Media Advisory 12-020
Webcast Briefing: Two "Firsts" Give Citizen Science New Prominence in Addressing Societal Problems
NSF invites reporters to participate in a live webcast on citizen science on Tuesday, July 31, at 3:00 p.m. EDT
July 26, 2012
View a webcast with David Hanych of the National Science Foundation, Sandra Henderson of NEON, and Henry Reges of the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network.
This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.
Hundreds of thousands of volunteers--so called "citizen scientists"--annually make major contributions to studies of ecology, climate change, biodiversity, weather, astronomy, seismology, cell biology, and other disciplines. Additionally, the number of citizen science groups is rapidly increasing, in part because the Internet and new applications afford quick and effective communication between citizen scientists and scientists.
The increasing prominence of citizen science is being marked by two important "firsts":
The first journal issue exclusively devoted to citizen science: The August 2012 Special Issue of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, which is published by the Ecological Society of America (ESA), is titled Citizen Science-New Pathways to Public Involvement in Research and is available for free download starting at 12:01 a.m. on August 1 on the Frontiers website. This issue is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The first cross-disciplinary conference on citizen science: "A Conference on Public Participation in Scientific Research" will be held on August 4 and 5 in Portland, Ore., in conjunction with ESA's annual meeting. Members of the media interested in attending the conference should contact ESA's press office in advance. Conference co-organizers include NSF's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON).
What: | This webcast will cover how citizen scientists are helping to advance science, the rapid growth and future of citizen science, and the Frontiers issue and conference on citizen science. |
Why: | Citizen science is a timely topic because:
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When: | The live webcast will be held on July 31, 2012 at 3:00 p.m. EDT, and will be archived on NSF's website. |
Who: | Questions from the media will be answered during the webcast by: Sandra Henderson, guest editor of Special Issue: Citizen Science. Henderson is also a senior education specialist at NEON and director of NEON's Project BudBurst, an NSF-funded citizen science group that monitors plants as seasons change. David Hanych, an NSF program director who manages many NSF-funded citizen science projects. |
How: | Reporters may participate via teleconference or Internet. Contact Lily Whiteman at lwhitema@nsf.gov for instructions and required passcodes. |
FOR HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS: Contact Lily Whiteman at lwhitema@nsf.gov.
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View Video
Webcast: Two "firsts" give citizen science new prominence in addressing societal problems
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Cover of issue of "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment" devoted to citizen science.
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Scientists, educators, web designers, data managers and people from other disciplines will attend.
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Media Contacts
Lily Whiteman, National Science Foundation, (703) 292-8310, email: lwhitema@nsf.gov
Related Websites
General overview article on citizen science: http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=123903
Article on citizen science groups devoted to birds: http://www.livescience.com/20949-backyard-bird-count-nsf-ria.html
Article on citizen science group that helps detect earthquakes: http://www.livescience.com/20449-quake-catcher-network-nsf-bts.html
NSF video on citizen science: http://go.usa.gov/fFf
Article on award-winning volunteer precipitation network: http://www.news.colostate.edu/Release/6258
Slide show on WashingtonPost.com about citizen science: http://go.usa.gov/fFG
Article about important milestone reached by citizen science group: http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124069&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1
Interview with editor of "Sky & Telescope" about contributions of citizen scientists to astronomy: http://go.usa.gov/fF7
Website that provides resources to support citizen science groups: http://www.citsci.org
NSF press release about discovery of pulsar by citizen scientists: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=117500
Article about prison inmates who conduct ecological research: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112488
NSF-funded comprehensive website about the development, impacts, and overall field of citizen science: http://www.citizenscience.org
Portal to Cornell Lab of Ornithology citizen science projects, almost all of which are funded by NSF or were started with NSF funding: http://www.cornellcitizenscience.org
A directory of citizen science programs: http://www.scistarter.com
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