Citizen Science in the Digital Age

The transit of Venus in the 17th century. Neanderthal fossils that changed our understanding of human evolution. The description of thousands of new species,

schedule Date & time
6 Sep 2018 1:00am - 7 Sep 2018 1:00am
person Speaker
Andrew & Malika Robinson

Content navigation

Register

Description

The transit of Venus in the 17th century. Neanderthal fossils that changed our understanding of human evolution. The description of thousands of new species, such as the Canberran jumping spider, Maratus harrisi. None of these scientific discoveries could have happened without what’s known as “citizen science.”

Scientists and the public have been collaborating for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, working together to make discoveries in astronomy, meteorology, ecology, medicine and many other fields of research. But with the arrival of the digital age - particularly mobile devices and big data - citizen science projects can engage the public in new ways, on a scale unlike anything before.

The United Nations recently announced a goal of involving one billion people in citizen science by the year 2020 - a goal that, if achieved, would be nothing short of a revolution.

This course, hosted by ANU's Centre for Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) examines the roles and relationships between public participation in scientific research and the latest developments in digital technologies.

Convenors:

  • Andrew Robinson. Co-Founder and CEO, QuestaGame; Myer Innovation Fellow 2017, Digital Environmentalism; Masters in Digital Communications, Columbia University, New York City; Visiting Scientist, Centre for Biodiversity Analysis, ANU.
  • Mallika Robinson. Co-Founder and Chief Science Officer, QuestaGame; PhD in Citizen Science and Computer Systems, UNSW; Masters in Physics, Columbia University, New York City, M.Sci Physics, Indian Institute of Technology.

This is a pilot course, running for the first time in 2018.

Location

ANU Centre for the Public Awareness of Science