Connecting People to Nature
Lee Ann Rodríguez is being honored as a Champion of Change for her dedication to increasing public engagement in science and science literacy.
I was introduced to the concept of citizen science around five years ago, after being drawn into an NSF-funded project of my organization. Looking back to that moment, and although I was not familiar with this concept at the time, I was captivated by the opportunity to be part of something so unique that could have a meaningful impact on individuals of all walks of life.
Our Citizen Science project aimed at engaging individuals as participants in research that would expand our knowledge of the ecological inventory and interactions within our Hacienda La Esperanza Nature Reserve. We were able to complete that goal by the end of the project, but what was really fulfilling was that we achieved so much more than that: we created a group of citizens brought together by science and by an extraordinary sense of community.
Children as young as nine joined seniors as ripe as ninety-two in learning and sharing their knowledge about nature and the services it provides. Students and school dropouts, working professionals and unemployed from diverse disciplines, they all chose to be part of a movement presenting an inclusive alternative to doing science.
Many applied their citizen science experience to academic and career choices, and others to community issues or everyday life situations. But what’s really amazing is that most came back, time after time to keep the movement alive, and that many are still active in our organization and in their communities through volunteerism, leadership, and collaborations.
More than a tool of informal science education, citizen science has proven to be a system where individuals can connect to others and to nature through science. I am honored to be a White House Champion of Change, and I am so proud to work hand-in-hand with my organization’s staff and citizen scientists to make it all happen.
Lee Ann Rodríguez is Para la Naturaleza’s Development Manager. Her organization is the new unit of the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, a non-profit dedicated to land conservation in the islands of Puerto Rico.
Lee Ann Rodríguez is the DBAc in Resource Development Manager at the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico.
White House Blogs
- The White House Blog
- Middle Class Task Force
- Council of Economic Advisers
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Council on Women and Girls
- Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- Office of Management and Budget
- Office of Public Engagement
- Office of Science & Tech Policy
- Office of Urban Affairs
- Open Government
- Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships
- Social Innovation and Civic Participation
- US Trade Representative
- Office National Drug Control Policy
categories
- AIDS Policy
- Alaska
- Blueprint for an America Built to Last
- Budget
- Civil Rights
- Defense
- Disabilities
- Economy
- Education
- Energy and Environment
- Equal Pay
- Ethics
- Faith Based
- Fiscal Responsibility
- Foreign Policy
- Grab Bag
- Health Care
- Homeland Security
- Immigration
- Innovation Fellows
- Inside the White House
- Middle Class Security
- Open Government
- Poverty
- Rural
- Seniors and Social Security
- Service
- Social Innovation
- State of the Union
- Taxes
- Technology
- Urban Policy
- Veterans
- Violence Prevention
- White House Internships
- Women
- Working Families
- Additional Issues