This April, we welcomed Dr. Caren Cooper from NC State to discuss best practices for researchers leading participatory science research. Dr. Cooper led us in a workshop, sharing lessons learned from the IDEAL (Inclusive, Diverse, Equitable, Accessible, Large-Scale) Participatory Sciences program. How can we design for equity, inclusion, accessibility in participatory projects? How can we analyze our positionality to minimize biases and prepare strategies to create multicultural projects? We worked together in small groups to explore our own positionalities and to look at positionality tools from all aspects—even the potential negatives. We were able to know each other on a deeper level and some of us even wrote a haiku to commemorate the occasion. Thank you so much to Dr. Cooper who learned right along with us and to everyone who helped organize this event.
