Education

Our training and courses create opportunities for students, community members, researchers and others to gain knowledge, awareness and skills needed to overcome obstacles eroding the trustworthiness of scientists and inclusion of all people in science.

Our Programs

This year-long undergraduate program trains Biology majors with skills needed to make research more equitable, welcoming, and collaborative. During the fall semester, fellows learn to apply civic science frameworks. In the spring semester, students practice and implement these skills through community-based internships. We prepare students for complex leadership roles where they can expand public participation in research.

This was done in partnership with PGED, Asymmetrix, CREST, ADAPT, Center for Health, Environment, and Justice, Tufts CTSI, BlueBridge, Museum of Science, Tufts Center for Drug Development, and Boston COVID Recovery Cohort.

cohorts of 15 students each (45 total)

community placement partners across 7 disciplines

classroom dialogues hosted

Key Outcomes

In the classroom, students:

Expanded viewpoint diversity

through self-reflection and sharing the complexity of their thinking

Learned how to humanize controversial science topics

through dialogues that build understanding across personal beliefs, values, and experiences

Learned to deepen their experience as scientists

through reflection on their true motivations for their service of others

Learned to place communities underserved by science at the center

of biologists’ work by valuing diverse experiences and forms of knowledge

In community placements students:

Learned from civic science mentors

how to support equity-based work with underrepresented groups

Understood how applying civic science dialogue frameworks

supports listening to diverse viewpoints on science issues

Practiced skills in relationship-building

through bi-directional communication that seeks to minimize harm and earn trust

Previous Civic Science Courses:

CSC has previously taught the following Civic Science courses at Tufts University to prepare students with skills needed to shift the culture of science, research and healthcare to a more collectivistic mindset to support public engagement with science:

Freshman Seminar: Science & the Human Experience

This first-year seminar supports students in an exploration of their personal and professional identities to enable learning about the science-based issues that impact their lives.

Science and Civic Action

This course teaches conceptual approaches and practical skills to build civic capacities that strengthen equitable collaborations between scientists and society.

Dialogue, Identity & Civic Action

This course offers students in-depth training to design, plan and facilitate dialogues that can create spaces that build listening and mutual understanding needed to support difficult conversations in the communities they care about.

Participant Testimonials

“Good, relevant science needs to be people-focused. The core of it is active, intentional listening and relationship building. In future projects, I hope to emphasize community engagement at least as much as my technical scientific methods.”

“I can now better recognize the value of scientific transparency and admitting confusion when necessary. I hope to utilize these skills more actively in both my academic and professional career, especially in dental practice where I hope these skills will allow me to more effectively build trust with patients.”

This training built conversations for Tufts Gordon Institute’s (TGI) staff and faculty to more effectively navigate complex dynamics around power and professional status. Through dialogue, participants created conversations that fostered a culture of inclusion and understanding that enriched their collective experience at TGI.

staff and faculty members

interactive dialogue-based communication workshops

disciplinary areas of innovation represented

Key Outcomes:

Participants:

Created more inclusive communication skills

by listening to diverse perspectives and experiences

Gained awareness

of how to disrupt harmful power dynamics by learning approaches that promote equitable access to opportunities

Supported sharing each others experiences

in ways that reveal the complexity of their beliefs and values

Fostered a culture of communication

where all TGI members could feel included and valued

Participant Testimonials:

“Through our group dialogues, I felt like the people I was talking to were really invested in the listening”

“Our dialogue agreements made people more ready for listening to each other and more willing and ready to be a bit vulnerable and self-reflective”

”One of the most valuable things at the training was to put myself in someone else’s shoes”

“The dialogue questions prompted people seeing each other as individuals to create a kind of sharing where there was a deeper appreciation for each other”

A concern gathering is a “generative listening circle” where people share what concerns them on a particular issue that can be used to plan events, dialogues or research. In partnership with CREST (Collaboration for Research Equity, Sustainability, and Trust) at the Tufts CTSI, we gathered concerns about mental health access for historically-underrepresented individuals in Boston’s Dorchester community to plan educational events and community dialogues.

participants aged 55-70

immigrant communities represented

follow-on community mental health events inspired

Key Outcomes:

Built relationships of trust

with participants by creating an environment where participants felt safe enough to share their hopes and concerns

Concerns gathered were used by CREST

to develop engagement models, programs, events and initiatives on mental health to serve Boston’s diverse communities

Gained insights

about barriers communities face when accessing mental health resources

Participant Testimonials:

“I was able to bring together people who shared the trauma around their mental health experiences, but my training in creating concern gatherings helped me effectively partner with them, without causing harm.”

“The guidelines for listening ensured that all individuals felt seen and heard based on the identities they hold.”

The goal of the event and dialogues planned by the Dialogue Center at CSC was to give voice to the lack of diversity throughout the research enterprise, including lack of representation in research done by researchers of color and lack of inclusion of communities of color in clinical research.

This dialogue was a collaboration between Tufts Medical Center, Tufts CTSI, and Dr. Linda Hudson.

participants

medical specialties and 7 research disciplines represented

Boston community-based organizations present

Key Outcomes:

Participants:

Inspired action through community-building

to better confront harmful, deeply-rooted biases that exclude individuals from research

Deepened understanding

of who feels excluded from research and why

Created new potential solutions

to the challenges that arise from exclusion in research

Participant Testimonials:

“It felt powerful to connect with, listen to, and understand the experiences and stories of people who have felt excluded from research”.

“I was able to hear stories that brought to light systemic injustices in the community that limit participation in research”

The goal of these dialogues was to help immigrant women share their experiences and uncertainties related to positive mental health as they adjust to their new homes in America.

participants aged 13-72

countries represented

Key Outcomes:

Participants:

Shared their hope for change

and concerns related to positive mental health

Raised awareness

about mental health resources and barriers to access in their communities

Created sufficient safety

for intergenerational conversations that have been challenging in the past

Learned from each other

about opportunities to support mental health that they can benefit from

Participant Testimonial

“Our collaboration has been transformative. The energy in the room was remarkable – filled with excitement, a deep sense of community, and a genuine commitment to open, constructive dialogue. The event sparked countless meaningful conversations, surfaced invaluable perspectives on mental health needs, and inspired a shared determination to keep the discussion going.”