Sanctuary and NOAA staff joined 600 people from 25 countries who convened February 11-12, 2015, at the San Jose Convention Center for “Citizen Science 2015,” the inaugural conference of the Citizen Science Association. LiMPETS staff and students participated in a variety of talks and panel sessions over the course of this two-day event.

LiMPETS presentations addressed engagement, research and evaluation of the student experience. ABC News covered the event, highlighting the joint LiMPETS panel session titled, “Diverse Perspectives on Youth-Based Citizen Science.” LiMPETS students from the Branson School, Lowell High School and the French-American School participated in the panel, and were interviewed by ABC news. Frankie Gerraty at The Branson School told ABC reporter David Louie, “It was incredible to have scientists coming up to us, asking questions about our research. They were all blown away by how we’re only in high school, and we have the opportunity to present at a prestigious conference.”