Skip to main content
COMMUNITY:
Project Descriptions

Efficacy of Informal Science Education (ISE) Practices to Develop Hispanic Citizen Scientists in the Watershed of the Rio Grande of Manati, Puerto Rico

October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2015 | Public Programs
The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico is creating citizen science projects in five research areas (insect monitoring; coastal/river system management; bird communities; bat assemblages; and cultural resources) that allow 140 Hispanic residents of Puerto Rico (age 14 and older) to move along a continuum of research involvement from contributor to collaborator to co-creator. As citizen scientists engage in scientific research that measures the effects of urban development on the Manati River watershed in northern Puerto Rico, the project team is evaluating the degree to which participants show changes in science knowledge, skills, attitudes, communication, and behavior. The proposed project is accelerating the development of citizen science activities in Puerto Rico. New scientific knowledge generated by citizen scientists will have practical importance within and beyond the Manati watershed because Puerto Rico is undergoing rapid urban development, resulting in the loss of biodiversity and emergence of environmental problems such as lower water quality. Environmental data collected by citizen scientists will form an environmental database that permits long-term watershed monitoring and informs land use decision making.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: AISL
Award Number: 1223882
Funding Amount: 1637345

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Yogani Govendry
    Principal Investigator
    The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
  • REVISE logo
    Co-Principal Investigator
    The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico
  • Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Education and learning science | General STEM | Life science
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Citizen Science Programs
    Access and Inclusion: Ethnic/Racial | Hispanic/Latinx Communities

    If you would like to edit a resource, please email us to submit your request.