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At last week’s, who has led work on civic projects out of MIT’s Center for Civic Media, moderated a on Citizen Science. This is an increasingly critical arena for civic innovation because it combines a DIY hands-on approach with tangible policy products.  By breaking up science into more easily accessible parts, citizens can receive hands-on education while also having fun and investing in their community.  Citizen Science is a terrific example of re-engaging citizens in public policy decisions that impact their lives. It is part of broader : an initiative refocused on people and their communities.
The panel featured four people exploring different facets of participatory technology — and of Public Lab, from WNYC’s Data News Team and from MIT’s Center for Civic Media and Emerson College. A consistent theme was that citizen science represents a relatively low cost and effective opportunity for citizens to participate in their neighborhood.  According to Stempeck, “we can apply these new powers to , campaigning for social change, , or monitoring the environmental quality of our neighborhoods.”
Many of these projects break down complex public governance issues, such as water monitoring, into tangible entry points. Public Lab, a distributed online community where anyone can share methods and findings, provides a tool kit for citizens to make their own aerial images. Communities are then free to use the data how they wish – some have contributed the imagery to This is a fun and interactive way to empower the artist and science geek within us all, while transforming peoples’ understanding of their role within their neighborhood and the environment.
With an emphasis on collective participatory data collection, citizen science teaches a model of distributed governance. From WNYC’s project or to Somerville, MA’s, citizen science tools engage traditionally disengaged individuals in projects that connect information commons with community action.
This kind of engagement has huge potential to build broader civic capacity. Stempeck noted, “these organizations are also transparent and network-based,” two qualities essential to structures needed to support distributed, participatory communities. Citizen Science is actively affecting the way people think about where they live, and what they can change. Have a favorite citizen science project? Tell us about it .