The Project
The Winterberry project – or Arctic Harvest – seeks to improve participation in and effectiveness of citizen science, particularly in high-latitude communities where populations are underrepresented in STEM. The project’s research goals include examining the relationship between citizen science learning outcomes and attributes of social-ecological resilience, and assessing the impact of direct mentor and scientist support, as well as a story-based content delivery method, on engagement and resilience-related outcomes.
Our Work
Looking at key performance indicators for the project, the evaluation seeks to assess the effectiveness of three different citizen science program models, and identify program characteristics that contribute to each model’s rating. Data collection includes document review, observations of program activities, written youth and club leader surveys, and interviews with program staff and club leaders.
Usefulness of Our Work
Through formative and summative reporting, evaluation work will provide recommendations for program improvements both during and at the end of the project. It is also providing data that will be utilized in research papers around the topic of citizen science.
