Citizen Scientists: Student Experiences in the GTP Georgia/Russian Exchange Project

During the past two years, the Global Thinking Project, through grants from the United States Information Agency, facilitated student and educator exchanges among 10 schools in Georgia (USA) and Russia. This paper describes the results of the experience during the 1995-1996 school year. One hundred students lived in each others' homes for two three-week periods, participated in environmental research activities in American and Russian communities, and lived in the context of each others culture. Students were helped by their teachers to construct ideas about environmental topics outlined in the curriculum of the Global Thinking Project (http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwgtp/gtp.html). Students and teachers were involved in two episodes of problem identification, data collection and analysis at five sites in each country, and two "Global Environmental Summits" in Moscow and Atlanta. The students activity is described as that of a "citizen scientist"—one who combines the process of science with public policy decision making.