A case study in participatory science with mutual capacity building between university and tribal researchers to investigate drinking water quality in rural Maine.

Environmental Research
Tchelet SegevHarold Hemond

Abstract

Participatory science or citizen science is increasingly being recognized for providing benefits to scientists and community members alike. However, most participatory science projects include community researchers only in the sample collection phase of the research project. Here we describe how a rural tribal community and urban university utilized participatory science methods to engage community researchers across an entire research study, creating numerous opportunities for mutual capacity building. Researchers from MIT and the Sipayik Environmental Department, a tribal government department, partnered to co-launch a participatory science project to analyze municipal and private well drinking water quality in households in three Maine communities. The objective was to provide households with information about metals, primarily lead and arsenic, in their drinking water, and to improve public education, community partnerships, and local scientific capacity. MIT and Sipayik researchers engaged local communities through public community meetings, mailed flyers sent to residents, and meetings with local stakeholders. MIT and community researchers worked together to design and implement the study to quantify metals in community d...Continue Reading

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