science Program. The Citizen Science Coordinator, Rachael Mady, now uses the job title Participatory Science Coordinator.
We had been internally discussing the name of our program for many years and decided to make the change 1) following the hiring of Rachael Mady to oversee the program, and 2) following the announcement of the Citizen Science Association to change their name to be the Association of Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) on May 25, 2023.
Why not call the program "community science"?
There is a rich history of practices and programs that have used “community science” to refer to grassroots efforts spearheaded by communities, which often use applied science. Community science is distinct because it is research linked with environmental advocacy, and is by definition community-led rather than led by research agencies. Swapping out “citizen” for “community” is co-opting the term, and it would be disingenuous for SERC to use “community science” when we are not engaging in that work.
Community science is already a practice that is undervalued and underfunded, and we do not want to take away any focus on true community science work. SERC’s position as a federal organization means that our role with community science will likely remain as consultants on work others are leading.
Why use the term "participatory"?
We want to use terminology that is in line with other organizations in the United States and beyond who are engaging with volunteers in scientific research and using the term “participatory science.” These include organizations in Latin America (Red Iberoamericana de Ciencia Participativa) and France (https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciences_participatives) as well as the EPA.
You may be wondering, “isn’t all science participatory?” In a sense yes—science is usually a team sport and participation is implied. However, we still need a term to differentiate science done by paid scientists who are doing it as a part of their jobs and science that involves more people, including volunteers, students, and other collaborators.
Over the years, of the terms offered up as alternatives to “citizen” in “citizen science,” we feel that “participatory” communicates that we want science to be done by and include people of different walks of life and aligns us with other organizations.
Can I still use the term "citizen science"?
Programmatically, SERC Public Engagement staff no longer use “citizen science” and have made the switch to using “participatory science,” and refer to people who engage in the program in ways that make the most sense (i.e., volunteer scientists, students, volunteers, volunteer electrical engineer, volunteer entomologist, etc.). We encourage people to join us in this change, but also recognize that the term “citizen science” and “citizen scientist” has been useful for people to identify this program and their role in it, and understand that people will still use the term.
We also recognize that “citizen science” is a term that is still useful in many contexts, including by governments and organizations worldwide. In the United States, provisions from the Federal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2015-2016 codified and defined citizen science into federal law such that we will still need to use the word when applying for funding for many of our programs.