Public Engagement
Social and behavioral science can only make a difference if the findings reach the public. Central in our campus strategic plan, The Next 150 Years, is public engagement at the local, state, national, and international level. The Center for Social & Behavioral Science (CSBS) is involved in several public engagement efforts aimed at not only bringing social and behavioral science to the public, but also learning from the public to enhance social and behavioral science.
Science & Society Initiative
The CSBS Science & Society Initiative provides support for social and behavioral scientists to communicate and connect with a wider audience, generate scientific and learning opportunities for communities outside the traditional academic realm, and ultimately, secure research funding.
Policy & Research Legislative Fellows Program
The Policy & Research Legislative Fellows program matches graduate students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with state legislators representing Champaign-Urbana or a neighboring district to collaborate on research to inform public policy to help make Illinois a better place to live.
Community-Academic Scholars Initiative
The Community-Academic Scholars Initiative offers University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue community-based research projects in Urbana-Champaign over the summer.
Reducing Community Violence Partnership
The Smart and Connected Communities project is a collaborative effort among the City of Champaign, a diverse representation of community stakeholders, and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers from the Rokwire Research Group, Center for Social & Behavioral Science, and Action Research and Collaboration to reduce crime such as gun violence in Champaign-Urbana.