Elements of Public Policy Science and Technology Policy

ASU

Human and Social Dimensions of Science and Technology

HSD 598 - Citizen Science

Instructor:

Darlene Cavalier

267-253-1310

This course will explore the people, projects, platforms and perspectives of so-called “citizen science” with a focus on this field’s role in science and society. Citizen scientists are, more often than not, defined as laypeople who volunteer to help professional researchers advance areas of scientific research. Increasingly, the field is expanding to include open science, participatory science, DIY, civic science, social justice, gamers and other merging areas. New forms of outreach are turning more “regular” people into amateur scientists.

Citizen science has become serious science. The ubiquity of cell phones manufactured with sensors, cameras, and GPS makes it possible to help federal agencies measure and record earthquake tremors, track asteroids or monitor noise and light pollution. Access to big data, affordable lab equipment, 3D printers and other factors are redefining what it means to be a scientist. Whether they are motivated by environment or social justice concerns, a desire to be a life-long learner or advance research, or just to have fun, citizen scientists are changing the way science gets done.

The goal of this course is to introduce students from an interdisciplinary background to a representative set of common themes shaping this field, including:

Participation, engagement

Outreach, communications

Incentives, motivations

Appropriate technologies

Certifications, qualifications

Data quality

Privacy, ownership of data

Policy implications

In addition to a general overview of citizen science, we will evaluate a representative set of citizen science projects, forecast potential policy implications, and write a series of blog posts and one op-ed piece.

Background in science is not required, and introductory texts to citizen science, participatory research, the landscape of tools used to power citizen science and more, will be part of the assigned readings. Students will be challenged with a number of individual writing assignments and hands-on experimentation with select projects. The class will feature guest speakers from different academic, DIY and public policy perspectives.

After completing this course, students should be able to:

-Recognize common themes inherent in most citizen science projects

-Understand key arguments emphasized in citizen science literature

-Examine and critique a citizen science project through an analytical lens shaped by the “common themes” described above

-Gain practical experience to prepare a paper or talk about the general landscape of citizen science and the projects, people, platforms and perspectives fueling its popularity

-Understand how citizen science might translate to your own field research , relating what you learn about citizen science as a practice in the course to your disciplinary training as researchers

Students are also expected to submit assignments on time. Assignments submitted late without permission will be marked down 1/3 grade per day; late permission will be granted only under exceptional circumstances.

Many of the assignments will be blogging assignments. Lily Bui, senior contributor at SciStarter, will provide blogging tips via an online video tutorial. Some posts will be selected for publication on SciStarter and the Public Library of Science’s CitizenSci blog. No blog post will be published without the author’s expressed consent.

Grading criteria:

Participation 10%

Assignment 115%

Assignment 215%

Assignment 315%

Assignment 415%

Assignment 515%

Assignment 615%

There will be some opportunities for extra credit, including blogging and additional research opportunities.

This course requires Internet connectivity.

Required reading:

The following three reports can be found here:

1) “The use of technology in citizen science.” Carnegie Institute: SSRN-id2167538(2)(1)

2) “Guide to citizen science” and “Understanding Environmental Monitoring” GuideToCitizenScience_Version2_InteractiveWeb(1)

3) Related: BBC news report announcing the release of a formal review of citizen science projects.

Bonney, R., C. B. Cooper, J. Dickinson, S. Kelling, T. Phillips, K. Rosenberg, and J. Shirk. 2009. Citizen Science: A developing tool for expanding science knowledge and scientific literacy. BioScience 59:977-984.

Cavalier, Darlene. Harnessing Citizen Scientists, Science Progress , 2007

Grand, Ann et al. 2012. “Open Science A New ‘Trust Technology’?” Science Communication 34(5): 679–689. (Accessed April 7, 2013).
Irwin, Alan. 1995. Citizen science: a study of people, expertise and sustainable development. London ; New York: Routledge.

Franzoni, Chiara and Sauermann, Henry, Crowd Science: The Organization of Scientific Research in Open Collaborative Projects (April 8, 2013). Available at SSRN: or

Henderson, Sandra. (August 2012). Citizen science comes of age. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Newman, G., Wiggins, A., Crall, A., Graham, E., Newman, S., & Crowston, K. (August 2012). Citizen Science Futures: Emerging Technologies and Shifting Paradigms. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 10(6):298-307

Ottinger, Gwen. 2010. “Buckets of Resistance: Standards and the Effectiveness of Citizen Science.” Science, Technology & Human Values 35(2): 244–270.

Shirk, J., Ballard, H., Wilderman, C., Phillips, T., Wiggins, A., Jordan, R., McCallie, E., Minarchek, M., Lewenstein, B., Krasny, M., & Bonney, R. (2012). Public Participation in Scientific Research: A Framework for Deliberate Design. Ecology & Society, 17(2):29.

Silvertown, Jonathan. 2009. “A new dawn for citizen science.” Trends in Ecology & Evolution 24(9): 467–471.

Scientific American blog, Citizen Science, Citizen Policy

From TA to pTA report

Course Schedule: Please note that we may change weekly due dates from Wednesday, as listed below, to Thursday, pending consensus of a recent Doodle poll sent to all students.

Week 1 (Commence Thursday, May 23)

Overview of citizen science

Due by Thursday, May 23:

Read:

“Guide to citizen science” and “Understanding Environmental Monitoring” GuideToCitizenScience_Version2_InteractiveWeb(1)

Henderson, Sandra. (August 2012). Citizen science comes of age. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Subscribe to the RSS feeds:

Public Library of Science Citizen Science Blog:

SciStarter/blog

Follow (Twitter): @scistarter @scicheer @CitSciCentral8 @coopsciscoop

Clickthrough the citizen project descriptions listed on SciStarter (

Assigned activity 1:Blog: articulate how citizen science might translate to field research for you, relating what you are learning about citizen science as a practice in this course to your disciplinary training as a researcher. No fewer than two pages.

On Thursday, May 23:

Participate in one hour Interactive Google Hangout with Darlene Cavalier . Login instructions and time to follow.

Week 2 (Commence Thursday, May 30)

Review of citizen science projects

Due by Thursday, May 30:

Read:

Wiggins, A., Bonney, R., Graham, E., Henderson, S., Kelling, S., Littauer, R., LeBuhn, G., Lotts, K., Michener, W., Newman, G., Russell, E., Stevenson, R. & Weltzin, J. (2013). Data Management Guide for Public Participation in Scientific Research. DataONE: Albuquerque, NM.

“The use of technology in citizen science.” Carnegie Institute: :

Click through at least 10 citizen projects listed on SciStarter ( . Take note of the following items: goals, tasks, login process, use of technology, visualization of data, potential policy implications, societal value, scientific value, appeal of project in terms of engagement.

Assignment 2: Participate in Project Ventus () and at least one additional citizen science project featured in the SciStarter Project Finder and blog about your experiences. Address at least four of the items outlined above. (No more than 6 paragraphs.)

On Thursday, May 30

Participate in one hour interactive Google hangout guest lecture via Google hangout with Kevin Robert Gurney, MS, MPP, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Science, School of Life Sciences, ASU Creator of citizen science project, Ventus. Login instructions and time to follow.

Week 3 (Commence Thursday, June 6)

Exploring citizen science with an emphasis on communities, participation and outcomes.

ByThursday, June 6:

Read:

Assignment 3: Essay, 3 pages. Select three projects representing 1) a social or environment justice approach, 2) a traditional, formal research approach to citizen science, and 3) a project aimed at increasing science literacy not necessarily aimed at advancing a particular field of research. Interview the project organizers and compare and contrast their approaches to project design and goals. Please let me know if you would like to be introduced, via email, to any of the project organizers. I’m happy to help if I can.

On Thursday, June 6:

Participate in one hour interactive Google hangout guest lecture via Google hangoutwith Dr. Caren Cooper, Research Associate in the Bird Population Studies and Citizen Science programs at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Login instructions and time to follow.

Week 4 (Thursday, June 13)

Policy implications of citizen science

By Thursday, June 13:

Read

Scientific American blog, Citizen Science, Citizen Policy

Harnessing Citizen Scientists, Science Progress

From TA to pTA report Read the executive summary at a minimum.

Ottinger, Gwen. 2010. “Buckets of Resistance: Standards and the Effectiveness of Citizen Science.” Science, Technology & Human Values 35(2): 244–270.

Assignment 5: Informal essay, 2 pages: Citizen science has influenced a variety of traditional scientific fields. Social and political scientists are exploring its impact on society and, more specifically, its potential impact on policy. What inspires and concerns you, personally, about citizen science and its proven and potential impacts on science, society, and policy?

One Thursday, June 13:

Participate in interactive Google hangout with Gretchen Gano, Social Science librarian, UMass Amherst

Week 5 (Commence Thursday, June 20)

Broader definitions of citizen science communities (open science, Public Lab, DIY, commons, etc)

By Thursday, June 20:

Read

Franzoni, Chiara and Sauermann, Henry, Crowd Science: The Organization of Scientific Research in Open Collaborative Projects (April 8, 2013). Available at SSRN: or

The New York Times.com “Science for Bio Hackers”

Click through Public Laboratory website and related blog post re crowdfunding crowd science projects:

Assignment 4: Essay, 2 pages. This week’s readings take on slightly different approaches in terms of defining and servicing communities. In many ways, they highlight the challenge of trying to define “citizen science.” Define what citizen science means to you. Include specific examples of projects, people, publications, etc to support your definition.

On Thursday, June 13: Participate in one hour interactive Google hangout with Don Blair, graduate student, Physics Department, UMass Amherst Login instructions and time to follow.

Week 6 (Commence Thursday, June 27)

By Thursday, June 27:

Assignment 6: Blog : Informed by the discussions, guest lectures, and assigned readings, revisit your first blog (assignment 1) and consider how citizen science might translate to field research for you. Two pages.