Philadelphia Community Science Spotlight
This event took place on Thursday, July 29.
See below for a video recording.
Photograph by Brent Wahl
July 29 from 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m. EST
Join us on July 29 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on Zoom as we discover the various community science projects Philadelphia institutions are organizing. Public engagement in science has always been important in collecting data and observing the natural world. Through flash talks about their projects in community science, these institutions will comment on that importance. Participating organizations will also share how the public can get involved by taking an active role in their community.
About the Presenters and their Institutions
Wingyi Kung (she/her/hers) is a Visitor Service Specialist at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, where she fosters new community partnerships and develops engaging environmental programs. She holds a B.S. in Biology from the State University of New York Binghamton and a M.S. in Entomology from Pennsylvania State University. She cultivated a love for the complex interdependence of ecosystems in the woods and shores of Maine, New York, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. She has found a home in Philadelphia, where she is dedicated to uplifting the community and increasing equity in all aspects of her life.
Wingyi will be highlighting all the great programs that the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge has to offer to get you started on being a naturalist! She will also introduce iNaturalist, a plant and wildlife identification app, and the annual City Nature Challenge.
Chloe Wang (she/her/hers) is the River Programs Coordinator at Bartram’s Garden, where her role includes leading community science programming, teaching boat building, supporting public boating and fishing programs, and working on a host of collaborative projects. She also serves on the Steering Committee of the Alliance for Watershed Education and helps to plan professional development activities for that network. Chloe holds a B.S. in Chemistry from Haverford College, and has participated in research ranging in focus from Gulf of Mexico oil to honeybee health, deep sea microbe-mineral interactions, and plastics in the Delaware River Watershed.
In this presentation, Chloe will share how high school interns, adult volunteers, and staff at Bartram’s Garden have been working together since 2018 to monitor water quality issues affecting the public boating programs they help to deliver, and advocating to regulatory agencies for better protection of the tidal Schuylkill River. Chloe will speak to the unique context, design, and impact of this program, and how it models principles of meaningful community science.