Who are citizen scientists? Citizen scientists are members of the public who voluntarily contribute to scientific research projects. Their engagement and participation has informed research on protein-folding, resulted in the discovery of new celestial bodies, and tracked wildlife after last year’s Gulf oil spill – to name a few. “Working with Citizens Scientists” will examine how researchers can realize the potential of projects incorporating amateur collaborators.

Panelists David W. Hogg, Jane Hunter, and Rick Bonney will share their experiences with citizen science initiatives and consider what factors contribute to a successful collaboration with interested amateurs. How have scientists created the necessary tools and infrastructure to gather data or verify analyses carried out by large numbers of citizen scientists? How do research funders and the scientific community view these projects? What does the future hold for citizen science?

Wednesday, February 9, 2011
12pm
Alfred Lerner Hall, Room 555

This is the first of three events this semester in the speaker series, Research Without Borders: The Changing World of Scholarly Communication, focusing on pivotal issues in scholarly communication. For information about Research without Borders, please email Kathryn Pope at kp2002@columbia.edu, or follow the series on Twitter.