The emergence of technologies such as mobile devices, web-based analytical tools, social media platforms, open data and cloud computing have the potential to enable broader participation in science research experiences. We discuss how these capabilities were combined with a citizen science app and e-learning modalities to pilot a scalable model to extend the reach of an established high school internship program. STEM Enhancement in Earth Science High School Summer Intern Program is a nationally competitive program. In 2019, more than 600 qualified students applied for 50 positions. Those who were not selected were offered the opportunity to participate in a virtual cohort working with the GLOBE Mission Mosquito science team. Over 100 students elected to take part in the Mosquito Mappers virtual internship. A recently published meta-analysis of European citizen science projects demonstrated that the majority (90%) involved participants in data collection, 42% involved citizen scientists in data analysis, and only 10% of projects provided opportunities for participants to define their own research question (Turrini et al. 2018). A series of 5 research challenges posed during the 10-week program were designed to promote a sense of scientific collaboration amongst the participants and provide a structured research experience. Students identified an original research question, interacted with scientist mentors via live webinars and discussion boards. A virtual science symposium served as the capstone of the internship. The critical threat of mosquito vector borne disease makes student research examining local mosquito populations both relevant and compelling. While vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus are actively transmitted in parts of the U.S., both a changing climate and the northern migration of invasive mosquito species pose a future threat of diseases such as Zika and dengue. As scientists, students are empowered as agents of change improving health in their community. The Mosquito Mappers virtual internship was created in partnership with NASA, Texas Space Grant Consortium, The University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research, and the GLOBE Mission Mosquito Program, administered by Goddard Space Flight Center and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.

This presentation describes a vector-borne disease risk reduction project conducted in Brazil and Peru as part of USAID’s Combating Zika and Future Threats Initiative. The myriad factors contributing to vector borne disease risk stem from interactions in a system that includes local ecology and environmental parameters, urbanization, access to health services, economic resources, human behavior, and the presence of disease vectors and pathogens. The emergence of technologies such as smart phones, cloud-based data servers, and data visualization and analysis tools have fostered rapid growth in citizen science programs and tools. The phenomenon of citizen science is seen by many as an important sociocultural development that has the potential to democratize science. While a number of citizen science projects may be characterized as transdisciplinary research, in many cases stakeholder engagement is limited to participation in crowd-sourced data collection. In this project, the stakeholders- educators, students, community leaders and public health officials- all contributed to the project at levels of effort and in ways that were most meaningful for them. A key innovation employed in this project was a mobile citizen science app that enabled stakeholders to locate, identify and mitigate mosquito breeding habitats. While there are many data collection apps that enable citizen scientists to report environmental observations for use by the science community, the NASA GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper also enables users to tally their efforts as they eliminate mosquito oviposition sites. This app capability supports municipalities keen on promoting behaviors that reduce the risk of vector-borne disease. We discuss the transdisciplinary approach employed through each phase of the project: ideation, realization, experimentation and evaluation, and how prioritizing local stakeholder knowledge and experience resulted in recommendations that will be used to improve a citizen science app that is employed internationally.

Libraries are local community centers and hubs for learning, with increasing numbers of public libraries responding to the need to increase science literacy and support 21st century skills by adding STEM programs and resources for patrons of all ages. The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), through the NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) cooperative agreement, is working with several libraries to pilot and implement collaborative models for engaging their local communities in STEM and citizen science. During spring and summer 2019, eight public library systems across the United States piloted activities and programs related to NASA’s GLOBE Observer citizen science app, which enables citizen scientists to contribute observations that complement NASA Earth observations. These include activities related to citizen scientist observations of Clouds (photographing clouds and recording sky observations), Mosquito Habitat Mapper (identifying water sources that are potential mosquito habitat and the presence of mosquito larvae; sampling and counting larvae; and using a clip on magnifier to identify the type of mosquito), and Land Cover (photographing the landscape and classifying land cover). Examples include the Pioneer Library System in Oklahoma, Southwest Oklahoma City Public Library, that is implementing GO Oklahoma! a citizen science campaign to collect GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper observations to support research by partner scientists at University of Oklahoma-Norman and Southern Nazarene University. The Los Angeles Public Library System has been field testing GLOBE Observer activities as part of its Neighborhood Science Program and will be incorporating these resources into circulating kits the library is developing for citizen scientists related to GLOBE Clouds and Mosquito Habitat Mapper that they will be piloting with Los Angelenos during fall 2019. Insights from the library pilot testing and programs include promising practices, requested resources, programming ideas and approaches, and particularly approaches to leveraging NASA subject matter experts and networks, to support local library programming.

The NASA Earth Science Education Collaborative (NESEC) project has the goal to enable broad participation in authentic NASA Earth Science STEM experiences for lifelong learners. These experiences include citizen science through GLOBE Observer (part of the international GLOBE Program), student investigations and research projects, field campaigns, and internships (including both virtual and in-person participation). NESEC works with strategic partners to develop, deliver, and strengthen these experiences. The 2020 pandemic required shifting our approach to adapt and emphasize ways to participate that did not require going outdoors and could be undertaken from home. These resources included activities, not requiring special equipment and using materials that can be found at home. Activities were that work well with families – including different ages and generations – and encourage exploration, play, and building curiosity together about science and the environment. NESEC leverages partnerships with informal education providers, in particular libraries, which This presentation discusses results of field testing with families and emerging evidence of best practices for partnerships and resources to support science and learning at home.