The Civic Science Media Lab (CS Media Lab) is working to map the civic nature of science which pertains to the interactions between the scientific enterprise and local communities in solving real-world problems and fostering informed decision-making. Why? Well, navigating the rapidly changing civic nature of science is incredibly difficult. Through the practice of civic science journalism, the primary goal is to make new knowledge, lived experiences, activities, behaviors, roles, motivations, and responsibilities across the landscape of civic science more accessible, informative, and actionable for interested parties such as scientists across different career stages, science engagement practitioners (science communicators, science journalists, science educators, funders, entrepreneurs) and local community leaders. 

Our framing of the term ‘media’ – plural of the word medium which refers to the environment in which something may function or flourish.

“Questions of the Day” is the flagship weekly program on the CivicSciTV Network that is hosted by Dr. Fanuel Muindi who is mapping the genotype and phenotype of the landscape of civic science via the lens of the on-the-ground lessons being learned by the scholars, practitioners, and local community leaders in academia, government, think tanks, non-profit organizations, start-ups, and others. Grounded in investigative civic science journalism, the show features action-oriented interviews to help scientists, educators, funders, engagers, policymakers, and other interested parties make sense of the latest developments in the civic science landscape. Insights from the ongoing mapping from the show has been published in external outlets such as Nature Biotechnology, Trends in Molecular Medicine, BioRxiv, and SciDev.

Special Series: Public Engagement with Science Training Programs; STEM in New York; Civic Science Journalism Collaborations; and more.

The QuickTake program is actively analyzing our ongoing engagements with stakeholders, and experiments with showcasing them in less than one minute via YouTube shorts. These nano-episodes are designed to serve as entry points for more in-depth reporting available on other programs. The goal is to provide the daily “beat” of coverage across the entire Network of programs. Direct submissions of rapid insights (in less than 60 seconds) from practitioners and scholars with relevance to our ongoing coverage can be submitted by clicking below:

The CivicSciEDU Program uses a train-the-trainers model. It features special mini-lecturers from various public engagement educators who showcase how they are teaching specific civic science topics in their courses. The target audience is anyone who is currently teaching or interested in incorporating civic science-related topics in their courses.

The CivicSciTV Newsroom Program is dedicated to bringing viewers the latest news and developments in the world of civic science in innovative ways. The program covers a broad spectrum of topics, ensuring that audiences are well-informed about the current events and breakthroughs shaping the field of civic science globally.

Current Host: Jake Krauss

Email Jake if you have a link to a recent development that could be included in his program. ([email protected])

Changemakers is a show on CivicSciTV that features conversations with founders and leaders of diverse civic science initiatives from around the world who share their personal and professional stories in the field.

Hosts:

Victoria Gonzalez: Jan 2022-Jan 2024

Fanuel Muindi: Jan 2020 – Jan 2022

The CivicSciTV Journal is a program that features ~8-10 video abstracts directly from scholars who share actionable insights from their latest published research across civic science areas (e.g., public engagement, participatory science, science communication, science journalism, science policy, etc). The main goal is to make civic science scholarship more accessible and actionable for diverse stakeholders.

Published a civic science related paper recently? Click below to submit a video abstract of the paper to the program:

The Civic Science Times is our print program that hosts reporters who cover the latest developments through investigative pieces, interviews with key figures across the civic science landscape, case studies, data visualizations, opinion pieces, and also features stories in science directly from scientists. The publication aims to inform and inspire scholars, practitioners, the public, and all other interested parties.

Ongoing Special Series: Scientist Stories in Science

Scientists – Have you published a research paper recently? Consider submitting the human stories behind the paper by clicking below:

The Perspective is an issues-focused show on CivicSciTV that features thought-provoking interviews with leading experts in different fields to examine science-related societal challenges, from climate change and public health to technology ethics and sustainable development, through the lens of civic science.

Hosts Diya Dwarakanath (2024 –

Email Diya if you have ideas for future segments that could be included on the program. ([email protected])

CivicSciTV Radio features carefully curated replays and analysis of the main coverage on CivicSciTV and the Civic Science Times. Additional in-depth interviews with diverse experts are also provided to cover topical issues related to civic science from various angles. The idea is to provide guests with different ways to share their insights to create a synergistic effect that enhances our overall coverage of the landscape.

Ongoing Series

‘Consider This Next’ with Kacie Luaders (New Episodes every month)

The CivicSciTV Sandbox Program serves as a platform for piloting new types of programs and storytelling formats. The program allows us to test new ideas of video coverage that could become part of our regular programming. We welcome ideas for new shows, series, and/or episodes on our network.