The Community Science Liaison (CSL) program is designed to interweave place- and curriculum-based citizen science projects into K-12 schools across Canada, focussing on Albertan schools in the initial phase.

One of the aims of CSL is to bridge between science and society with impactful programs and resources, and to instil a sense of pride and place for those students taking part.

CSL’s other aims are to:

1. Empower students through citizen science and prevent the development of science/math anxieties
2. Connect students with scientists who bring passion to their field and can be role models and mentors, creating strong communities between post-secondary education, K-12 education, and families
3. Encourage students to pursue STEM in their futures (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)
4. Get children outdoors and involved in environmental stewardship
5. Engage students within the Alberta science curriculum

Participants can drive some of the big science questions and use Canada as their own ‘laboratory’ to help explain these scientific concepts and to better understand how to mitigate natural hazards, deal with demand on natural resources and focus on global change, primarily climate change.

Resources have been developed, designed to compliment the Albertan K-12 curriculum, and can be used as stand alone modules or as part of a wider module. They encourage students to become citizen scientists, question the reliability of science resources, use real-life data and to instil a sense of pride and place. There are resources for teachers/ parents, as well as for the students.

CSL will run parallel to current scientific programs, such as EON-ROSE, meaning that students will be able to use real-life data when taking part.