Congratulations to our 2009 Citizen Science Paper Competition Winners!
 Maura Allaire, Graduate Category Winner for "Drought Mitigation in Semi-Arid Africa: The Potential of Small-Scale Groundwater Irrigation": Maura Allaire is currently an Energy Policy Research Assistant at Resources for the Future, a natural resources think tank in Washington, DC. Her project areas include energy efficiency, renewable energy, access to oil and natural gas, and China climate policy. Maura earned a B.S. in Geology and Economics from Tufts University in May 2006. While on a Fulbright Scholarship in Ghana, she evaluated groundwater and surface water interactions around small irrigation reservoirs. The International Water Management Institute hosted Maura in Ghana and her field work contributed towards better planning and management of small reservoirs. Maura was also recently selected to be on the SustainUS Agents of Change delegation to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development this May at UN headquarters in New York.
 Mara Gittleman, Undergraduate Category Winner for "Urban Expansion in Addis Ababa: Effects of the Decline of Urban Agriculture on Livelihood and Food Security": Mara is a senior at Tufts University majoring in Environmental Studies and American Studies. For two and a half years, she was a leading officer of Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO), one of the only environmental advocacy groups on campus. She was also advertising manager of Oxfam Café, a café on campus run entirely by student volunteers that prides itself on selling fair trade and organic products when it can at an affordable rate for students, and where all profits go to Oxfam America. During the summer of 2006, she worked as assistant director, field manager, and campaign coordinator for the Princeton and New Brunswick, NJ offices of Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), where her responsibilities included hiring, training, managing, and directing a crew of canvassers going door-to-door, fundraising, giving speeches, and petitioning for environmental campaigns. Mara has conducted research related to environmental and social sustainability in three locations, including Boston, Massachusetts, for which she is writing a senior honors thesis about urban agriculture and food security, San Ramón, Costa Rica, where she researched and worked with communities experiencing water scarcity conflict, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she researched the effect of urban expansion on agriculture in the city and on urban food security.
 Sara Asad, High School and Under Category Winner for "Not Cast in Concrete": Sara is a rising sophomore at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. She was born in Pakistan and moved to the United States early in her childhood. She enjoys reading and writing in her free time and loves to swim and play badminton. Her extracurricular activities include Model United Nations and volunteering at a daycare. Sara is fascinated by the latest developments in the field of science and technology that enhance our community and world, and hope to be part of such a project one day.
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Enter the Citizen Science Paper Competition Today!
Deadline 1 Mar 2010
The Citizen Science Paper Competition is now open for the year 2009-2010!
Youth ages 13-26 are invited to submit original scientific research or position papers to the Citizen Science Technical Board for the 2009 Citizen Science paper competition! Winners will, in addition to publication, have the chance to present their work at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD), convening at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC) from May 4-15, 2009.
"The ability to speak before some of the most influential people in the
world was indeed an honor and something that I will remember for years to come."
– Lee Blaney, 2005 Citizen Scientist
Top Five Reasons To Submit Your Work:
- Share your passion for addressing the world’s toughest challenges through sound science.
- Join the SustainUS delegation to the 18th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York.
- Present your work and communicate the importance of youth involvement to international leaders.
- Get published in Citizen Science.
- Start a relationship with the premier youth-run network for sustainable development-SustainUS!
Citizen Science, the science and technology program of SustainUS, is hosting its annual paper competition. The winning submission from each group will be published in Citizen Science, an online journal that honors youth in the United States that are interested in enriching public dialogue with innovative and scientific approaches to sustainable development. In addition, authors of winning submissions will have the opportunity of presenting their paper at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development’s 18th Session (UN CSD-18) in New York City in May 2010. At UN CSD-18, SustainUS will be joined by the US State Department in recognizing your initiative, leadership and insight.
Papers should be written for a non-scientific audience on natural or social science topics related to the economic, social, technological or environmental dimensions of sustainable development addressed by the current session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. UN CSD-17’s thematic issues are: Transport, Chemicals, Mining, Waste Management (Hazardous & Solid), and 10th Programme of Action for Sustainable Production & Consumption Patterns.
Papers need not describe original research, though original research is welcome and encouraged. Based on current education affiliation, submissions will be divided and judged in the following groups: middle and high school, undergraduate and graduate.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 1, 2009. Please submit your paper to the Citizen Science Technical Board. Please direct all paper submissions and questions to CitizenScience[at]SustainUS[dot]org
For winning papers from previous years, please refer to Citizen Scientist Archives.
For more information, please refer to 2010 Paper Competition Guidelines and Entry Form 78.64 Kb or send an email to CitizenScience[at]SustainUS[dot]org
Publications
Citizen Scientist is an online publication, that celebrates and honors the winners of Citizen Science's Annual Paper Competition. The competition is SustainUS's intiative to promote youth engagement in scientific research. The Citizen Science Annual Paper Competition winners are selected through a competitive process and all entries are peer reviewed by a Technical Board comprised of emerging scientists.
Citizen Scientist Archives
To download a current copy of Citizen Scientist, please click  here. (Note: This is a large file and may take a few minutes to download.)
If you are interested in learning more about the Citizen Science Annual Paper Competition or would like to become more involved in the program, please feel free to browse the site. If you have any questions, please direct them to CitizenScience [at] SustainUS [dot] org.
Presentation of papers to UN CSD-16
 Presentation of papers to UN CSD-15
Citizen Scientist 2008
FAQ about the Annual Paper Competition
Q. What are the benefits of submitting a paper? What do the winners receive?
A. Winners will, in addition to publication, have the chance to present their work at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UN CSD), convening at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC) from May 3-14, 2010.
Q. Is there a theme or themes for the papers?
A. The current UN CSD thematic topics serve as themes for our paper competition. Each paper submitted must fall into one or more of these categories. The UN CSD 17 thematic topics are:
- Transport
- Chemicals
- Mining
- Hazardous Waste Management
- Solid Waste Management
- 10th Programme of Action for Sustainable Consumption & Production Patterns
Q. What should I include with my paper when I submit it? How do I submit a paper?
A. Make sure to include the information as requested in the call for papers. Send papers to CitizenScience[at]SustainUS[dot]org
Q. Is there a page length requirement or limit?
A. There is no page requirement, but there is a limit of 4, 000 words.
Q. What is the deadline for submitting a paper?
A. Papers are accepted on a rolling basis, until March 1, 2010.
Q. Can the papers have multiple authors?
A. Yes, the papers can have multiple authors. Scientific papers are commonly a collaborative effort, so this is permitted. If selected as a winning paper, only one of the authors may represent the paper at the UN CSD.
Q. Can I both submit a paper and serve on the Citizen Science Technical Board?
A. No. This could create an unfair bias to the paper submitted. If this describes you, we encourage you to submit your paper this year and serve on the 2010 Technical Board.
Q. Who should I contact with further questions about the paper competition?
A. Contact CitizensScience[at]SustainUS[dot]org for questions or comments.
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Citizen Science 