Shaw-IAU Workshops by the OAE

Humans are social creatures, and while we all vary in how much we do (and do not!) want to interact, everyone wants a place to belong. With CosmoQuest, we enhance citizen science engagement by making sure those who join know they are welcome and will be supported no matter who they are. This is accomplished by: having a leadership team that is open about their disabilities and differences; using the pronoun “they” until told otherwise; facilitating non-science conversations around topics like LGBTQ+ that impact engagement; providing moderated places where people can hang out; and more. In this workshop, the structure for designing a community will be laid out, and how to emphasize each aspect in your own community will be discussed.

About Pamela Gay

Dr. Pamela Gay is an astronomer, technologist, and creative focused on using new media to engage people in learning and doing science. Join her to map our Solar System in unprecedented detail through our citizen science projects at CosmoQuest.org, and learn astronomy through media productions like Astronomy Cast. Dr. Gay is a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute, and receipient of numerous awards for podcasting, and recipient of the Issac Assimov Scientist Award from the American Humanist Society. She can regularly be seen on TV as host of The Daily Space, and as a guest on the Weather Channel, and shows like The Universe.

Watch a recording of this talk (external link)