Supporting Communities Through Science
Since AGU launched its community science initiative with Thriving Earth Exchange in 2013, our commitment to connect communities and scientists has helped improve the wellbeing of millions of people around the world. Community science continues to expand at AGU—through our new journal, our award-winning reporting, and convenings that bring together community changemakers. By supporting community capacity building through access to science, AGU is helping to create a thriving, equitable and more sustainable future for us all.
Thriving Earth Exchange
Since 2013, Thriving Earth Exchange has been committed to strengthening and enhancing collaboration among communities, scientists and partner organizations so that all communities can build healthy, resilient, thriving, just and ecologically responsible futures. To do this, Thriving Earth fosters community science projects that bring together and support volunteers as they develop, manage and complete projects that address a pressing community priority using science. Each project has three kinds of volunteers: Community Leads who suggest and lead a project based on their community priorities, Community Science Fellows who are trained in community science, project management and collaborative design for each project, and Community Scientists who are experts in one or more areas required for the project.
Thriving Earth Exchange has launched over 360 projects around the world and has extensive experience managing projects, running trainings and collaborating with partners on community science initiatives. Recently, Thriving Earth Exchange has invested in supporting Spanish-language communities to ensure that they, too, can benefit from scientific processes, knowledge, and applications. Thriving Earth Exchange has launched over 20 Spanish-speaking projects, translated multiple resources and trainings into Spanish, recruited Spanish-speaking volunteers, and supports translation and project support from Spanish-speaking staff.
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This monthly newsletter has updates about community science at AGU including project updates, opportunities, resources, new publications, and ways you can get involved. Sign up here.
Community Science Exchange
The Community Science Exchange (CSE) is a bold new platform dedicated to supporting and advancing the diverse and growing groups of people who do community science. CSE focuses on work that is performed by, with and for communities, including communities defined by place, culture, history, values, shared experiences or shared goals.
CSE provides two ways to share community science outcomes: the journal Community Science and the Hub. Community Science publishes peer-reviewed papers linking science findings or applications to the process of public engagement across the science-community boundary. The Hub is an editor-vetted and authenticated multimedia resource center for people from all kinds of professional and community backgrounds to learn about, engage in and share the processes, impressions and results of community science.
AGU has partnered with six leading societies—American Anthropological Association (AAA), American Meteorological Society (AMS), American Public Health Association (APHA), Citizen Science Association (CSA) and the Unión Geofísica Mexicana, along with the support and partnership of Wiley, to create CSE.
Pathways for Community Science at AGU
How can I get involved as a scientist?
- Volunteer for a specific Thriving Earth Exchange project where you’ll use your expertise to help a community address one or more of their priorities
- Sign up for the Thriving Earth Exchange expert database so that community science projects can reach out if they need your expertise
- Volunteer as a Community Science Fellow to facilitate (guide, shepherd, manage) a project that connects communities with scientists/technical experts.
- Publish your original research, editorial, commentary or review article in the peer-reviewed journal Community Science
- Submit outputs, case studies, resources and other products from community-engaged work to the Community Science Exchange Hub
How can I get involved as a community member?
- Volunteer as a Community Lead to start an up to 18-month project with Thriving Earth Exchange
- Share your outputs, case studies, resources and other products from your community science on the Community Science Exchange Hub
How else can I get myself or my organization involved in or learn more about community science?
- Volunteer as a Community Science Fellow to gain leadership and project management experience as you help run an up to 18-month community science project
- Partner with Thriving Earth Exchange to connect communities you serve to project opportunities, provide services or expertise to projects, or co-develop new initiatives
- Request a workshop, talk or training from Thriving Earth Exchange
Where can I learn more about community science?
- Explore the Community Science journal to learn about peer-reviewed research, commentary, editorials and review articles about the field
- Peruse the Community Science Exchange Hub’s resources and project examples
- Read about community science in AGU’s award-winning news magazine, Eos
- Learn about Thriving Earth Exchange initiatives and updates from their blog and stay up to date by signing up for the newsletter
- Sign up to participate in conversations around community science in a global Whatsapp group of researchers, practitioners and community science aficionados.
How can I support community science at AGU?
- Download the Community Science Principles, Practices and Actions guide developed through an NSF-funded and community-engaged workshop
- Contribute to the Thriving Earth Exchange General Fund