ICBO Results: Authenticity and Motivation

Understanding motivation for forming collaborations and doing ‘outreach’ in underserved communities is important. Authenticity is especially important in the language people use (does it signal superiority?), actions they take (are you genuinely interested in connecting?), and when dealing with conflicts. Taking time to express gratitude is important.

Video edited by Guava Rhee (Engaged Cornell student). Actor: Jose Miguel Hernandez Hurtado, director of La Joven Guardia del Teatro and community researcher member of the ICBOs.

ICBO Results: Third Best Man

Our research also indicates that science institutions will often send someone who has no experience in the community, no authority within the institution, and no decision making-power, to represent their institution at key planning and negotiation meetings.

Video edited by Guava Rhee (Engaged Cornell student). Actor: Jose Miguel Hernandez Hurtado, director of La Joven Guardia del Teatro and community researcher member of the ICBOs.

The Robin Hood Approach explained

We keep sharing our research findings in a series of creative videos. This time, the ICBOs express the Robin Hood Approach:

Community researchers found that many community organizations will put up with collaborations and partnerships that are untrustworthy, inequitable, frustrating, and lack transparency in order to obtain funds and opportunities that they feel can be channeled directly to their communities - ICBO Research.

Video edited by Guava Rhee (Engaged Cornell student). Actor: Jose Miguel Hernandez Hurtado, director of La Joven Guardia del Teatro Latino, Inc., and community researcher member of the ICBOs.

ICBO Research results: Trust and Transparency

Our research shows that developing genuine trust is one of the most important parts of a successful partnership between a STEM institution and a community-based organization. Because of a long history of inequities, developing trust needs to be a long-term commitment. There has to be continuity, openness, and a real desire to make it happen. Working through challenges successfully and spending time getting to know each other personally (socially outside of the project) increases trust.

Inequitable Collaborations-The Need for FULL ACCESS

Check out the wonderful stop-motion video created by one of our students, Isabella Armas-Leon, describing our research results focused on inequitable collaborations between more resourced Science Institutions and Community-based Organizations.

ICBOs New Project Showcased at PI Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Bobby Wilson ready to share our wonderful workbooks!

Bobby Wilson and Karen Purcell showcased our new NOISE project's poster during this year's Principal Investigator meeting in Washington, D.C.

This event, organized by the Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) is for PI's of projects supported by the NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program and others who take an active interest in broad strategic issues that cut across the informal science education field.

These PI Meetings offer an opportunity to discuss trends and issues in the field and we are excited that this time one of our community researchers who is also a Co-PI attended.

Bobby and Karen also presented at at the NSF PI Panel on Public Participation in Scientific Research/Citizen Science as a Force for Change along with two other researchers committed to community led participatory research.

Monica Ramirez-Andreotta, whose project is focused on building capacity in underserved communities and informing the safe and sustainable production of food sources, and Lucy Robinson who is reaching out to community-based orgs in London to work on bioblitzes as part of their Science Learning + project.

The panel PPSR/ “Citizen science” presents opportunities for authentic science engagement and science learning. Employing this approach in a more than cursory way raises fundamental questions about who determines what science is being done and for what purpose. How can addressing these questions, and engaging communities at the outset, create opportunities for new forms of science learning, and new models of scientific research?

What a nice way to start this year! Keeping it up with the ICBOs.

Bobby and Karen on a selfie ride.

Karen, Bobby and Tina proudly pose in front of our original poster.

Walking on Eggshells with Jose Miguel Hernandez Hurtado

Our research shows that community-based organizations don’t feel like they can be honest with partners when they see institutional racism. They feel like they are “walking on eggshells,” because addressing inequity might harm their organization or community.

In this video, Jose Miguel Hernandez, an artist and one of our community researchers, interprets one of the results of our research using body expressions.

Our video was recognized!

Thanks to everyone who voted for our video during the STEM for All video showcase May 14-21. Our video was among the top ten and received the Public Choice recognition!

We engaged in interesting public discussions which you can read at: http://stemforall2018.videohall.com/presentations/1127

During the public discussion we had the opportunity to share with people around the world the amazing experience of engaging in community-based participatory research. We emphasized that this is a collective work. We developed trust after working together one year and a half.

We are proud that each one of the communities participating in this research are using the results in their own communities which include urban farming, healing through music, hunting/fishing, birding, etc.

We want to give a special thanks to the WorldBeat Center in San Diego, one of the community organizations leading this research, for producing our video.

Why I got here and why it matters

Thirty-year educator John Annoni, founder of Camp Compass Academy in Allentown, Pennsylvania, shares his passion for his work. John is a leading force when it comes to building bridges between outdoor culture and inner city kids from underserved communities. Through "hunting and fishing in the pursuit of Mother Nature," he brings his perspective to our Community Perspectives' research.

Bobby Wilson talks about understanding the community's needs: practicality vs. academic research

This video was taken after our presentation at the Inaugural SEEDs conference. Bobby Wilson, one of the ICBO community researchers reflects on many of the presentations he saw at the conference. He expressed his frustration at what feels like a lack of common sense in Academia. Sometimes our lingo, academic language, statistics, exciting graphics, and empirical evidence just create barriers. Sometimes things can be said in a straightforward manner without using lingo. Sometimes we don't need statistics and high tech graphics to state the obvious. And, sometimes, we are so focused on getting published that we forget to keep it real. Perhaps, if we just sat together with the community and discussed solutions we might be able to accomplish more.

Bobby Wilson, Karen Purcell, José González and Marilú Lopez-

Fretts presenting at the Inagural SEEDs conference

Acknowledging History

Jose Gonzalez explains Trickle-down engagement and its effects on community-based organizations

Jose Gonzalez and Bobby Wilson during the inaugural conference of S.E.E.D.S. in Davis, California

Bobby, Makeda and John share how their work impacts their communities

Bobby Wilson Describes our Research to Increase Inclusion in the Sciences

ICBO Research presentation at ACGA Conference

Karen Purcell of The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and Bobby Wilson of Metro Atlanta Urban Farm shared preliminary results of the ICBO (Independent Community-based Organizations) research. The ICBO research explores issues that affect collaborations between community-based organizations and informal science institutions.