CCC Open Calls for Workshop Participation

The Community Computing Consortium (CCC) welcomes researchers and experts to apply to participate in our upcoming visioning workshops through responding to an open call. CCC looks forward to your participation.

CCC Grand Challenges for the Convergence of Computational and Citizen Science Research Workshop Participation Open Call

Update: The deadline has passed to apply to attend the in-person “Grand Challenges for the Convergence of Computational and Citizen Science Research CCC Workshop,” but reach out to Haley Griffin (hgriffin@cra.org) if you would still like to be considered. Individuals are still welcome to fill out this form for virtual discussions.

Workshop title: Grand Challenges for the Convergence of Computational and Citizen Science Research

Workshop activities: One in-person workshop, and four virtual workshop discussions (two before and two after the event). The in-person workshop will be a day and a half, and the virtual discussions will be approximately one hour. The virtual sessions will solicit input for and seek feedback on subsequent findings of the in-person workshop. Participants are not expected to attend more than one discussion.

In-person workshop timing and location: April 8 to 9, 2025 (with an opening dinner on April 7) in Washington, DC

Workshop application: If interested in attending either an in-person meeting, virtual session, or both, please apply using this form by Wednesday, October 9. For in-person attendance, submit an extended abstract of your current research or of open research questions that the workshop should address (500-1000 words). Abstracts can be aligned with one or more of the Focus Areas listed below or another important topic at the intersection of computing and citizen science research not covered in the Focus Areas. Abstracts are not required to attend a virtual session. For those indicating interest in participating in virtual sessions, further information on dates and topics will be sent when available.

Workshop goals: to bring together experts across relevant disciplines to develop a research agenda on how humans and machines may team up to solve some of the most pressing scientific problems through citizen science, crowdsourcing, and community-engaged science. As with past CCC workshops, the outcomes are expected to set a research agenda for the community and to inform government and federal institutions.

Workshop focus areas:

Human-computer Teaming: Leveraging human and AI collaboration to enhance data analysis and problem-solving (e.g., Real-time Data Processing; Anomaly Detection; Data Quality).
Computational Citizen Science: Enhancing citizen science efforts through the use of data analysis, mathematical modeling, computational simulations, and automation of data collection, analysis, and interpretation (e.g., enabling citizen science through AI Assistants).
Citizen Science Data Cyberinfrastructure, Software, Tools, and the Cloud: Enhancing citizen science efforts by providing and maintaining robust cyberinfrastructure and cloud computing resources.
Enabling Citizen Science through Low-cost Sensor Development and Use: Developing, testing, and evaluating affordable and accessible sensors to empower communities, volunteers, and other contributors.
Citizen Science Trust, Equity, Ethics, and Responsible AI: Exploring ethical and social implications of integrating AI with citizen science (e.g., data bias, quality of AI-derived science, public data for public good, AI-enabled data extraction and incentives).
Citizen Science Privacy and Security: Addressing cybersecurity, security, and mis-/dis-information in citizen science projects and platforms (e.g., masking volunteer information, cognitive security).
Broadening Participation at the intersection of Computing and Citizen Science Research: Reducing participation barriers and fostering inclusive engagement.
Cyberlearning through Citizen Science: Using AI and other computational tools to improve training and education within citizen science and community-engaged science.

Broadening participation: Citizen science and related participatory science projects, especially as enabled by ML/AI, are global (not limited to a particular location or even country). On the other hand, there is an imbalance between the places where ML/AI is produced versus where the impact of citizen science/participatory science is most urgently needed (e.g., biodiversity spaces, infrastructure-poor countries, etc.). Thus, it is critical to have representation from the “consumers” of the ML/AI-enabled citizen science, both for it to be truly participatory and to ensure the representation of that perspective in the meeting.

Participant selection: Due to space limitations for the in-person meeting, the workshop planning committee will evaluate and select participants based on the submitted abstracts’ relevance to the workshop topic. As well, the planning committee will pay close attention to several factors to broaden participation, including demographics, area of expertise, career stage, type of university (e.g., R01, R02, HBCU, MIS, Tribal college), and geography. Notifications of accepted abstracts will be sent by mid-November. Accepted extended abstracts will be published on the workshop website as read-ahead material before the workshop and to inspire the next generation of researchers.

Travel expenses: As part of our commitment to making this event accessible to the community, CCC offers travel funding reimbursement to eligible participants. However, if you or your organization has the funds to cover your travel expenses (or even a portion of your travel expenses), CCC would appreciate the support. To be eligible for reimbursement, please read and follow the CRA Uniform Policy. Please reach out to Haley Griffin (hgriffin@cra.org) if you have any questions about these policies.

CCC and the workshop organizers look forward to your submission!