Community Science is a wonderful way for scientists and other experts to lend their experience, skills, connections, resources and time to help communities address local priorities and problems. Through volunteering, you’ll not only support community science projects but you will also develop new networks, skills, and insights that can help you apply science and make positive impacts.
Each Thriving Earth Exchange project has Community Leads and a Community Science Fellow who work together to develop a plan for a 12-18 month community science project. Through this collaborative process, they identify the specific kinds of knowledge and skills required to do the scientific portion of their project. For example, they may need someone to map or analyze existing data or someone to test air, water, or soil for harmful pollutants. Project teams put together a short call for a Volunteer Scientist that includes the specific skills, time, and resources needed to move forward.
How Can Scientists Get Involved?
Volunteer for a Specific Project With Thriving Earth Exchange
Review the current Volunteer Scientist requests and then fill out our form to volunteer. If you are not sure whether or not you are the right person for a project feel free to email us to chat about it.
Join the Volunteer Scientist Network
Not seeing a project that is aligned with your skillset or availability? Sign up in our network so that future project teams can find you. Please be sure to use an email that you check regularly and update your submission if your contact information changes.
Share Your Community Science Work
The Community Science Exchange is a new platform, led by a coalition of societies and partners, aimed at developing and promulgating leading practices, resources, and information around community science. It includes a peer reviewed journal, resource library, sample projects, and interactive forums.
AGU’s annual meeting is another great opportunity to share your research and experiences with the scientific community. Each year, numerous sessions, town halls, workshops, posters, and more engage with Community Science in the earth and space sciences. Keep up with the latest deadlines and opportunities here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Volunteering With Thriving Earth Exchange
As part of AGU, Thriving Earth Exchange projects touch on some aspect of earth and space sciences. The projects are co-developed with the Community Leads and Community Science Fellow to address pressing local needs and therefore vary greatly. But some common project types are: testing soil, air or water for contaminants, analyzing or mapping using exiting data sets, developing a conservation plan,or supporting a science communication effort.
Projects are expected to take between 6-18 months. The amount of time required to dedicate to a project can vary but generally Volunteer Scientists support the project for 3-6 hours each month. We encourage you to discuss this with the project team before committing.
No, our Volunteer Scientists bring a wide range of skills and experiences. For example, a project may need support creating an app for a citizen science project. Or they may need support with a city planning effort or communication plan. As long as you have the skills needed to implement the project you are welcomed to volunteer.
Our Volunteer Scientists can be students or individuals without a degree. As long as you have the expertise, skills, and time to dedicate to the project you are welcomed to apply.
It depends on the project. Some projects require on-the-ground support while others can be completed remotely. Please review the volunteer requirements for specific projects to see if it is necessary for a scientist to visit the community in-person.
Yes, you can publish and get credit for your community science work. However, you must ask permission from the Community Leads before publishing or sharing publicly about any identifying information related to the project. We are always happy to write a letter of recognition for your volunteer work on Thriving Earth Exchange letterhead.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of tasks you could be asked to do: collect samples in the field; share your expertise with community members; analyze datasets; help communities find existing research on a topic; develop a report; create an action plan; develop an interactive map.
There is a small amount of seed funding to support the cost of completing Thriving Earth Exchange projects. Please note that this funding cannot cover volunteer time or salaries.
