Public Interest Technology Community Innovation Fellowship

Program Areas – Science and Technology Policy, Education and Engagement

Project Description

The Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology (ECAST) network—led by Arizona State University‘s Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes (CSPO), the Museum of Science, Boston, and SciStarter— and the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), with support from New America’s Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN), created a Public Interest Technology Community Innovation Fellowship (PITCIF) program for staff at eligible ASTC Science Center and Museum Members and their community partners. The goal was to address an emergent need to engage the public on science and technology policy issues by helping to develop a new generation of science engagement professionals who can work with local civic, government, and university partners to engage the public on science and technology issues that matter to their local communities. This fellowship was open to staff at eligible ASTC-member science and technology centers or museums who are interested in working with a government, nonprofit, or university partner and vise versa. Fellows worked in teams to design, develop, and convene an inclusive, informed, and diverse forum on a public interest technology topic relevant to the community.

Objectives

Forge a national partnership between the Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology (ECAST) and the Association of Science and Technology Center (ASTC).
Create a fellowship program and curriculum for science centers and museum professionals to work collaboratively with a civic, government, or university partner.
Pilot the program and curriculum at five ASTC member institutions in PIT-UN cities.
Mentor the fellows to design, develop, and convene community forums on a PIT topic of relevance.
Evaluate the fellowship program outcomes against its learning, capacity building and social impact goals.

Participants

The 2020 pilot cohort consisted of five teams from across the country. Each team will create their own public forums that are grounded in community needs and equity. Each team will initially engage a small group of community members in the planning phase to co-create their forums, and ensure that their approach will benefit the community they are aiming to reach.

Ann Arbor, MI: Jade Marks (Museum of Natural History) and Justin Schell (Shapiro Design Lab). Topic: Community owned data.
Los Angeles, CA: Sacha Van Voorhis (Discovery Cube) and Rebecca Ferdman (LA County Chief Sustainability Office) Topic: Environmental sustainability.
San Jose, CA: Anja Scholze (Tech Interactive) and Corinne Okada Takara (Xinampa). Topic: Biotechnology.
Waco, TX: Cindee Millard (Mayborn Museum Complex) and Melissa Mullins (Center for Reservoir and Aquatic Systems Research). Topic: Water equity and access.
Worcester, MA: Rachel Quimby (EcoTarium) and Stefanie Covino (City of Worcester). Topic: Heat resilience.