Hello Public Lab community!

I'm getting in touch with recent news that I'm excited to share. First, let me thank everyone who contributed and became Sustaining Members during our 5th year anniversary donation drive! We crushed our goal of $1500 and together raised over $2200 during the campaign. Thanks to everyone who contributed, documented their memories from the first five years of Public Lab, and spread the word about our work.

We're also excited to share other great news:

• With the generous support of the Rita Allen Foundation, we are launching Public Lab's first full scale evaluation program. Over the next three years, we will work with researchers at University of California-Davis to better understand how our community works - both online and through local, in person networks - and to develop an evaluation framework for similar community science projects.
• Public Lab has been recognized by the Claneil Foundation's Emerging Leaders Fund for our innovative approach to creating positive environmental and social change.
• The June 2015 Barnraising in Chicago is being made possible through sponsorships from MapBox and Microsoft. With their support, the outreach team is planning an awesome event for June 13-14. More info here:  http://publiclab.org/wiki/barnraising
• The Public Lab nonprofit’s Executive Director Shannon Dosemagen has been named an Ashoka Fellow for her efforts building the field of community science and democratizing environmental monitoring.
• Our friends at the 11th Hour Project, a program of the Schmidt Family Foundation, are expanding their support of communities affected by frac sand mining by helping us pilot our Open Water initiative in Wisconsin alongside ongoing air quality work.
• And last, but certainly not least, Public Lab is now being supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, whose general support grant will play an important role in all the work we do.

Thanks to everyone for being a part of all the great work going on in the Public Lab community! Becki