Hosted by Florida Community Innovation
Started strong with Matt Zagaja from Code For Boston presenting “How Code for Boston Selects Projects and Recruits Volunteers.” Really solid insights on civic tech intake and team assembly. The core framework they shared for turning ideas into impact is a clear four-stage process:
- Intake & Sourcing
- Qualification & Vetting
- Team Formation
- Partner Alignment
Simple, practical, and very transferable for any volunteer-driven civic tech group.
Next up: Because Transparency Matters — Michael Morisy from MuckRock on “News and Media for Tech and Social Good” (supported by Knight Foundation). A strong reminder of how open data, FOIA tools, and independent media can power accountability and social good work.
Then a look at Stall Catchers by Human Computation Institute — an Alzheimer’s citizen science game (part of EyesOnALZ). Players help researchers identify stalled blood vessels in brain images. Citizen scientists can accelerate work that would take labs much longer, contributing to the search for treatments for one of the world’s leading causes of death.
Followed by “Civic Tech to Help Farmers through Citizen Science,” featuring Farmer Irrigation Nation project from Indiana University in partnership with Florida Community Innovation. Farmers across the U.S. share basic data on when, where, and how they irrigate. In return they can access field-scale insights and regional trends while helping improve agricultural water-use research.
Closed Day 1 with “AI Coding Tools in Volunteer Projects,” presented by Code For Boston and BetaNYC. Real-world cases on how AI coding assistants can support small volunteer teams — with clear emphasis on accuracy, transparency, and responsible use.
Great mix of practical process, transparency tools, citizen science, and thoughtful AI adoption.
Special thanks to Florida Community Innovation for hosting such a welcoming and well-organized gathering, and to Caroline Nickerson for making the event wonderful, keeping everyone informed throughout, and fostering real inclusivity for all participants — whether in person or virtual.
Grateful for the sessions and the community at Alliance of Civic Technologists Congress 2026.
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