Local Science Engagement Network Community

As an AAAS LSEN Digital Liaison, I've been thinking a lot about what Science @ Scale, the theme of this year's AAAS Annual Meeting, means for local communities and the people we aim to serve.

For me, science at scale is about movement: how local observations, lived experiences, and community data travel are used to better inform regional and national policy; and how large-scale research, in turn, comes back down in ways that are meaningful, usable, and trusted at the local level. When that transdisciplinary translation works, science stops feeling abstract and unattainable and becomes more personalized and actionable.

Through my work in socio-hydrology, public health, and science communication, I've seen how scaling knowledge requires more than data; it requires relationships, context, and intentional engagement. Local communities are not just endpoints for scientific findings; they are essential partners in shaping questions, interpreting results, and applying evidence in ways that reflect real needs.

That's where the Local Science Engagement Network (LSEN) comes in. LSEN creates space for science to move across scales by centering community voices alongside researchers and decision-makers.

So, LSEN folks, I'd like to hear from you:

• How have you seen science applied across different scales in your work, and where has its translation worked well or fallen short? 

• And how can we, as an LSEN community, better support science that scales with communities, not just to them?