Empower Scientific Discovery - Join The Movement Today

Collaborating with educators, students, and communities

Participatory science is an approach to growing public engagement by supporting diverse individuals and groups-not only large research universities and corporations–to share in the responsibilities and rewards of scientific discovery. We weave together science, story, and community, to build public understanding and also to accelerate the adaptation of perennial grain crops to a wide range of soils, climates, and pests.

Goals

Crop domestication

Investigating how participatory science pursued by community researchers and perennial grain growers could be an effective method for advancing perennial grain and new crop domestication efforts.

Educational framework

Understanding how a participatory research model can contribute to new knowledge and learning opportunities that can translate to additional communities of perennial grain researchers and advocates.

Data collection

Engaging with community researchers, perennial grain growers, and supply chain stakeholders to co-develop knowledge around perennial grain disease resistance, geographic range, performance in food and beverage, and more.

Trandisciplinary research

Involving people from a variety of cultural, educational, and professional backgrounds to contribute their unique experiences toward perennial agriculture research and farmer adoption to advance a perennial future.

Current projects

CitSci Hub

The Land Institute’s home for current and past participatory science projects hosted on the global citizen science hub

View project

ArcGIS Hub

A set of interactive storymaps for participatory science participants, built to host information related to past and current civic science projects

View project

Resources

Engage with the framework, goals, and process of participatory science, read through field guides from past projects, and learn about community research efforts.

Civic science field guides

Perennial Atlas (2024-2026) PDF

Silphium (2023) PDF

Perennial wheat (2023) PDF

Sainfoin (2021) PDF

Community research

Traditional knowledge and climate science research includes native grassland restoration and Kernza trials (Coeur d’Alene Tribe) External

Kernza® community bake (Michael Fields Agricultural Institute) PDF

Adrian, MN protects drinking water with Kernza and native perennials (City of Adrian) External

Participatory science collaborators

Project team

Tara Maireid Conway

Perennial Cultures Research Scientist II

Hana Fancher

Research Program Manager – Crop Stewardship, Board member staff seat

Hana Fancher resides in Laramie, Wyoming, and has always considered the Rocky Mountains home, whether southern Colorado or northern Wyoming. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in water resources, and in 2022, she completed an MS program in Agricultural Economics with a minor in statistics before joining The […]

Reece Knapic

Research Scientist I – Perennial Cultures Lab

As a longtime Lawrence, Kansas resident, Reece completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Kansas in 2019. After completing this degree, Reece continued his education at KU and received a Master of Arts degree in Geography as well as a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Sciences in 2022. During […]

Jen Mayer

Director of Crop Stewardship

Jen has lived all over the world, including over 15 years spent in different countries in Africa. She considers the Bay Area of the US as her place of origin and Harare, Zimbabwe, as her hometown. Jen studied English Literature as an undergraduate student at UC Riverside, but after spending time as an ag volunteer […]

Lydia Nicholson

Education Design Technician – Perennial Cultures Lab

Lydia grew up with a multicultural family on both sides of the Atlantic, often finding it hard to claim one place as her own. But she’s most at home amid the prairies and plains of Kansas, where she pursued a degree in Digital Art and English from Bethany College. At The Land Institute, Lydia puts […]

Chris Reimer

Land Relations Manager – Perennial Cultures

Chris is a skilled facilitator, practitioner of transdisciplinary and participatory research, and collaborator on community-led social change efforts. His academic training spans the social sciences, including human geography and economics. It includes a master’s degree in development studies, with deep international and regional experience, and has supported research and community-led development efforts in eight countries. He […]

Aubrey Streit Krug

Perennial Cultures Lab Director

Aubrey grew up in the small town of Tipton in north-central Kansas, where her parents farm wheat and raise cattle, and considers limestone soils with rocky prairie hillsides her home ground. She lives in Lindsborg now with her husband and their son. Aubrey holds a BA in English and communications from Bethany College in Lindsborg, […]