On Friday, March 31, 2023, Dickinson College and the Center for Sustainability Education (CSE) held its first Sustainability Expo. The Sustainability Expo gathered various groups from campus and the Carlisle community to come together with the goal of engaging community members in sustainability. By tabling at the Expo, Michelle Cao ’25, Prerana Patil ’24, Dipseka Timsina ’25, Charlotte Kratovil-Lavelle ’24, and I had the opportunity to share with attendees why involving communities in science is so important.
In preparation for the Sustainability Expo, I was given the task of coming up with ideas for what the ALLARM table would look like, and what information we wanted to present. Phoebe Galione (Outreach Manager) and I talked about creating a poster all about ALLARM, making sure to include an interactive component. We landed on including testing the pH of a water sample, one of the parameters ALLARM volunteers monitor when assessing water quality. Together, Phoebe and I were able to work to come up with a poster design. I wrote up the text regarding ALLARM, its mission, and the importance of community engagement. Ensuring that we were prepared for the Expo also meant gathering talking points for my fellow ALLARMies to discuss with attendees which was done in collaboration with fellow staff members.
When it came time for the Sustainability Expo to begin, Prerana Patil, Dipseka Timsina, and I set up our materials and got to work. So many Dickinsonians, staff, and Carlisle community approached us, asking who ALLARM was and what we do. One of my personal favorite moments was when attendees engaged with the pH testing, seeing who could complete the steps of pH the fastest, while also doing it correctly. It was nice to see so many people being excited to engage in science and in learning about the work that ALLARM does.
My experience working at the Sustainability Expo helped exemplify to me the positive impact that ALLARM has on communities. I was able to see smiling faces when engaging with our pH tests, and appreciated the thoughtful questions that community members had when curious about our work. Through this event, I learned the true importance of community science. Community science not only encourages communities to ask questions and be curious, but it also facilitates interactions between communities and the environments. I look forward to partaking in further community action on campus and with local communities so that I can help others in their understanding of sustainability, the environment, and ALLARM!
