Careful Planning is Key
After exploring ASTC’s Community Science Framework, you may be wondering how to get started in community science work. The following resources will help you assess your institutional readiness, initiate conversations with key stakeholders, identify opportunities to help, and build a foundation for equitable collaboration with communities.
"Getting Started" Discussion Guide
Community Science, as an emerging, collaborative, and justice-focused way of working, can encounter unique challenges. Staffing constraints, funding issues, community polarization around scientific issues, and more, can often make this collaborative work difficult. Overcoming potential obstacles and successfully leveraging your institution’s strengths to advance community priorities requires careful consideration and planning. The discussion guide poses questions around three broad stages of working collaboratively with community partners on community science initiatives:
- Building internal support
- Developing equitable relationships
- Co-creating projects
Attributes Rubric
This rubric was developed by the ASTC and partners to help teams plan, implement, assess, and
improve projects aligned with the Community Science Framework Attributes.
This rubric is designed to help your team reflect on your work and
identify opportunities for growth. Use it at multiple stages of a project, including:
- During planning and proposal development
- When you are starting to collaborate with a new partner
- When you hit a roadblock
- Evaluation
We’re here to help!
Please reach out to ASTC’s Community Science team with any questions that arise as you explore new community science work.