FAQs

×

When do I have to be back for Citizen Science 2021?

The first day of class for Citizen Science is January 14, 2021. Student arrival day for this session will be dependent upon COVID travel guidance as defined by the state of NY.  Please see the Bard College Response Team page for the latest information.
 

×

What will our Citizen Science schedule look like?

There are 11 Core class sessions and 9 Lab sessions. Core and Lab sessions average 2.5 to 3 hours each and there are (usually) two such sessions each day. There are no classes over the three day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend (January 16-17-18), and there are also no classes Sunday January 24. The Research Strand labs will be meeting on Saturday January 23.  All others do not have lab that day.
Note: Friday January 29 classes end at noon.

Class meeting times depend upon your section and your strand. 

Your section will either be hybrid (lab in-person and Core online) or fully remote (both lab and core online). You will get to decide during registration if you wish to be fully remote.  The first day of class, January 14, 2021 is core only, no labs, so that day will be fully remote for all students. Additional details on the class schedule will be posted when they become finalized.

×

What’s the difference between a Core session and a Lab session?

All Citizen Science faculty will be teaching from the same curriculum for the 11 Core sessions.  This curriculum was written by a committee of Bard full-time faculty and has been designed specifically for Bard students to integrate with their Bard experience in Annandale.  We have done substantial revisions for 2021 to enable the Core to be taught remotely in a rich and meaningful way.
There are five different lab strands: Research, Data Analysis, Policy, Communication and Education. See the Lab Strand pages for more information.

×

How will I be assigned into one of the five lab strands?

Students will be emailed an online survey during the fall semester asking them to rank order their lab strand preferences.  Historically, 100 percent of the students that registered their rank-ordered preferences were registered into their first or second choice of lab strand.  Students requesting a fully remote section will be placed in such.

×

Is there any difference between sections within a lab strand?

Some sections are hybrid and some are fully remote.  In addition,  there may be some minor differences based upon student interests and faculty expertise. But the core will be the same throughout all Citizen Science sections.

×

Why did my section change on BIP?

The initial posting was only tentative and was based upon the information available at the time. If you’d like to discuss how the assignments were made and why things changed, please make an appointment to meet with Mary Krembs, Director of Citizen Science. She’d be happy to explain it all to you. 

×

Can students change their Citizen Science section?

No. There is no add-drop within Citizen Science. Students were given the opportunity to rank-order their lab strand in the fall. Specific requests for specific sections are not possible.

×

What books are required for Citizen Science 2021?

The two required books for Citizen Science are: 
Water 4.0: The Past, Present and Future of the World's Most Vital Resource, by David Sedlak
and What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City by Mona Hanna-Attisha

These books are electronically available through the Stevenson Library. To access the e-book version, go to:
https://www.bard.edu/library/
Underneath the red search bar, go to catalogs (2^nd from the left) in the darker red bar, and where it says Keyword – do the drop down and select title.  Then, type in the name of the book, either
Water 4.0 by David Sedlak
 Or
 What the Eyes Don’t See by Mona Hanna-Attisha
Hit SUBMIT
Click on the book title, and then click on
Connect to Electronic book, click to view
And you will be directed to your login page with instructions.
Type the first part of your bard email address (not @bard.edu) and your login password.

For those who prefer to have a physical copy of these books, they are available through the Campus Bookstore through the links below:
Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource, by David Sedlak
What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, by Mona Hanna-Attisha. 

×

What is the required reading assignment before we return in January?

All students are required to read

1. The first four chapters of Water 4.0 by David Sedlak
2. The entire book What the Eyes Don't see by Mona Hanna-Attisha

prior to the start of the Citizen Science program. You should be reading actively: underlining key points, writing notes and questions in the margins. If you use an audio book, you will still need to have a text version for use in class. 

×

Do we really have class on Saturday, January 23, 2021?

If you are in the Research Strand, then YES, Saturday, January 23, 2021 is a half day of classes, lab session only.  Bacteria doesn't grow on a "weekday only schedule".  So you will need to come in and manage the experiments!