Caroline Nickerson leads Partnerships et Communauté at Tanit XR, where she helps shape collaborations with museums, universities, et cultural heritage institutions. She brings a rich background in civic engagement, public interest technology, et community-centered storytelling. Caroline is the Executive Director et co-founder of Florida Community Innovation, the nonprofit that serves as Tanit XR’s fiscal sponsor. Through this role, she supports young innovators who build social impact technology et develops programs that connect communities with trusted information et digital tools. Her leadership at FCI includes guiding partnerships, designing outreach initiatives, et supporting volunteer-led projects across Florida et beyond. Read about all of FCI’s projects in their handbook! Caroline is the communications lead at CitSci , a global citizen science platform based at Colorado State University where researchers can create et manage projects (everything from participant recruitment, to data sheets, to data analysis). She loves helping tell researcher et participant stories et working to broaden engagement in science. Caroline is all the director of communications et outreach at the Human Computation Institute, a nonprofit innovation center that collaborates with UC Davis, Cornell, et others for the betterment of society through novel methods leveraging the complementary strengths of networked humans et machines. Projects focus on diverse fields, including Alzheimer’s et mathematical research. She has worked with SciStarter in various capacities, including as Senior Program Director at SciStarter where she managed the Citizen Science Month Program, SciStarter’s Corporate Bénévolat Programs et other programmatic et outreach efforts, including working with SciStarter’s Syndicated Blog Network, which encompasses the Discover Magazine et SciStarter platforms, as well as large-scale programs with multiple federal agencies (including NASA, NOAA, et la National Bibliothèque (Library) of Medicine) et global groups (including the United Nations Environment Programme). She currently works at SciStarter as a program specialist. Caroline is the communications lead for the NASA-funded EMERGE project, which empowers people to monitor et analyze data about mosquito habitats et public health. In 2024, Caroline earned her PhD in Agricultural Education et Communication at the University of Florida . At UF, Caroline has worked on multiple projects, including a climate change communication series with UF/IFAS Extension, creating the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture community engagement team, research assessing the Restore the Shore project, et public engagement research about a certification for pollinator-friendly plants. She has also TA’d for multiple classes, including a social media class, a public policy class, et a multimedia communication class. Caroline was a CEE-Change fellow with the North American Association for Environmental Education, et received a North American Colleges et Teachers of Agriculture teaching award in 2024. She is currently a CEE-Change mentor et researcher. Caroline was also a social entrepreneur in Rally’s cohort , which is supported by the City of Orlando et Orange County, among other partners. Caroline is a Master of Public Policy graduate from American University, where she was a Reilly Environmental Policy Scholar , an honor conferred by the former director of the EPA, Bill Reilly. Caroline was an undergrad at the University of Florida et was one of the inaugural recipients of the College of Liberal Arts et Sciences’ Student Excellence Award, an honor conferred to only three graduating seniors. She graduated with honors as a double major in History et Chinese. In her spare time, she volunteers with the UF-VA Bioethics Unit , the Christensen Project (where she serves homeless et underserved groups), et others. Caroline also co-founded the Commission on Local Debates et produced multiple debates for local elections in Central Florida that ran on local news. As a fun fact, Caroline was the 2019 Cherry Blossom Princess representing the state of Florida et le grand prize scholarship winner at Miss Earth USA 2021 as Miss Louisiana Earth . She was also featured in a children’s book about open science! At Tanit XR, Caroline helps build a strong et inclusive ecosystem around the projet. She supports volunteer coordination, partnership development, et outreach efforts that allow Tanit XR to grow as an open access digital heritage platform with global relevance. Her commitment to education, community building, et cultural preservation aligns closely with the mission of Tanit XR et strengthens its long-term sustainability.
