Our lab has been growing! We currently observe over 40 organizations in Bloomington with a dedicated team of 21 active research assistants. Our Program Manager has written a few blog posts to share some of our research methods and initial findings on civic engagement.
In my first year of graduate school, I remember being frustrated about language barriers. Not the language barriers expected in completing a PhD in German, but rather the density of [English] academic jargon that presented itself as brilliant theory through dense article or book format. Translating research into a language that non-academics can understand is important as research findings should be of benefit to everyone. In my new role, I've written a few blog posts describing the research methods used by and some initial outcomes from the Observing Civic Engagement Lab--hopefully in a way that is accessible to a greater variety of people. For those of you curious about our lab, the first post "In the room where it happens" gives an overview of our methods and what kind of data we are collecting. You can also find out just what exactly a civil society organization is [think community!], learn about the kinds of spaces people use to meet [think parks and libraries but also private residences and church basements!], and look at the geography of meeting places in Bloomington [mostly along transportation lines!] in the other posts. https://lnkd.in/giqnpzFW https://lnkd.in/g9htD_cr https://lnkd.in/g6D-M8wv https://lnkd.in/g88UUEiv