“Public Science in Every Course” with Caren Cooper and Jean Goodwin

The Leadership in Public Science faculty cluster aims to open opportunities for everyone at NC State to participate in activities that break down the boundaries between science and society at large. We’ll highlight two of our projects that can help instructors across the university incorporate public science into their course–along with rich opportunities for speaking and writing.

Citizen Science Campus is our initiative to allow every student on campus to have an authentic research experience, ideally one of local importance. Caren Cooper will review the infrastructure that makes guiding students to and through projects easier, preliminary research about the impacts of citizen science on student learning, and ideas for using citizen science as the focus for writing and speaking.

Science Communication Ethics encourages students to think critically about the roles scientists, engineers and other technical experts can usefully play on controversial topics like climate change, nuclear energy, and GMOs. Jean Goodwin will share her experience using cases based on actual events for discussion, formal debate, and writing.