Navigating Crises and Bridging Cultural Divides with Citizen Science, Grace Wolf-Chase PhD

IRAS Sessions

Navigating Crises and Bridging Cultural Divides with Citizen Science, Grace Wolf-Chase PhD

Promoting better understanding and cooperation across our divided society is arguably the most urgent issue of the 21st century. In the translated words of Goethe, “The one who wants to understand the poet must walk into the poet’s land.” This quote expresses the idea that we learn about others by participating with them. r. Wolf-Chase directs a project that engages people in conversations about our experiences as scientists and empowering them to claim ownership in the process of exploration and discovery through citizen science. Citizen science enables research that would be intractable without the help of many volunteers. In turn, it welcomes people of all ages and from all walks of life “into the scientist’s land,” enabling them to participate in the process of exploration and discovery. In this session, she will include a demonstration of how participants can contribute to a wide array of internet-based research projects, and facilitate discussion among participants on developing strategies to engage the irreligious communities in meaningful ways within their respective traditions.