Dataset Information

Community Partnership Designed to Promote Lyme Disease Prevention and Engagement in Citizen Science.

ABSTRACT: The goal of this project is to promote Lyme disease prevention and to cultivate an interest in science through a citizen-science project coordinated by researchers at a public university and teachers at rural high schools. The lesson plan is designed to increase student interest in pursuing a science career through participation in an authentic research experience, utilizing a topic that has implications on the health of the surrounding community. Students are introduced in the classroom to zoonotic diseases transmitted by the Ixodes tick, the health risks of Lyme disease, and disease prevention strategies. Students then participate in a research experience collecting field data and ticks from their community, which are used in university research. To measure changes in student knowledge and attitudes toward Lyme disease and science careers, students completed surveys related to the learning objectives associated with the experience. We found participation in the activity increased student confidence and ability to correctly differentiate a deer tick from a wood tick and to recognize the symptoms of Lyme disease. In addition, students reported increased interest in pursuing a science degree in college or graduate school. Authentic research experience related to a disease relevant to the local community is effective at enhancing high school student engagement in science.

SUBMITTER: Seifert VA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4798818 | biostudies-other | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Community Partnership Designed to Promote Lyme Disease Prevention and Engagement in Citizen Science.

Seifert Veronica A VA Wilson Shane S Toivonen Samantha S Clarke Benjamin B Prunuske Amy A

Journal of microbiology & biology education 20160301 1

The goal of this project is to promote Lyme disease prevention and to cultivate an interest in science through a citizen-science project coordinated by researchers at a public university and teachers at rural high schools. The lesson plan is designed to increase student interest in pursuing a science career through participation in an authentic research experience, utilizing a topic that has implications on the health of the surrounding community. Students are introduced in the classroom to zoon ...[more]

PMID: 27047593

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectivesBroad international guidelines and studies in the context of individual clinical trials highlight the centrality of community stakeholder engagement in conducting ethically rigorous HIV prevention trials. We explored and identified challenges and facilitators for community stakeholder engagement in biomedical HIV prevention trials in diverse global settings. Our aim was to assess and deepen the empirical foundation for priorities included in the GPP guidelines and to highlight challenges in implementation that may merit further attention in subsequent GPP iterations.MethodsFrom 2008-2012 we conducted an embedded, multiple case study centered in Thailand, India, South Africa and Canada. We conducted in-depth interviews and focus groups with respondents from different trial-related subsystems: civil society organization representatives, community advocates, service providers, clinical trialists/researchers, former trial participants, and key HIV risk populations. Interviews/focus groups were recorded, and coded using thematic content analysis. After intra-case analyses, we conducted cross-case analysis to contrast and synthesize themes and sub-themes across cases. Lastly, we applied the case study findings to explore and assess UNAIDS/AVAC GPP guidelines and the GPP Blueprint for Stakeholder Engagement.ResultsAcross settings, we identified three cross-cutting themes as essential to community stakeholder engagement: trial literacy, including lexicon challenges and misconceptions that imperil sound communication; mistrust due to historical exploitation; and participatory processes: engaging early; considering the breadth of "community"; and, developing appropriate stakeholder roles. Site-specific challenges arose in resource-limited settings and settings where trials were halted.ConclusionsThis multiple case study revealed common themes underlying community stakeholder engagement across four country settings that largely mirror GPP goals and the GPP Blueprint, as well as highlighting challenges in the implementation of important guidelines. GPP guidance documents could be strengthened through greater focus on: identifying and addressing the community-specific roots of mistrust and its impact on trial literacy activities; achieving and evaluating representativeness in community stakeholder groups; and addressing the impact of power and funding streams on meaningful engagement and independent decision-making.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Disaster citizen science, or the use of scientific principles and methods by "non-professional" scientists or volunteers, may be a promising way to enhance public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) and build community resilience. However, little research has focused on understanding this emerging field and its implications for PHEP. To address research gaps, this paper: (1) assesses the state of disaster citizen science by developing an inventory of disaster citizen science projects; (2) identifies different models of disaster citizen science; and (3) assesses their relevance for PHEP. METHODS:We searched the English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature for disaster citizen science projects with no time period specified. Following searches, a team of three reviewers applied inclusion/exclusion criteria that defined eligible disasters and citizen science activities. Reviewers extracted the following elements from each project: project name and description; lead and partner entities; geographic setting; start and end dates; type of disaster; disaster phase; citizen science model; and technologies used. RESULTS:A final set of 209 projects, covering the time period 1953-2017, were included in the inventory. Projects were classified across five citizen science models: distributed or volunteer sensing (n =?19; 9%); contributory (n =?98; 47%); distributed intelligence (n =?52; 25%); collaborative research (n =?32; 15%); and collegial research (n =?8; 4%). Overall, projects were conducted across all disaster phases and most frequently for earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Although activities occurred globally, 40% of projects were set in the U.S. Academic, government, technology, and advocacy organizations were the most prevalent lead entities. Although a range of technologies were used, 77% of projects (n =?161) required an internet-connected device. These characteristics varied across citizen science models revealing important implications for applications of disaster citizen science, enhancement of disaster response capabilities, and sustainability of activities over time. CONCLUSIONS:By increasing engagement in research, disaster citizen science may empower communities to take collective action, improve system response capabilities, and generate relevant data to mitigate adverse health impacts. The project inventory established a baseline for future research to capitalize on opportunities, address limitations, and help disaster citizen science achieve its potential.

Dataset Information

Community Partnership Designed to Promote Lyme Disease Prevention and Engagement in Citizen Science.

Publications

Community Partnership Designed to Promote Lyme Disease Prevention and Engagement in Citizen Science.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets