Abstract Detail

Public Participation in Scientific Research:Emerging Resources for Botany

Mast, Austin [1], Newman, Sarah [2].

Public Participation in Scientific Research:Emerging Resources for Botany.

Public engagement in scientific research(sometimes referred to as Citizen Science) is not new, but new web resources (e.g.,the Zooniverse, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and USA National Phenology Network suites of projects) provide scientists with opportunities to engage the public in ways and at scales not previously possible. At the same time, the public is increasingly provided with opportunities to learn how to do science and, in some cases, co-design and implement the experiments with scientist partners. This is leading to a democratization of science, in which the public has a more direct role in doing research meaningful to them (e.g.,determining floristic changes in a local natural area). An indication of the growing role that the public is playing in science is the recent success of the inaugural Public Participation in Scientific Research Conference in Portland, Oregon (August 4-5,2012), a conference attended by over 300 participants. Discussions at the conference centered on, among other things, creation of a professional society and journal focused on the topic. Further evidence ofthe recognition that the topic is increasingly important are the several new working groups (e.g., at iDigBio, NEON, and DataONE) and recent workshops(e.g., at California Academy of Sciences in May 2012, at USGS and at iDigBio inSeptember 2012) focused on it. We propose a symposium that combines presentations on the following topics: (1) useful typologies for thinking about citizen science projects, (2) lessons learned in the development of a citizen science project, (3) professional resources emerging from the inaugural Public Participation in Scientific Research Conference, (4) cyberinfrastructure resources for citizen science projects, (5) data quality considerations for citizen science projects, and (6) an overview of roles for the public in digitization of biodiversity specimens, with a discussion of relevant motivations and software tools. We suggest that the symposium take the form of three 30-minute talks; a 30-minute coffee break; three more 30-minute talks;and a 30-minute panel discussion.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Florida State University, Department of Biological Science, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
2 - NEON, Inc., Citizen Science Coordinator, 1685 38th St., Suite 100, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA

Keywords:
Biodiversity Informatics
Broader Impacts
Citizen Science
Digitization
Science Education
iDigBio
NEON, Inc.
Public Participation in Scientific Research.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY01
Location: Jasperwood/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 8:00 AM
Number: SY01SUM
Abstract ID:12
Candidate for Awards:None