Abstract:

With the support of a CU Boulder Impact Grant, CIRES is working with the Office for Public and Community-Engaged Scholarship (PACES) to launch a microcredential program for community-engaged research, equipping researchers with the knowledge and skills required to meaningfully engage and partner with local communities. Participants will learn how to build and sustain equitable community research partnerships. The curriculum, offered through an open resource toolkit, incorporates Shared Equity Leadership approaches, Indigenous Knowledge, and equity lens principles. This curriculum was built through a collaboration between CIRES, MENV, ENVS and PACES, and the module titles are included below. We are looking for participants to sign up for the microcredential program this summer and earn a digital badge! Please come to this session to get access to the toolkit and consider signing up to participate this summer.

*Please note that the toolkit and microcredential program are only open to those who work at CU Boulder.

Speaker Bios:

Becca Edwards is the Director of Access and Cultural Innovation for CIRES. Becca received a BS in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College, a Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Science from Colorado College and a Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry from CU Boulder. She has worked in higher education for over 20 years, in student-facing and faculty-facing roles. She brings a broad background in social justice, professional development and teaching.

Rebecca Mesburis is a PhD candidate in atmospheric chemistry and a graduate student assistant for CIRES. Rebecca received a BSc in chemistry and environmental science from the University of Toronto. Her PhD research focuses on indoor air chemistry and its implications for human health, air quality, and climate. As a graduate student assistant, she has contributed to the development of the community-engaged research microcredential curriculum and program.

Millie Spencer is a PhD candidate in Geography and a member of the Mountain Hydrology Group in the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR). Millie received her BSc from Georgetown University in Science, Technology and International Affairs, and her MSc from the University of Oxford in Water Science, Policy and Management. Her PhD research documents glacier retreat and its downstream impacts in south-central Chile. Millie’s research weaves conventional western scientific methods of remote sensing and numerical modeling with local and Indigenous knowledge. She contributed as a student assistant to the development of the CER Toolkit.