ED006
Coastal community science in the undergraduate classroom: science that matters to students and communities
Session ID#: 254012
Session Description:
Community science—collaborative, locally relevant research shaped by shared questions— offers powerful opportunities to advance both marine science and undergraduate education. Engaging students in real-world problem-solving strengthens scientific training, promotes student ownership of learning, and builds critical skills for the blue economy and environmental workforce. Simultaneously, it supports local communities by generating knowledge, fostering trust between institutions and community members, and informing solutions to pressing marine and coastal challenges. When intentionally embedded in undergraduate classrooms, labs, or fieldwork, community science can enhance student learning, expand the reach of scientific inquiry, and connect institutions to the communities they serve.
This session invites coastal and marine undergraduate educators and researchers to share case studies, strategies, and lessons learned from implementing community science in their teaching and scholarship. Presentations may explore approaches to building partnerships, co-developing research questions, scaffolding student participation, and navigating the complexities of community-based collaboration in coastal contexts. We welcome contributions that frame community science as a tool for workforce development, civic engagement, and deep learning through partnerships rooted in place and purpose. Through a series of diverse presentations, this session will highlight stories and approaches that demonstrate how community science can enrich undergraduate education and support meaningful place-based solutions.
Co-Sponsor(s):
Index Terms:
0810 Post-secondary education [EDUCATION]
0820 Curriculum and laboratory design [EDUCATION]
0825 Teaching methods [EDUCATION]
6630 Workforce [POLICY SCIENCES & PUBLIC ISSUES]
Primary Chair: Kerry Whittaker, Maine Maritime Academy, Corning School of Ocean Studies, Castine, United States
Co-Chair: LeAnn Whitney, Maine Maritime Academy, Corning School of Ocean Studies, Castine, United States
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