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🌿 Just got back from CitSci India 2025 and wow, what a ride!
Spent November 21-22 at IISER Tirupati for the 6th Annual National Conference on Citizen Science for Biodiversity, and honestly, it was one of the best experiences I've had.
The Paper Presentation
The Paper Presentation
So I presented my research—"Unpacking Community Growth and Data Quality Trends from City Nature Challenge India"—nervous? Absolutely. Worth it? 100%.
I had the privilege of working with Ram Dayal Vaishnav and Lavanya Bhat, along with guidance from Dr. Chitra Shankar and Dr. Vijay Barve. Getting to analyze and present the truth about CNC that's been happening in India over the last few years felt significant. There's something about explaining your work to a room full of people who actually get it that makes all those hours of data collection and analysis feel validated. The questions and feedback I got were gold, and I'm already rethinking parts of my approach based on those conversations.
The People
The People
This is where things got really fun. Met researchers doing incredible work, students with wild ideas, educators building amazing programs, and people doing grassroots citizen science that puts most professional projects to shame. We talked shop during sessions, debated methodologies over chai, and swapped field stories late into the evening. Made some genuine connections with folks I know I'll be collaborating with down the line.
The Vibe
The Vibe
IISER Tirupati's campus was beautiful, the conference had this perfect mix of serious academic content and chill networking time, and being around people who nerd out about biodiversity as much as I do? Pure joy. The conference was hybrid (online via Discord too), but being there in person made such a difference.
What I'm Taking Back
What I'm Taking Back
Apart from a ton of new ideas and approaches, I'm leaving with this renewed energy for citizen science work. When you see the breadth of what's happening across India - from urban biodiversity monitoring to community-led conservation - you realize we're part of something bigger.
Already looking forward to next year's edition. If you're into citizen science, biodiversity, or just curious about how regular people can contribute to conservation, CitSci India is where you need to be!
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