Waterville, Maine — Waterville Creates!, a Maine non-profit corporation that supports the arts in central Maine, is pleased to announce Serena Sanborn, education and outreach coordinator at Waterville Creates!, has been invited to participate in the “Citizen Science in Theory and Practice Summer School” program organized by PhD fellows of the Vienna Doctoral School CoBeNe. While attending the school, Serena will have direct experience associated with Citizen Science and will share ideas and best practices with expert speakers and other participants. Only twenty-four individuals are selected each year to participate; Sanborn is the only participant from the United States to be accepted this year.
Citizen Science (CS) is becoming increasingly important within the research community and these workshops will focus on cultural diversity and international collaboration. The Citizen Science School will organize a citizen science project, provide applications for tracking, and advise attendees how to best present their findings. While in school, participants will work in teams on a number of active projects focusing on animal species, the collection, and the importance of data. Sanborn plans to incorporate her knowledge from Citizen Science to develop a project in collaboration with students from Thomas College and Colby College that will research Waterville’s species, including an urban species count—resulting in an illustrated guide to the common species of Waterville.
“They usually choose Ph.D. students and active biologists,” said Sanborn. “I think they liked my proposal which brings art and science together in a community setting. While in Austria, I will collaborate with innovative scientists who integrate art in their research process. I’m looking forward to these discussions and to bring ideas back to Waterville. It’s incredibly exciting!”
About Waterville Creates!
Waterville Creates! is a non-profit on a mission to promote, support, and grow greater Waterville’s arts and cultural scene. Collaborating with regional arts and culture institutions and their supporters, together we are strengthening our community as a vibrant creative center, increasing access to creative opportunities. Learn more at https://www.watervillecreates.org and learn more about our ongoing community capital campaign for the Downtown Arts Center at http://www.downtownartscenter.org.