Writing Citizen Science and Community in the Niagara Region
This project invites students to use their academic research and writing skills to impact current communities and political conversations about local and global sustainability in the wake of increasing land development within the world-famous Niagara Falls biome.
Project description
Using academic research and writing skills, students will participate in environmental civic engagement at a variety of government and public levels within the extensive ecological networks of the Niagara Falls biome. Students will apply writing and communication-based environmental knowledge to real-world problems faced by local and national partners, developing connections that bridge the gap between the classroom and the professional world. Working with local nonprofits invested in a continued, sustainable economic development of the region including and surrounding the world-famous, UNESCO Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, students will analyze what nonprofits do to raise critical awareness with public stakeholders in order to create meaningful change. Students will work directly with nonprofit partners as they research the most effective ways to promote the unique relationships between the region’s environment and its economic developmental needs, crafting persuasive writing aimed at the public sector through multiple channels. Students will use different media platforms to promote awareness of community issues that go beyond local levels, working to engage government officials at the state and national levels.
Project outcome
As a culminating project, students will each conceptualize and write an article or letter that showcases their work with local nonprofits, to be submitted to and, if relevant, published in local, state, and national outlets such as political offices and newspapers. Targeting both local and broader publication venues and audiences demonstrates to students how theoretical knowledge is translated to the shared spaces of real-world civic engagement. The project will give students exposure to local communities as well as how zoning codes and public opinions develop over time, which mirror discussions occurring in communities across the United States. To that end, our work serves as a model for potential communal growth beyond the Buffalo region. Students will sharpen their communication skills in order to promote continued and advanced public discussion.
Project details
| Length of commitment | Longer than a semester; 6-9 months |
| Start time | Fall or Winter |
| In-person, remote, or hybrid? | In-Person Project |
| Level of collaboration | Small group project (2-3 students) |
| Benefits | Stipend |
| Who is eligible | Sophomores, Juniors & Seniors |
Core partners
- Local Non-Profits
Project mentor
Allison Siehnel
Clinical Assistant Professor
English
Phone: (716) 645-0692
Email: asiehnel@buffalo.edu
Start the project
- Email the project mentor using the contact information above to express your interest and get approval to work on the project. (Here are helpful tips on how to contact a project mentor.)
- After you receive approval from the mentor to start this project, click the button to start the digital badge. (Learn more about ELN's digital badge options.)
Preparation activities
Once you begin the digital badge series, you will have access to all the necessary activities and instructions. Your mentor has indicated they would like you to also complete the specific preparation activities below. After you’re approved to begin the project, your mentor will send the relevant materials. Please reference this when you get to Step 2 of the Preparation Phase.
- Short reading list of articles on civic engagement and citizen science which will be provided
- Attend at least one event with local non-profit partners
- Familiarize themselves with the local zoning laws related to non-profit partners
- Watch relevant videos, which will be provided
- Meet with one or two local non-profits, arranged by the professor
Keywords
Citizen Science, Development, Environment, Ecology, Conservation, Zoning, Sustainability, Writing, Communication, Community