Public Engagement

An integral part of my scholarship is to connect to the public and local communities where I am working. I do this through partnering with NGOs to study a topic as well as the NGO itself, communicating social science to a broader audience, working closely with the communities under study, and connecting the classroom to the public as much as possible. 

Communicating Social Science to a Broader Audience

I communicate science to a broader audience by: 

• Presenting social science results to a variety of audiences, including professionals, academics from international communities, and students (see video).
• Partnering with NGOs and other community organizations that I am investigating to conduct research.
• Returning to communities after collecting data to present results. 

Learning from Public Leaders in Social and Environmental Change

I learn from social and environmental change makers by:

• Participating in university - community partnerships to engage leaders, like the Community Change Collaborative at Virginia Tech.
• Collecting data from community leaders as part of my research.
• Inviting community leaders to campuses so that they can speak of their praxis.

Ramon Zepeda, Anna Erwin, and Max Stephenson in front a Beehive collective poster during Ramon's visit to Community Voices.

Connecting Students to the Public

Students learning about composting toilets and sanitation with an NGO in Peru.

I connect students to public communities by:

• Inviting community leaders into the classroom to explain their challenges and opportunities as professionals.
• Taking students to communities and conducting service with communities, both in the US and in Peru.
• Assigning students research projects where they apply social science methods to investigate social-ecological issues. 

---