Scientific Society Civic Science Landscape

Scientific societies, associations, and professional organizations have unique opportunities to foster a culture of “civic science” — broad public engagement with issues that arise at the many intersections of science and society. As linchpins of the scientific enterprise, these organizations engage in a variety of activities to this end, including programs focused on science communication, public engagement, informal education, outreach, and advocacy. This report includes descriptions and characterizations of such activities and programs, to present the landscape of civic science efforts currently in place at scientific societies. 

This landscape assessment gives rise to a number of key insights that will lay the groundwork for future efforts to expand societies’ capacity to support effective and sustainable civic science. Right now, the effectiveness and sustainability of civic science activities are often limited by individual organizations’ resources and capacities. Silos across the space give rise to redundancies and notable gaps in civic science programs, which contribute to challenges in assessing effectiveness, scaling up those practices that work, and meeting members’ demand for civic science support. 

At the same time, the report uncovers a number of opportunities for scientific societies to collaborate to support civic science efforts and contribute to a stronger relationship between scientists and the broader society. This report provides a starting point for the development of a collaborative framework that will allow these organizations to accomplish more than they might do individually.