Stardust@home was one of the first NASA research projects to engage citizens in space discovery. Through six project phases, Stardust@home has engaged thousands of “Dusters” and found precious interstellar particles. Dr. Westphal reflects on the first 14 years of the project and looks ahead to the future of collaborative interstellar particle research.

Posted In: Summer of Citizen Science 2020

Tagged: Stardust@home, Dr. Andrew Westphal

Zooniverse is one of a small handful of cost-free platforms offering citizen science project creators a full suite of tools to support high quality projects and science. In this session we will be treated to a demonstration of the Zooniverse Project Builder and hear about the newly announced partnership between Zooniverse and NASA.

One of the win-win aspects of citizen science is the opportunity to support public science learning. As people engage in the process of science, they learn – don’t they? This panel features experts sharing how to design for learning – starting with naming specific goals, and working through ideas to measure outcomes.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence technology are already being used to relieve the tedium or verify results from citizen science, with sometimes surprising results. Panelists share what they have learned about how to effectively marry citizen and machine efforts and what new technology is on the horizon.

Dr. Parrish shares insights gleaned from a decades-long citizen science project, including the merits of training and practice, proven strategies for engaging and retaining volunteers, and the essential value of getting to know project volunteers.

What citizen science projects accomplish and who participates in them has everything to do with how projects and their outreach efforts have been designed. This panel features program designers and design researchers discussing strategies to realize project ambitions.

Citizen science efforts are frequently used to groundtruth or analyze remotely collected data, with impressive results in fields as diverse as archeology to climatology. On the flip side, citizen scientists have amassed impressive data sets of observations. Panelists share how their work integrates citizen scientist-collected data and remotely sensed data to unlock new understanding and discovery.

Citizen science projects have demonstrated promise for engaging new audiences in the practice of science. Sometimes this is accomplished by engaging new audiences in existing investigations, sometimes by developing new investigations based on questions arising from communities typically underrepresented in science. This panel will showcase leaders dedicated to engaging underrepresented communities in citizen science.

Crises such as COVID-19 often go hand in hand with the need for new data. They also generate opportunities to channel interest across “the crowd” to contribute to solutions, and inspire us all with the ways our projects can make a difference at critical times. This panel features researchers experienced in supporting collaborative citizen science efforts in response to disaster.

Dr. Raj Pandya directs AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange, which connects scientists and communities to enable collaborative efforts to design and lead science to addresses community priorities. In this keynote Dr. Pandya shares his vision for how the sciences can be more engaging, how inclusivity contributes to scientific innovation and societal relevance, and how the sciences can be allies in advancing equity in society.