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Independent nonprofit collective
About the lab
The Civic Science Media Lab (CSML) is an independent nonprofit civic science solutions journalism collective documenting the people, organizations, projects, ideas, and lived experiences shaping the diverse practices at the intersection of science and society.
We document and analyze diverse civic science practices to inform, educate, and inspire.
The people, projects, ideas, organizations, and lived experiences shaping the field.
Make civic science more visible and useful to current and next-generation practitioners and broader publics.
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We make civic science visible across formats
CSML produces original reporting across video, audio, photography, and digital publishing.
Video
Interviews, briefings, explainers, and field-facing conversations with people shaping civic science practice.
02 / LISTENAudio
Long-form conversations and portable reflections that surface ideas, tensions, and lessons from the field.
03 / SEEPhotography
Photojournalism that documents people, spaces, programs, and civic science work as it happens.
04 / READDigital publishing
Reporting, research digests, essays, interviews, field notes, and analysis for practitioners and scholars.
03 / Why it matters
Civic science is rapidly growing, but much of it remains below the surface.
Work at the intersection of science and society is often siloed and scattered across programs, funders, universities, museums, community groups, policy spaces, and independent initiatives.
Our role is to document this work as it unfolds in practice, surfacing lessons that can inform others across the landscape.
To learn how this work has evolved over time, explore our lab history and updates.
Learn about our history04 /
We combine interviews, analysis, and mapping to track civic science
Interviews
We interview 100+ practitioners, scholars, funders, entrepreneurs, educators, and community leaders each year to understand their civic science work in context.
Synthesis
We triangulate interviews with publicly available information to surface patterns, tensions, and emerging directions across civic science.
Archiving
We map and archive organizations, grants, training programs, publications, and emerging initiatives to make the field easier to navigate.
05 / What we cover
We use civic science as a connective term for diverse practices at the intersection of science and society.
Scaffolding for Learning and Impact
Our journalism aligns closely with the Rita Allen Foundation pillar by adding a layer of translation between scholars, practitioners, and community leaders. Learn more.
UN Sustainable Development Goal 17
Our work fosters stronger partnerships, knowledge sharing, and cross-sector collaboration by making civic science insights more accessible and actionable. Learn more.
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Example use cases of our work
Our foundational coverage supports the civic science ecosystem in practical ways—from classrooms and newsrooms to research, funding, and program design.
Educators at high schools, colleges, and universities can integrate our ongoing coverage into curricula to strengthen civic science literacy. Media outlets can incorporate insights from our engagements with diverse stakeholders into their journalism.
Researchers and practitioners can follow emerging developments and collaborations, while decision-makers across universities, philanthropy, business, government, and nonprofits can use the coverage to guide strategy and investment.
Education
Use CSML reporting in courses, workshops, seminars, and training programs.
Journalism
Draw on field insights, interviews, and case studies to strengthen coverage.
Research & practice
Track emerging ideas, methods, programs, and collaborations.
Decision-making
Inform strategy, funding priorities, partnerships, and program design.
07 / Articles, books & reports
Publications enabled by our work
Discovering civic science and telling the negative committee to shut up again
The case for a global fund for science education
Visualizing the Landscape of Training Initiatives for Scientists in Public Engagement
Mapping the funding landscape for public engagement with science
Journeys in Science: Inspiring the Next Generation
Emerging network of resources for exploring paths beyond academia
Human narratives in science: The power of storytelling
View all publications→
08 / Who we serve
Built for diverse audiences at the intersection of science and society
Our work is for those trying to understand, build, fund, study, evaluate, teach, and engage with civic science solutions.