Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences

The Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences (AAPS) is a member-driven organization that connects people from a wide range of experiences around one shared purpose: advancing knowledge through research and monitoring done by, for, and with members of the public.

AAPS is a home for sharing insights from across many related approaches and traditions: citizen science, community science, and volunteer monitoring are just a few. The participatory sciences are expanding the reach, relevance, and impact of science in almost every area of inquiry; in the field and online; through local and global efforts. With increased attention to participatory sciences, AAPS brings depth to how participatory sciences are understood both as public engagement and as research, and shines a light on the integrity and complexity of the practice.

Our core services:

Conference and Virtual Events
Peer Reviewed & Open Access Journal: Citizen Science: Theory and Practice
Skills Based Webinars
Field Building Groups
Curated Resources
Monthly Newsletters

Who we serve:

We reach an audience of over 10,000 people who design, lead, manage, and study the participatory sciences to exchange knowledge, identify shared concerns, and advance innovative work. Multidisciplinary and multidimensional by nature, participatory sciences depend on connections to forge collaborations, foster synergies, highlight practices that strengthen these efforts, and accelerate the pace of improvement. We partner with sister organizations on other continents to engage a global conversation, but focus our convening and communication efforts towards a North American audience. We work to build strategic alliances with other societies (of disciplines and practices) to keep expectations for participatory sciences appropriately high.

Association members directly support our work to advance the field of participatory sciences. Members build their professional network and shape the future of the field by contributing to working groups and by voting on key decisions about direction, priorities, and leadership for the association.

A number of organizations and institutions support AAPS through annual memberships. AAPS’ organizational affiliates include universities, municipalities, tech companies, non-profits, and other formal groups both large and small – groups that are proudly standing up in support of innovation and integrity in this field.

Members and non-members alike can sign up to receive updates through a monthly newsletter, and are welcome to join a discussion listserv for sharing questions, ideas, innovations, and announcements among peers in this field.