tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23624528799680092272024-03-18T23:53:20.780-07:00OpenScientistProjects and opinions from the world of Citizen Science. Because getting started is easy.OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.comBlogger225125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-73840226426667126832016-05-16T19:05:00.000-07:002016-05-16T19:05:00.610-07:00Sources of Citizen Science Funding (Part 1)<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7A-JL6Ka1A/VzjI8l8xzHI/AAAAAAAABN8/v3_8GAsTOtosWRsoLJVIBkpaBdliO6pJQCLcB/s1600/Federal%2BMoney%2B-%2Bfrankieleon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S7A-JL6Ka1A/VzjI8l8xzHI/AAAAAAAABN8/v3_8GAsTOtosWRsoLJVIBkpaBdliO6pJQCLcB/s200/Federal%2BMoney%2B-%2Bfrankieleon.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo Courtesy: </b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/armydre2008/8531408243/in/photolist-dZTGrz-4XDVXF-cpJtXb-2aF1r-nB45bb-dcujdB-mVoAoG-4bhWHW-ac55u-dHNyeo-pyjFuM-8wfv3d-mKXN5F-5u4oZB-4DQQCF-meCmEb-6CZAvS-foPBoF-qKvWn6-9hwCZd-5RPb7F-aDnFee-meCo55-g1EDcJ-bszsD-4gvdJR-4m7mNY-7vVFqG-77DnUm-bzLx6T-5pUzje-6jGMoG-gfRVvS-7w7BWW-dVhGE7-7vRS28-dcxTkQ-8USgE6-opES48-3qNbvE-5oQtAb-5Nxycm-gfRhZU-9JemJk-NUpny-vMQG5J-4G3UB9-5mVd3r-51o8Rp-7bd2E2">FrankieLeon</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last year I set out to describe the many ways citizen science can provide economic value and earn money for citizen scientists to expand their efforts. That effort continues, but it doesn't address the main CURRENT source of citizen science funding...the government. So it's important to start looking at where it is coming from and where it is going.<br />
<br />
The first place many people look is on the CitizenScience.gov web site which hosts a <a href="https://ccsinventory.wilsoncenter.org/">searchable catalog of all Federal crowdsourcing and citizen science projects</a>. While this is a great resource for people looking for existing projects to join (and which I will also be writing about in the future), it's not a source for funding new ideas. So we need to find a different strategy.<br />
<br />
As a former Federal employee my next thought is to review all the grants and contracts awarded by Uncle Sam over the last four years. All of this information is publicly available through the government's transparency website <a href="http://www.usaspending.gov/">USASpending</a>. Not only does it provide funding agency, amount, and summary description, it also provides a lot of secondary information such as the type of organization receiving the funds, pricing terms, and option years. But there have been long-standing data problems with the site; these are issues I worked with a lot in my former career and which I'm hoping to minimize during these analyses. There are also just inherent problems of identifying something as a "Citizen Science" award when public participation is only part of the award, or when they are developing tools that may (or may not) be useful to citizen scientists for future work, or when they are simply using data first developed by citizen scientists. So while there is much to learn it can't be considered a definitive source.<br />
<br />
For those who wish to "play along at home", the data sets for this and related analyses are available online <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rDjdKn2pmUEtZagm89jJv-iuKWCzTOihOBJL2k3jqOc/edit?usp=sharing">here</a> (use the worksheet "All Contracts").<br />
<br />
<b>Findings and Discussion:</b><br />
Although U.S. Federal government support for
citizen science contract awards is very low, this is only a small slice
of the potential support it could receive. As both a new(-ish) field and
a research area, citizen science is not well-suited for contractual
support. Under government rules, contracts are reserved for
organizations providing goods or services directly to the government as
part of "acquisition". This is different from grants and cooperative
agreements which provide "assistance" to organizations doing work for
the general benefit of society, but do not provide a direct benefit to
the government. This is like the difference between<b> </b>the government buying a pick-up truck for use by rangers in a national park, and supporting research on ways to improve pick-up truck fuel efficiency. Both are good things for government to do, but only one benefits government directly. So citizen science (much like other research endeavors) may receive much more funding through grants. That will be the subject of a future blog post.<b> </b><br />
<br />
Additionally, based on the data it would appear that nearly all these awards were openly competed, however, there is no information on the RFP or solicitation numbers associated with those competitions. This is interesting information that I'd like to include so others may take advantage of it. Unfortunately since that data is not here it will need to be pulled from another data source and will also be the subject of a future blog post.<br />
<br />
<b>Initial Results:</b><br />
During this four-year period only a surprisingly small number of contracts were awarded to support citizen science; <u>less than one million dollars per year</u>.<b> </b>And
of those almost all of the money came from NASA for it's
astronomy-based programs (including support for various <a href="https://www.diskdetective.org/">Zooniverse projects like Disk Detective</a>). And the money went to teams of existing (professional)
research teams at large research institutions, not to citizen scientists
or to directly support work by individuals. Instead the support was
for more "systemic" programs that build up the field in general or use
citizen science data.<br />
<br />
In summary:<b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>Approximately $3.6 million was awarded in either base or potential option years, for a total of approximately $900,000 per year.</li>
<li>There were 16 unique awards made (four per year) at an average size of , with an average size of approximately $240,000.</li>
<li>The primary funding agencies were:</li>
<ul>
<li>NASA: 11 awards worth $3,491,802</li>
<li>Department of the Interior: 3 awards worth $27,196</li>
<li>EPA: 1 award worth $3,460</li>
</ul>
<li>All but one award was made to a large research university/foundation or large non-profit organization.</li>
</ul>
<b>Methods:</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Perform Advanced Search at www.USASpending.gov for all awards with permutations of the terms "Citizen Science", "Citizen Scientist", "PPSR", and "Public Participation in Scientific Research", under the following parameters:</li>
<ul>
<li>All contracts, grants, and subawards</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fiscal years 2012-2015 (full FY2016 data is not yet available)</li>
</ul>
<li>Combine full results of all searches into a single spreadsheet, while maintaining the search term and source file for each listing, and separating by assistance awards (grants), subawards, and acquisition contracts.</li>
<li>Review all non-monetary transactions for potential data errors. In some cases a contract would come up with no dollars attached, and upon further review in USASpending a grant using the same Federal award ID number would appear with money attached. In these cases the award was presumably miscoded by type and the new transactions were added to the spreadsheet.</li>
<li>Eliminate all remaining non-monetary transactions, such as no-cost extensions.</li>
<li>Review the project descriptions of each award to ensure they are actually associated (in some meaningful way) with citizen science.</li>
</ol>
<b>Conclusion:</b><br />
While Federal contracts are an available source of citizen science funding, they are not ideally suited for these projects and agencies have not used this vehicle frequently over the last four years. Instead we need to continue looking at other alternatives, such as Federal assistance funding, as well as funding from State/local governments as well as private sources. So our research will continue over the next few weeks to identify more promising options for everyone. <br />
<i></i><br />
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<i>- First in an occasional series</i>OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com810tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-53161661694922516562016-05-11T18:28:00.001-07:002016-05-11T18:28:06.534-07:00When Citizen Science Results Look too Good to be True<div abp="166">
This week there has been much excitement about a fifteen year-old Canadian high school student from discovering a lost Mayan city. The media (rightfully) like to highlight stories of young people making discoveries beyond their years. And there is always a mystique about the Mayans and lost cities. So when the news first broke outlets such as <a abp="269" href="http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2016/05/11/student-science-project-discovers-mayan-city-pkg.cbc-news">CNN</a>, <a abp="168" href="http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/05/11/15-year-old-boy-claims-to-have-found-lost-mayan-city-from-his-house.html">FoxNews</a>, <a abp="325" href="http://www.iflscience.com/editors-blog/canadian-teenager-uses-map-stars-discovers-lost-mayan-city">IFLScience</a>, and others raced to tout the findings. Unfortunately they may have rushed too quickly.</div>
<div abp="170">
</div>
<div abp="171">
As a non-professional using astronomy techniques to identify Mayan constellations, overlaying them against a map of previously discovered cities, hypothesizing of a missing city, and then attempting to confirm through satellite imagery, this is absolutely citizen science. So when this news first began to break I got very excited and wanted to link to it as well. It's always fun to share the accomplishments of my fellow citizen scientists. </div>
<div abp="172">
</div>
<div abp="173">
But was it <a abp="381" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/11/did-a-teen-discover-a-lost-mayan-city-not-exactly/">too good to be true</a>?</div>
<div abp="174">
</div>
<div abp="175">
Apparently so. While the jury is still out, significant doubt has started creeping in about whether this truly is an archeological anomaly, whether the Mayan's organized their cities around constellations, and even whether we fully understand what those constellation's are. So many news organizations may end up with egg on their face.</div>
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<div abp="177">
This is very unfortunate. For starters I feel bad for the kid...he's doing good work and should be applauded regardless of the eventual findings, but I fear the backlash (if he turns out wrong) could be harsh for someone so young. I also feel bad for the news organizations, who wanted to show young people the potential they posses. But mainly I feel bad for the citizen science field. We work so hard to gain respect amongst both professionals and the public, and just as we have a great story to tell, it all falls apart.</div>
<div abp="178">
</div>
<div abp="178">
In the end, its a great reminder that we must not only provide the same respect to citizen science as we do "professional" science, but we must also provide the same healthy skepticism as well. We need to verify facts, solicit independent opinions, and provide time for careful analysis. No different than any other profession. It may be difficult sometimes and may delay announcement of some exciting discoveries, but it keeps us healthy in the long run.</div>
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<div abp="178">
To quote this <a abp="506" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/05/11/did-a-teen-discover-a-lost-mayan-city-not-exactly/">Washington Post article</a>:</div>
<div abp="178">
</div>
<blockquote abp="439" class="tr_bq">
Citizen science is great, and it’s even more exciting when a teen does it. When folks don’t have the academic background to understand the standard school of thought on a subject — or understand why it has become the general consensus — they’re more likely to come up with novel and cool ideas. And maybe there’s some nugget of something in Gadoury’s research that will go somewhere. But that doesn’t mean we’re doing him — or the researchers who have devoted their lives to studying this stuff — any favors by letting this story run wild.</blockquote>
<div abp="178">
Put another way, we need to treat citizen science stories the same way we treat all other scientific studies, as HBO's John Oliver so cleverly demonstrated this week:</div>
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com347tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-88351356303742451812016-05-07T10:27:00.000-07:002016-05-07T10:27:58.244-07:00Inclusion and the 2017 Citizen Science Association Conference<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6yzM33AQC_k/Vy4laGWRIoI/AAAAAAAABNk/GHErp_8JzJ8D6WLYoCFxzzW7p6jCHPMagCLcB/s1600/Raleigh%2BNorth%2BCarolina%2B-%2BJames%2BWillamor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6yzM33AQC_k/Vy4laGWRIoI/AAAAAAAABNk/GHErp_8JzJ8D6WLYoCFxzzW7p6jCHPMagCLcB/s320/Raleigh%2BNorth%2BCarolina%2B-%2BJames%2BWillamor.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo Courtesy:</b> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/bz3rk/7243083814/in/photolist-c33Gtq-pCs1jC-pkZHtM-pkZfvj-pkYUUs-c33Ki7-c33Gzm-c33J7u-c33EA7-c33HNw-c33Fzo-c33HXL-c33Q5S-c33Jgd-c33FFq-c33Jph-c33Ff3-c33Nfw-apw4Xa-apw2rr-pCcQdT-pCcMk8-apw46H-apyLRf-c33NFq-7tLsFL-c33Mnf-apyJpQ-apw5kR-7tLsPf-apyL5S-apw5KF-apw34V-apw4Ap-apyLvf-84KXKT-c33FrJ-apyKDb-apw2GT-c33GFE-apw2Uz-apyK3b-c33Nz1-apyMgd-c33EhQ-pCcLU8-pArfzu-pkZDep-pArcWU-c33Hgu">James Willamor</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It seems like not too long ago since we all met in San Jose for the last Citizen Science conference. But time quickly moves on and planning is actively underway for the next conference to be held next February, 2017. <a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.org/conference/citizen-science-2017/">CitSci 2017</a> promises to be full of useful information and interesting people, but there are many obstacles to overcome first. Including politics.<br />
<br />
Sadly, completely outside of anyone's control from our field, the State of North Carolina recently passed HB2, the so-called "Bathroom Bill" requiring people to only use the bathrooms assigned to their biological sex, and eliminating many legal protections for lesbian, gay, and transgender people. To quote the CitSci 2017 planners:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The bill flies in the face of the principles on which we are building
this association, those of supporting inclusion, diversity, and personal
freedom. It also throws a huge monkey wrench into planning a conference
where everyone feels safe and welcome. The legislation and <a href="http://turnoutnc.org/governments/">ensuing counter-actions in protest</a> both compromise the opportunity for this conference to be safe and inclusive, <a href="http://staging.citizenscience.org/association/about/vision-mission-goals/">goals that we strongly value</a>, as do <a href="http://staging.citizenscience.org/2016/04/08/planning-a-conference-in-north-carolina/">our host partners</a>.</blockquote>
<br />
As a private citizen living outside of North Carolina, this bill troubles me with its attempts to not only stigmatize a vulnerable transgender population, but to actively tell local governments that it is illegal to protect entire swaths of people. This is a highly dangerous proposition and one I personally can't support. It certainly makes me not want to spend money in that State. But should we sacrifice the many good things that can come out of the conference because of the law? Are we hurting our many allies in North Carolina who don't support the law? Can we be an agent of change through our examples of openness and inclusion? These are no longer hypotheticals but real questions with serious consequences (on both sides).<br />
<br />
Everyone is wrestling with this question, including the conference planners. They take their jobs seriously and seem to be struggling with a course of action. But they don't need to decide alone. They have set up a survey for all members (and other potential conference goers) to let their own voices be heard. Let the association know whether you are planning to attend, whether the NC law prevents you from attending (either legally or ethically), whether you'd like to see the conference moved, and any alternative solutions to the problem. While I don't think it is binding they want to hear from us all, and I applaud them for taking this step. So please help them by <a href="http://staging.citizenscience.org/2016/05/06/seeking-community-input-regarding-a-conference-conundrum/">reading their detailed concerns here and taking the survey</a>. Decisions must be made soon so please provide your thoughts as soon as possible. We all appreciate it.<br />
<br />
Where do I stand?<br />
<br />
In my humble opinion, this law is based on the assumption that allowing transgender people into the bathroom of their choosing will threaten the safety of others. But there is no evidence that this is the case, and as far as I've seen, there have been NO reported cases of transgender individuals attacking or otherwise harassing people in the bathroom. As a citizen science organization I believe we should hold tightly to relying on facts and honest inquiry as the basis for making laws, and this bill represents neither of those. It comes only from mean-spiritedness (by some) and fear (by others). But not from any real threat. Unfortunately the logic argument has already been lost, so I can't see how keeping the conference in the State will change any hearts of minds; that ship has already sailed. So that is why I personally voted that we move the conference. Even if it costs a bit more, or involves extra hassle, it is an important step and one that will have more impact than staying and attempting to lead by example. This type of ecoomic pressure has worked for other State laws and it is (sadly) time we do the same.<br />
<br />
But what's your opinion? Please let the association know so that whatever the decision, we can start acting to help the situation and people stuck in it.OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com317tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-47935505683419147782015-11-26T19:45:00.001-08:002015-11-27T13:46:22.990-08:00Citizen Science Holiday Gift Guide - 2015The Holiday season is here again and your shopping has begun. Shopping for some people is easy, but what about the citizen scientist in your family...what do you get them? And what gifts can a citizen scientist buy to share their love of this exciting field? Fortunately your friends at OpenScientist are here to help.<br />
<br />
Below is a small collection of items we think any citizen scientist would love to give...or get. No what your age or or interest I hope you can find something below. All on top of the many other items on my previous Citizen Science Holiday Gift guides from the last few years (<a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2014/11/citizen-science-holiday-buying-guide.html">2014</a> and <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/12/citizen-science-holiday-gift-guide.html">2012</a>). One key difference for this year is that I've teamed up as an Amazon affiliate for some of these items, meaning that if you purchase after linking from this site we receive a small commission. Just purchase from any of the links below or search for all <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20target=%22_blank%22%20rel=%22nofollow%22%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&index=aps&keywords=Citizen%20science&linkCode=ur2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=NIJMPUCKZWEFPSWS%22%3ESearch%20for%20%22Citizen%20Science%22%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=opensc-20&l=ur2&o=1%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Amazon Citizen Science products</a>. This won't make me rich, but I do promise to use 100% of the money I receive will go to continue providing more tools and information on this site. So it's a win--win for all of us!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r40HVeQ_r4Q/VljJeGDLbII/AAAAAAAABMc/lOC4d5LEyx4/s1600/DIYGamer%2BKit.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r40HVeQ_r4Q/VljJeGDLbII/AAAAAAAABMc/lOC4d5LEyx4/s200/DIYGamer%2BKit.png" width="200" /></a><b>Do-It-Yourself Gamer Kit:</b> Most people buy video games to play...but citizen scientists make their own! The <a href="https://www.techwillsaveus.com/shop/diy-gamer-kit/">$98 DIYGamer Kit </a>provides you all the hardware pieces to build a handheld game console, as well as software to design games that run on it. For more advanced gift-givers can you can buy versions that require soldering, while others are available solder-free for beginners. And this is just the start. <a href="https://www.techwillsaveus.com/shop/">TechnologyWillSaveUs</a> also sells DIY Synthesizer, Biology and other kits for the Maker crowd. So pick the one your friends will like most and help them start building!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5ehHZ41RtU/VliQlE_kC1I/AAAAAAAABMI/4suxItR2l5Y/s1600/Compounded%2BBoard%2BGame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5ehHZ41RtU/VliQlE_kC1I/AAAAAAAABMI/4suxItR2l5Y/s200/Compounded%2BBoard%2BGame.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b>Family Game Night</b>: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GEZAHYO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00GEZAHYO&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=R7XYFAMHQM2B6QWI">Compounded: The Board Game </a>lets you and your family be the lab manager. Collect and trade elements to create new and exciting compounds before your opponents do...and before they cause an explosion! At $27 its the perfect gift for the chemists and biologists in your life. If you need the perfect board game for biologists, try <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010MVHJ6Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B010MVHJ6Y&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=5SAOMJ25VIXRMIQX">Peptide the Card Game</a>, where players collect amino acids and compete to create new proteins.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXEcPwt4ICg/VlfQYDphxYI/AAAAAAAABLc/BmFfSMWjmKc/s1600/GoPro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qXEcPwt4ICg/VlfQYDphxYI/AAAAAAAABLc/BmFfSMWjmKc/s200/GoPro.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>GoPro Video</b>: Perfect for recording all your scientific field work on beautiful 1080P High Definition video. Use it to verify findings for others, records data for review and analysis at home, and capture the joy of excitement to be shared with your loved ones (and friendly citizen scientists). For $139 the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WU9UJDM/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00WU9UJDM&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=NVYSBHS6DKPPHB4K">GoPro Hero Starter Bundle</a> comes complete with a head strap for hands-free recording of all your adventures. I've used it myself for recording scuba dives and nature hikes, and bet the lucky gift receiver will find many more good uses too.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b9u72uqbMns/VlfPPYNJArI/AAAAAAAABLI/V2T_jVLJYNY/s1600/cooking_for_geeks_second_edition_english_cover-400x463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b9u72uqbMns/VlfPPYNJArI/AAAAAAAABLI/V2T_jVLJYNY/s200/cooking_for_geeks_second_edition_english_cover-400x463.jpg" width="172" /></a></div>
<b>Cooking for Geeks</b>: Unfortunate title aside, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1491928050/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1491928050&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=RLR3QBVWABH3EBJH">Cooking for Geeks</a> is a great way to not only learn about the science behind the food we eat, but how to have fun with it too. You not only get recipes optimized by the science, you also get tips on ways to experiment on your own to improve the food you eat. The book also applies the scientific techniques used in the citizen science world to improve cooking, such as easy ways to properly calibrate kitchen equipment. Perfect for the amateur investigator in your house.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QA4G9XJddJI/VlfRdi-zNDI/AAAAAAAABLs/cclPNWwvlxg/s1600/mc2dolls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QA4G9XJddJI/VlfRdi-zNDI/AAAAAAAABLs/cclPNWwvlxg/s200/mc2dolls.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMPQ8SQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UMPQ8SQ&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=PON3AFQQGDBYLORY"></a>
<b>Project MC2 Dolls:</b> Mixing science and play, the MC2 line of dolls are perfect for young girls looking to enter the world of science. They come with their own clothes and accessories...in this case safety goggles and a real working volcano experiment! I've featured the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMPQ8SQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UMPQ8SQ&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=ZF6RQURLFAKBOQI6">Adrienne Attoms doll</a>, but you can also get the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMSU7EY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UMSU7EY&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=QGZSJYITIQF6FD7J">Bryden Bandwidth</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMSU7YO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UMSU7YO&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=TE4QH4776HRV666W">McKeyla McAlister</a>, or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMSU7TO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UMSU7TO&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=WE7K4GO4VANJGBDH">Camryn Coyle</a> dolls. You can also buy the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UMSU0W8/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00UMSU0W8&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=4XX6GSZYGMP6WP2K">MC2 Ultimate Lab Kit</a> to conduct additional experiments of your own!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h95l-DpckA4/VlfMkKjp5-I/AAAAAAAABK0/8_neOabBRQQ/s1600/laboratory_shot_glasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h95l-DpckA4/VlfMkKjp5-I/AAAAAAAABK0/8_neOabBRQQ/s200/laboratory_shot_glasses.jpg" width="200" /></a><b>Science Barware</b>: After a long day of research every citizen scientist needs a way to relax. So help them out with some fun science-themed bar and glassware. With these your family and friends can drink out of the very same types of containers used in their research. Thinkgeek has a couple of fun items, including the <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/14aa/">Chemist's Cocktail Kit</a> (with an Erlenmeyer flask mixer and test tube shot glasses), <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f2cc/">Laboratory Shot Glasses</a> or the<a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/96c6/"> Erlenmeyer Flask Coffee Mug</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtrUrt3W9pI/VljNkPIuzwI/AAAAAAAABMs/mcgPMlFNtFI/s1600/Three%2BBody%2BProblem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtrUrt3W9pI/VljNkPIuzwI/AAAAAAAABMs/mcgPMlFNtFI/s200/Three%2BBody%2BProblem.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<b>Three-Body Problem</b>: This is the highly-acclaimed bestseller now translated into English. Winner of the Hugo Award and a Nebula Award nominee, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765377063/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765377063&linkCode=as2&tag=opensc-20&linkId=DAVBM6XHDZ2IELWI">The Three-Body Problem</a> chronicles what happens when Chinese scientists send radio signals out into the Universe to contact alien life. When the signal is received by a potentially dangerous alien species, humanity splits into different factions figuring out what to do as Earth awaits its fate. Given the popularity of extra-terrestrial search (SETI) projects among citizen scientists, the insights offered into the Chinese scientific community, the human emotions explored, and the literary acclaim this book has received, it's a great gift for citizen scientists wanting a good beach read as they relax from their research.<br />
<br />
<b>Great Courses:</b> What better way to
learn about a new area of science than by attending a college-level
course taught by world-renowned professors. While there are a few
different companies offering this type of content, I've found the Great
Courses are some of the highest quality (and with some of their great
sales, some of the highest value too!). If you want something for the
space enthusiast in your family I highly recommend <a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/skywatching-seeing-and-understanding-cosmic-wonders.html">Skywatching: Seeing and Understanding Cosmic Wonders</a>.
It not only highlights many of the wonders out there in the universe,
but shows you how to witness them yourself with just a small telescope
or binoculars. Letting them see these amazing sights with their own
eyes. Others I've enjoyed and which you may also find interesting
include <a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/leonardo-da-vinci-and-the-italian-high-renaissance.html">Leonardo da Vinci and the High Italian Renaissance</a> (famed artist and citizen scientist), and <a href="http://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/roots-of-human-behavior.html">Roots of Human Behavior</a> which uses the behaviors of apes and monkeys to help us understand where our humanity comes from.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hF0MidFYLMI/VlfNX0PiimI/AAAAAAAABLA/BEAyNlUCTrs/s1600/skywatching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hF0MidFYLMI/VlfNX0PiimI/AAAAAAAABLA/BEAyNlUCTrs/s1600/skywatching.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>uBiome Microbial Analysis</b>: Everyone knows about the world of
bacteria that live out in the world, but there is also a whole world of
bacteria that live inside every one of us. These are almost always good
bacteria that help our bodies function, aiding digestion and performing
other important tasks. But each person's is different. As their web
site says, "Our microbes outnumber human cells 10:1. Like
the rainforest, the healthy human microbiome is a balanced ecosystem.
Microbes perform essential functions such as digesting food and
synthesizing vitamins. Studies have also linked the microbiome to human
mood and behavior, as well as gut health, human development, and
metabolic disorders." With <a href="http://ubiome.com/">uBiome</a> you
can collect DNA from various parts of your body and send it for a quick
analysis, making it the perfect gift for the biologist in your family.
Kits are available for between $90 and $400, depending on the amount of
data you want.OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com659tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-90837925462228992112015-10-25T20:15:00.001-07:002015-10-25T20:15:17.859-07:00Where Does My Baby Come From (Part II): A Citizen Science ExplorationA year and half ago I decided to learn about genealogy. As a citizen scientist I started with the <a href="https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic Society's Genographic Project (2.0)</a> to trace my genetic heritage. And as I was about to become a new father, it would give insights not just to my origins, but new son's as well. The process was relatively simple and you can read much more about it in the original blog post (see: <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2014_03_01_archive.html">Where Does my Baby Come From</a>). The analysis came back in the 1-2 months they promised, but fatherhood and job changes left me to busy to provide the interesting updates. Now that he's almost 20 months old, time to share with everyone where his father came from.<br />
<br />
For starters, the DNA lineages provided by Geno go way back, over 100,000 years and some ancestors (such as Mitochandrial Eve) we all have in common. It turns out they I have slightly higher amounts of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA than average, at 2.4% and 2.3%, respectively (expected is slightly over 2.0% for Neanderthal and slightly under 2.0% for Denisovan). Caveman joke's from old college friends notwithstanding, it is interesting to see how much caveman is still in me.<br />
<br />
From these ancient origins you can trace the movements your ancestors made across the globe. Searching for food, water, and adventure, they spanned out from Africa to the many corners of the Earth, and in some cases (like mine) spread out and then doubled back. You can see this below. The program itself provides detailed descriptions of each genetic marker and the lands/people encountered there, but summarized in various step-by-step tracings and actual heatmaps shown below. This includes both paternal and maternal lineages, and the different markers used for each.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dbfUMZvZSGM/Vi2UAHhSv7I/AAAAAAAABKc/ShX3PXQpkhM/s1600/Geno%2BLineages%2BHeatmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dbfUMZvZSGM/Vi2UAHhSv7I/AAAAAAAABKc/ShX3PXQpkhM/s400/Geno%2BLineages%2BHeatmap.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Image Courtesy: </b>OpenScientist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Geno also compared me to other users and people from the initial research studies. Based on that data I have the most in common with inhabitants of both the United Kingdom, as well as Greece. You can also see the broader breakdown of my heritage. <br />
<ul>
<li>42% Mediterranean</li>
<li>37% Northern European</li>
<li>19% Southwest Asian</li>
</ul>
<div>
I've known about the Mediterranean and European components from family histories but know much less about the Southwest Asian connection. So that's something I want to look deeper into for the future.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As good as this data is, it's getting better. Just in the time between first submitting my data and writing this post, new sets of genetic markers have been traced using DNA from people joining the program. So not only are we learning about ourselves, we are helping advance knowledge for future generations. The test has also been slightly changed in that time and can be <a href="http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=2003825&gsk&code=MR21280">ordered directly here</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
I love this type of information...showing where we started millions of years ago, as hunters and gathers fighting for food, though the various migrations up and down the globe. Not only is the human story interesting, but knowing that science can identify these long-forgotten movements is fascinating too. But I do want to learn more. Where did my family come from over more recent generations? Oral histories tell me significant portions came from Italy, Germany, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, but is that it? Are there other branches we don't know about? And how do we find them?<br />
<br />
Fortunately National Geographic has us covered. Not only are they continuing research and updating user profiles as more data is available, they've also teamed up with <a href="https://www.familytreedna.com/">Family Tree DNA</a> to help people link together through their genetic information. So you can find lost (and no so lost) relatives with any additional cost. There is a bit of extra time involved though, so I can't tell you those results yet. But I will be reporting back along with information from other DNA testing, genealogy, and citizen science programs.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, have you joined any of these programs? Have interesting results you'd like to share? Let us know in the comments below.<br />
<br />
<br />OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com280tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-72253380983336554912015-10-19T18:12:00.000-07:002015-10-19T18:12:00.820-07:00Aliens, Asteroids, and Citizen Science - A Messy Love Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2DVBPaoA1qE/ViWJ_YZhMBI/AAAAAAAABJ4/BFslWwNfEDA/s1600/nasa-kepler-exoplanet-spacecraft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2DVBPaoA1qE/ViWJ_YZhMBI/AAAAAAAABJ4/BFslWwNfEDA/s320/nasa-kepler-exoplanet-spacecraft.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Citizen Scientists love aliens. Science Fiction and E.T. have been driving forces that helped first open up our field, and they continue to add to the mystique of citizen science. But is this always a good thing?<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Last week there was much excitement as the discovery of a potential "Alien Superstructure" were breathlessly reported in the news media. Details varied, but some strange readings were seen from the Kepler planet hunting satellite and, after much consideration, the investigators reviewing it conjectured that it could be due to the relics of an ancient extra-terrestrial civilization. And now the team is looking for additional telescope time and other resources to investigate it further. After telling the news media, of course. If you have not already heard the story check out various versions at <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/10/the-most-interesting-star-in-our-galaxy/410023/">The Atlanti</a>c and <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/have-scientists-discovered-alien-civilization-not-so-fast-n445161">NBCNews</a>.<br />
<br />
Of special interest is the fact that the data was initially noticed by
citizen scientists using the Planet Hunter program through the Zooniverse. This is great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A major news story
highlights the role made by citizen scientists showing they can make real
discoveries of great import.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also
highlights projects available on the Zooniverse the public may wish to join.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it may truly have an alien origin (one
never knows).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that’s definitely not guaranteed.</div>
<div>
<br />
There is the fear of what happens if this turns out to be less “exciting” and is “only” a
collection of exocomets or other natural phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will that make people think it was the
citizen scientists jumping to conclusions, harming our reputation?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will it decrease excitement for the natural
cause that (in and of itself) should still be quite interesting?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously it would not be the end of the world for
citizen science, but it would be disappointing.<br />
<br />
Thinking about this made me realize how closely tied to the citizen science and
SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) worlds are to each other.<br />
<br />
In many ways the “modern” era of citizen science began with the SETI@Home
distributed computing project, which brought myself and many others into the
citizen science world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And one of the
key factors for success in citizen science projects has been the <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science_08.html">Excitement factor</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although not restricted to SETI
projects it certainly does apply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of
which can be seen in the success of PlanetHunters and related space projects
looking for signs of ET or sending messages to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
But does this do justice to all of the non-SETI citizen science projects out
there?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> The same thing goes for the hunt for asteroids; there are many good reasons to search for these artifacts from the solar system's creation, including understanding how our planet was initially formed. But when discovered by citizen scientists the main story is about whether the asteroid will hit Earth. Yes, that is a concern. But is it really the only newsworthy concern?</span><br />
<br />
Every day volunteers collect
important environmental data and power important studies in medicine and ecology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> D</span>o these get the same press coverage and
support?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly I don’t think they always
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
Yet I love it. Sure. these scientific fields may receive an inordinate amount of coverage and steal recognition from many other worthy projects. But citizen scientists are drawn not just to the academic thrill of discovery, but the more visceral thrills of things that light up their souls. We are here for the fun and for the adventure. We were raised on Star Trek and Carl Sagan. So we are drawn to aliens and asteroids like moths to a flame. That is not too ignore the many people trying to improve their world through environmental or medical science projects, but it recognizes the different roles each plays. They touch different parts of people's psyches and attract new talent for those different reasons. Making us a more diverse, and more powerful, force in the scientific world.<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span>
These are just my initial thoughts…it seems citizen science is connected
much more closely to the SETI field than other fields that typically receive more
attention from scientists and funders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
is that close a connection good for the citizen science field?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are there risks to much of our press coming from
the search for ET?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t have all the
answers, or even some of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just
something I’ve been thinking about.<br />
<br />
But what are your thoughts?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me know
in the comments below.</div>
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com294tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-7430694444505134482015-10-05T11:57:00.000-07:002015-10-05T18:56:48.335-07:00White House citizen Science Toolkit - A Former Fed's Thoughts (Part 1)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-acwV9qAqBds/VhMp6jEd-LI/AAAAAAAABJo/2vwy1j6wnbQ/s1600/Obama%2BTelescope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-acwV9qAqBds/VhMp6jEd-LI/AAAAAAAABJo/2vwy1j6wnbQ/s320/Obama%2BTelescope.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo Courtesy: </b><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/4013781257/in/set-72157622593716998/">White House on Flickr</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week was an important one for Citizen Science. On Wednesday, the
White House held a large “Open Science and Innovation” forum highlighting the
promise of citizen science and outlining ways Federal agencies can take advantage
of this growing movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was hosted
by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, a hugely
influential body overseeing the efforts of such agencies as the National Science
Foundation, Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Institutes of
Health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a former Policy Officer at NIH
who used to implement many of these initiatives, believe me when I say that OSTP
initiatives are taken very seriously.<br />
<br />
It’s important to say up front that none of this happened on its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The citizen science community has been
building its reputation and reach for years to the point where it can stand
tall at the national level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the government
has not been ignoring citizen science up to now; they have highlighted it at
previous events, discussed citizen science at White House Science Fairs, and have
been discussion open innovation and crowdsourcing in a variety of initiatives
(including ongoing <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/us_national_action_plan_6p.pdf">Open
Government Initiative</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So there are
both many people to thank as well a strong foundation to build on.<br />
<br />
Much of the attention from this event has gone to the <a href="http://crowdsourcing-toolkit.sites.usa.gov/">Federal Crowdsourcing and
Citizen Science Toolkit</a> toolkit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
quite large and frankly much more complete that can often be expected from
these types of events. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To start, I
recommend taking a look at the various case studies presented on various
projects designed by, or in coordination with, government agencies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are models that can be reproduced by other
State/Federal agencies or can be developed by citizen scientists to help those
agencies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also a great place to
draw inspiration for future projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
that is just the first step.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starting up
a new citizen science program, either privately or in the government, involves
many moving parts and a lot of key decisions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So the toolkit also provides a long listing of resources that practitioners
can use to start and grow their projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is no way to highlight them all but I do recommend browsing through
them for any insights that will help improve your own work.<br />
As a former Fed who has dealt with many of these Open Innovation/Open Government
issues before, what really interests me is the memo put out by OMB (the
government’s management arm) on “<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/holdren_citizen_science_memo_092915.pdf">Addressing
Societal and Scientific Challenges through Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing</a>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what actually pushes agencies to include
more citizen science in their programs and future budget requests, putting dollars
behind the top-down push.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it also
brings up a number of questions for me.<br />
<br />
One key element is creation of an online catalog of citizen science and
crowdsourcing projects to help the public discover them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a laudable goal and on the surface
seems like a no-brainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I question
the real-world practicality of this approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To begin with, the number of Federally-funded citizen science projects
is quite small compared to the total number of projects available (both
nationally and internationally).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So to create
a highly visible database showcasing a minority of projects can cause non-Federal
projects to be overshadowed and less able to attract participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a community the SciStarter database has become
the go-to site for this type of information; highlighting projects regardless
of funding source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the very least I
hope the Federal solution is able to partner with SciStarter so their efforts
are complementary instead of working against each other.<br />
<br />
There are also questions with the real-world usefulness of this web site to
remain current.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many cases these
types of government catalogs rely on manual entries made by employees from numerous
different agencies and bureaus, all with different definitions of what citizen
science is and with different amounts of time/energy devoted to populating the
database.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless it is made a high
priority for agencies (which is easier said than done) the database quickly
lose relevance as the project data grows increasingly out-of-date.<br />
<br />
Second, I question the concept of it functioning as a real-world way for
people to find participation opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For many years the government has operated the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance (<a href="http://www.cfda.gov/">www.CFDA.gov</a>)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>highlighting every grant program available to
the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is supposed to help
people find programs (and funding support) that meets their needs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But in reality I don’t think anybody uses it
that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the CFDA programs are
broad, vague listings that each cover a wide swath of opportunities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As an example NIH has less than 50 active
programs listed under the CFDA system…but this is a tiny number for an agency
spending $30 billion per year on grants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At that high level the CFDA listing can barely capture the specifics
needed to inform people about the individual programs currently available. Instead,
people looking for grant funds can just go to <a href="http://www.grants.gov/">Grants.gov</a>
which lists every Funding Opportunity Announcement across the government with
detailed, complete information on each.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
I fear the Citizen Science database may just be like the CFDA listing and not
provide nearly as much value as is hoped.<br />
<br />
A thid issue I see was not addressed by the memo but can quickly come into
play with Federally-funded citizen science projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A relatively unknown law called the “Shelby Amendment”
requires that any Federally-funded research findings used to inform any
regulatory action be made publicly accessible through FOIA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although a laudable goal, the implementation
of this on the citizen science community may cause problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we know, many citizen scientists get into
the field to help preserve the environment and so a large number of citizen
science projects look at ecological questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So if this research is funded by the government, and if the data is ever
used to support a future regulation, all of the research data is subject to the
Freedom of Information Act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But is this burden
appropriate for citizen science?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law
was designed to cover university and agency researchers who can easily comply
with the requirement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Citizen scientists,
on the other hand, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>may have much more
difficulty with those costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also
highly intrusive for what may be a small citizen science project that gets
caught up in politically-sensitive research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So we need to really think about how these types of Open Government/Open
Access requirements impact us.<br />
<br />
Finally, but most importantly, a key agency action under the OMB memo is to
diversify project by creating mechanisms for providing small grants to individuals
and communities that may not be affiliated with universities or traditional government
contractors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we just saw above the
FOIA requirements can be overwhelming to small projects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what about all of the other
administrative requirements necessary to operate a Federal grant?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a huge issue and a problem that can’t
be ignored, but it’s too big for just one blog post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I’m going to keep putting together my
thoughts and write more on this issue in the near future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
In the meantime, what are your thoughts?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Anything you find particularly beneficial, or particularly troublesome?
Send me an email (<a href="mailto:OpenScientist@gmail.com">OpenScientist - at - gmail.com</a>)
or let me know in the comments below.<br />
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com321tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-6906913010000709502015-09-27T08:28:00.000-07:002015-09-27T08:28:32.215-07:00A Citizen Science Summer<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
It's been a long summer. Between a new job, a fast-growing 18-month old, and a vacation to wild Alaska, there has not been much time for citizen science. So sadly my blog has been quite for a few months. But with the advent of Fall and the rest of life settling down, I'm ready for a new push.
<br />
<br />
But what have I missed?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ic-NN7fkpYs/VggJkPqZkxI/AAAAAAAABJM/f-mi8rw23E4/s1600/20150726_195626000_iOS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ic-NN7fkpYs/VggJkPqZkxI/AAAAAAAABJM/f-mi8rw23E4/s320/20150726_195626000_iOS.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Photo Courtesy: </b>OpenScientist.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Social Media:</b> A friend of OpenScientist and former Guest Blogger Michael Bear has been busy lately. As an avid diver and lover of the ocean, he has set up the new <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/citizenscientistsoftheocean/">Citizen Scientists of the Ocean Facebook group </a>with constant posts throughout the day. It has grown quickly with new followers joining each day, many adding to the marine science and conservation topics he posts about. As an added bonus he has also started the new “<a href="https://www.facebook.com/yourcitizenscience?fref=ts">Citizen Science</a>” Facebook page as well with topics from all fields of science and ecology. That group is still in its early stages, and is still the younger brother to its ocean-themed sibling, but there is lots of good information there too. Follow them to find out yourself, after, of course, following my own <a href="http://www.facebook.com/OpenScientist">OpenScientist Facebook page</a> as well. :)<br />
<br />
<b>Crowdfunding:</b> Some new projects have been announced through various crowdfunding platforms that citizen scientists may be interested in.<br />
<br />
The first might be of special interest to all of my readers....an Experiment.com project to research who reads science blogs and why. As a reader of one right now, and someone who might help answer those questions and help us science bloggers better meet your needs, this could be a good one to support. They are only asking for $6,000. Check it out <a href="https://experiment.com/projects/oh-my-science-blog-who-reads-science-blogs-and-why?s=discover">here</a> and think about whether you have a few extra bucks to give.<br />
<br />
Also, for people near my home town of Washington, DC, the Greenbelt MakerSpace group is looking to expand into the community with a new mobile MakerWagon. Not only is this a great idea, but the DC area is a prime area for citizen scientists but which has, sadly, not really begun to tap its potential. It's also a great way to get kids involved in STEM education. I have not formal connection with them but any help you all can give would be appreciated by all. You can check them out <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/makerwagon-a-mobile-makerspace#/story">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Scientific Press:</b> Back in August the prestigious journal Nature published “<a href="http://www.nature.com/news/rise-of-the-citizen-scientist-1.18192">Rise of the Citizen Scientist</a>” recognizing the incredible growth our field has seen and the many contributions we’ve already made. As an editorial coming from one of the most trusted (and wide-read) names in science this can be a very positive thing. Even the well-meaning discussion of issues around data quality, health confidentiality, and recognition are important to address and are things the citizen science field itself has grappled with for a long time. But the concerns about political motivation of volunteers and its potential to raise conflict of interest concerns struck an odd chord.<br />
<br />
The Citizen Science Association followed up by <a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/response_nature.pdf">registering some concerns with those ideas</a>, and I find myself agreeing with them. Without rehashing arguments already made well by others, my concern is about the scientific community being so ready doubt citizen science data on the basis of the presumed motivations of a subset of volunteers. Industry and academic researchers all have their own biases and potential conflicts of interest, and people pay much less concern to those conflicts even though the dollar amounts are much greater. For citizen scientists the individual stakes are much smaller and should raise much smaller concerns. Also, unlike in academic and industry research, many more people are often involved in citizen science studies which mitigates the impact of those very conflicts. So instead of singling out citizen science with special concerns, the field should be applauded for discovering methods of reducing scientific conflicts of interest. But this also provides me hope as I foresee future research in our field looking at this very subject and showing the inherent value of our field, much the same way research on data quality in citizen science showed the data is not only as reliable as from traditional sources, it can often be better. <br />
<br />
And that's just for starters! It's been a busy summer but time to get back to work. So keep following me here, on <a href="https://twitter.com/anopenscientist">Twitter (@AnOpenScientist)</a>, and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/OpenScientist">Facebook</a> for deeper dives and more frequent updates.<br />
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<br />OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com187tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-7924588272309515672015-07-29T16:32:00.000-07:002015-07-29T16:32:04.694-07:00Citizen Science You Can WearThis week we are proud to be joined by guest blogger “Best in Latest”. With the recent popular interest in wearable technologies the potential for a dancing citizen science grows. So today she looks at many of these exciting possibilities for us.<br />
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<b>Wearables for Citizen Science - What Does it Mean to Us?</b></div>
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The rise in the demand for more portable assistive technologies means that wearable devices are currently in high demand, especially in the world of citizen science.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo Courtesy: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/65265630@N03/13467470335/">Janitors</a> via <a href="http://www.compfight.com/">Compfight</a></td></tr>
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<i>How can wearables change and revolutionize our industry?</i></div>
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Wearables can be a digital health tool, particularly with smartwatches and fitness bands. They come with the ability to track and measure heart rate, stress levels, speed and distance among other things. The next wave of wearable releases are said to focus on assisting patients with particular health needs such as the Google smart contact lens for people with astigmatism while the Embrace band will assist those that suffer from seizures.</div>
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In terms of acquiring data, a study revealed that smartphones are more accurate in getting health data than wearables. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that health apps for smartphones are <a href="http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/news/News_Releases/2015/02/case/">More accurate in counting the steps</a> of users than the built-in pedometers on wearables. This is also one of the reasons why people still prefer using their handsets rather than investing in new devices that still require the need to be paired with smartphone.</div>
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Today’s premium smartphones are now <a href="https://www.o2.co.uk/shop/phones/apple/iphone-6-plus/">built with health sensors</a> similar to smartwatches and fitness bands. Even without the Apple Watch, O2 said that the iPhone 6 Plus can track the speed, distance, and elevation level of its user through its built-in M8 motion coprocessor and barometer respectively. Other premium smartphones today are also incorporating the same features to give people more variations in tracking their health.</div>
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But, convenience appears to be the main factor why people purchase technologies. Demands for wearables continued to rise this year, with 50% now considering purchasing smartwatches as they offer the consumer the same features as smartphones but with more convenience. </div>
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In citizen science, volunteers will be able to gather the real-time health data of patients. Virtual health assistance is now the new trend in citizen volunteer divisions in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world. In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) collaborated with a mobile network company to provide volunteers and medical practitioners with cost-effective and reliable devices and plans to connect them with patients in real-time. <a href="http://www.o2.co.uk/enterprise/sectors/public-sector/health">Click here</a> to know how they perform this in the public sector. Apart from social workers, nurses and doctors are also able to maximize the same technology to further assist patients quickly during emergency cases.</div>
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Additionally, wearable devices are also seen to have the potential to change the way scientists monitor air quality. <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/with-wearable-devices-that-monitor-air-quality-scientists-can-crowdsource-pollution-maps-180954556/?no-ist">In a post on Smithsonian.com</a>, author Brian Handwerk said that emerging technologies such as smartwatches and smart headsets can turn help anyone monitor environmental factors such as air quality. In particular the TZOA, a wearable device that measures air quality, will be able to help the public and even scientists in monitoring the quality of air we breath in real-time. This type of innovation is a good stepping-stone for many scientists to crowdsource pollution maps for smartphones and other consumer tech items.</div>
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A large-scale effort in Europe is well underway wherein portable and wearable environmental-focused technologies are being assigned to further assist in scientific research in the region.</div>
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“People may use this information to organize themselves with other like-minded people to take action or go to their (local) politicians and ask that they do something about pollution,” said Mark Nieuwenhuijsen of the Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology in Space. He also uses wearable monitors to measure and map air pollution.</div>
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Wearable devices have plenty of potential in citizen science. It will only be a matter of time before these technologies will develop and become a main component in the science and technology industries. How do you think wearables can shape the citizen science sector?</div>
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Exclusively written for Open Scientist</div>
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By Best in Latest</div>
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com111tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-30514204054614741722015-07-20T20:48:00.003-07:002015-07-23T21:17:06.569-07:00Radio Astronomy in the News<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RnXRXMGLjv0/Va2_dJhCgXI/AAAAAAAABH4/vH6eTrjnukc/s1600/Breakthrough%2BListen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RnXRXMGLjv0/Va2_dJhCgXI/AAAAAAAABH4/vH6eTrjnukc/s200/Breakthrough%2BListen.jpg" width="200"></a>Have you heard about the new <a href="http://www.breakthroughinitiatives.org/Initiative/1">Breakthrough Listen</a> project? Funded by Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner and supported by Stephen Hawking, Fran Drake (of the famed Drake Equation for calculating the potential number of extraterrestrial civilizations) and many others, the project hopes to use powerful radio telescopes from across the world, famed researchers, and everyday people to search for alien intelligence. <br>
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As a recently inducted member of the radio astronomy community I am still learning all the great things this funding can do for SETI. As my new job involves working with the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia that will be funded for much of this work I may be biased, but I honestly think this is a fantastic shot-in-the-arm for the SETI program, and understanding our place in the Universe. It's also a great testament to the science communicators out there who have kept these dreams alive in the public.<br>
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This is still a breaking story with much more news to report as time goes on. But in the meantime take a look at some current thinking on the subject:<br><br>
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<li><b>Scientific American:</b> http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/stephen-hawking-and-yuri-milner-announce-100m-initiative-to-seek-extraterrestrial-intelligence/</li>
<li><b>Wired - UK:</b> http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-07/20/breakthrough-listen-project</li>
<li><b>Space.com:</b> http://www.space.com/29990-stephen-hawking-intelligent-alien-life-initiative.html</li>
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<br>OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com96tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-84109561252806818342015-07-16T08:04:00.001-07:002015-07-16T08:04:08.582-07:00A New Job: Radio Astronomy and Citizen Science<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afkPR0H9MCo/VaXRvwH0VkI/AAAAAAAABHc/iiYRLl7ImIw/s1600/VLA_BSaxton-650x432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-afkPR0H9MCo/VaXRvwH0VkI/AAAAAAAABHc/iiYRLl7ImIw/s200/VLA_BSaxton-650x432.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This is a big week both for OpenScientist and for me personally. I just started a new job at <a href="http://www.aui.edu/">Associated Universities, Inc</a> and working with the <a href="http://www.nrao.edu/">National Radio Astronomy Observatory</a>. Much of my job will be overseeing sponsored research funding and administration for all of the grants and contracts they operate. But I will also be helping set up a citizen science program for them in radio astronomy. A dream job for a guy like me!<br />
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For those of you who may not know, for the past ten years I have worked at the National Institutes of Health overseeing many of their grant policy and compliance efforts. It did not directly intersect with citizen science, but as one of the largest funders of scientific research, ethics rules kept me from talking about it. I also could not write about the large amount of biomedical research taking place with citizen science. Projects like EyeWire, uBiome, and others were blazing interesting paths in the field but I could not write about it. With the new job that all changes. So expect to see much more of the "pent-up" supply of articles to be posted in the near future.<br />
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I'm also hoping to help AUI incorporate everything I've learned about citizen science over the last ten years into radio astronomy. There are still many different ways this may happen and I don't want to make any commitments yet, but the opportunities for scientists and the public are too great not to do it. Much of it will likely take place as part of my "day job" under the NRAO or AUI but I will also talk about it here. Making sure you never miss out.<br />
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That's the big news! Hopefully you will see the fruits of this new job soon, and we can continue a new journey of citizen science together.OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com237tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-25724014281443988952015-04-23T20:59:00.001-07:002015-04-23T20:59:13.798-07:00Citizen Science Business Model: Bounty Hunter<div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">At CitSci2015 I proposed a collection of </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/poster-on-citizen-science-business.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">business models that support, and benefit from, the work of citizen scientists</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and the </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/why-we-need-for-profit-business-models.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">reasons these are so important</a><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. For the next few months I will be explaining each one in much more depth along with the current state of the market, obstacles to expanding connections to citizen science, and unexplored niches in each market. These are needed to both help citizen scientists reap some rewards from the value they create, as well as convince firms to invest resources in developing tools to help the entire field grow. To everyone's mutual benefit. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br />Previous: <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/04/citizen-science-business-model-educator.html">Educator</a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This Week: </span><b style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Bounty Hunter</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next: Organizer (Coming Soon)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">I've been thinking about citizen science bounties for a long time. Back in 2011 I wrote an <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2011/09/searching-for-citizen-science-bounties.html">initial article talking about their definition and basic potential,</a> hoping this would kick start some new thinking. Much of that thinking is still valid and has been incorporated here. But while people sent me some great ideas I have not seen it take off in the field yet. Still not sure why. Either way, there are still many great opportunities for both citizen scientists and for businesses wanting to work with them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">What I'm thinking of is very similar to, but distinct from, some of the innovation awards that groups like the <a href="http://www.xprize.org/">Ansari XPrize</a> and <a href="http://www.challenge.gov/">U.S. Government's Challenge.gov </a>site have offered. Those are all focused on achieving a specific technical goal or development of a process. And they are also quite large endeavors with precise rules on how the goal should be accomplished. They may be somewhat loose rules, but they are still somewhat prescriptive in how to accomplish the goal. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">The bounties I'm thinking of are different by focusing on discovery, not creation or puzzle-solving. They reward accomplishment of a specific tangible goal but are usually smaller in nature or more precise. They also often involve more "brute-force" or trial-and-error searching as compared to innovative or creative puzzle solving. The example is an award to people who can find a particular rare bird, sight the first flower of a certain type to bud in spring, or discover an asteroid that will pass within a certain distance of Earth. So it rewards a very specific discovery that is not a technical feat in and of itself, though building of tools to aid the discovery (such as building the proper telescopes of automating bird call identifications) may involve significant technical work. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Historically people have used these types of bounty prizes to accomplish scientific goals but they haven't been popular recently. Some of the more illustrative examples of bounty prizes I've seen are the </span><a href="http://www.eff.org/awards/coop" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">Electronic Frontier Foundation Cooperative Computing Awards</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> for finding the largest prime numbers. The group offered prizes of up to $250,000 to the first person to discover a certain type of prime number. There were no rules on how to do it, or what should be done with the number. All the group required was someone to prove that the number was a Mersenne Prime and of the certain length. This type of bounty-hunting is well-suited for distributed computing approaches that could crunch huge sets of numbers by brute force until the sought-after number was found. And that's exactly what the GIMPS distributed computing project did to win the two most recent EFF bounties.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">On a similar note, there is another concept that I also put into the bounties category. These again focus on meeting a simple, tangible goal, but are used to reward progress or effort on a per-unit basis. Again, nothing is being created here. Instead we are rewarding someone who performs a scientific analysis task ten times, or collects three samples of a certain specimen, devotes 100 hours of computing time, identifies 200 uncharted Mars craters, or tracks the pollution in ten different streams.</span></div>
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<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Looking around I've seen a few examples of this so far but nothing major, and nothing active right now. The closest I've found is the </span><a href="mailto:Cosmology@Home" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">Cosmology@Home</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">, a distributed computing project trying to model the current universe from various hypothetical starting points. To encourage participation researchers offered a prize to the person whose computer model came closest to reality by a certain date; there was not a monetary prize but the winner would be mentioned in scientific articles about the work. The most widely-known version may be </span><a href="http://aws.amazon.com/mturk/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> project. Although not necessarily Citizen Science, it did provide bounties on a piecework basis for crowdsourced activities. So people could be paid for writing ten web reviews, or transcribing a certain number of podcasts. The private sector </span><a href="http://qualialabs.com/QMulusHome.aspx" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">QMULUS Cloud Computing Platform</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> also used this approach to encourage participation in an actual Citizen Science application. Each month the company gave away gift certificates and free merchandise through a raffle to users of the system. As a commercial entity they could afford to invest in these give-aways but there's no reason non-profit organizations couldn't do the same thing (ultimately I don't believe the QMULUS group was successful but that doesn't mean other firms can't be successful with similar ideas). There could also be many variations in the raffle system...an entry for every work unit performed, or for per person using the system per month, or per participant in general. There are many possibilities that could fit depending on the nature of the particular project.</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><b>Business Opportunities:</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Much like "Solver: models, bounty models are great opportunities for companies interested in the Open Innovation benefits that come with asking the public for help on specific business problems.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">One example is understanding protein folding...there are millions of potential ways a large molecule can be put together, but only one is the most stable. So why not offer a reward to the person discovering the most stable shape using only knowledge of the molecular structure? If the target chemicals are potential drugs or the cause of a disease, there is a lot of value in this work. Researchers could provide the components of a key Malaria protein and offer $1,000 to the first person to identify it's shape. Or provide the shape of an important AIDS protein and provide $5,000 to the person discovering a structure that will fit around it (thus neutralizing it's effect).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Bounty opportunities don't just involve one-of-a-kind discoveries. They can also be used to promote people finding more common items they wouldn't otherwise look for in an organized manner. For example, a business operating in an environmentally sensitive area may want to encourage citizen scientists to survey the wildlife around a work site to show that environmental protections are working. It can be expensive to constantly count the animals and plants in the area. So they could pick some representative species (such as an apex predator) whose presence/lack of presence is correlated to how impacted to the area is, and then offer a bounty prize to whoever spots those animals near the firm's operations. This rewards the citizen scientists doing the work, and since finding those species has economic value to the firm (by reducing their survey costs and protecting them from the costs of having caused pollution). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Some people have started trying this model. One example came up at CitSci 2015 in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Tracy Lee's poster, "</span><a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/poster-program-2015-for-website.pdf" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">Unlikely Bedfellows: Industry, Conservation and Citizen Science in the Canadian Oil Sands</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">". </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">A partnership put between a Canadian oil company (Cenovus) and the environmental non-profit </span><a href="http://www.rockies.ca/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">Miistakis Institute</a> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">created the </span><a href="http://iwildwatch.ca/" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">Wild Watch program</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> for tracking wildlife around some of their oil production facilities. These facilities extract petroleum from the Canadian Oil Sands, a highly controversial activity due to its potential environmental impact. Adding bounties as part of the reward mechanism encouraging citizen scientists to participate could potentially increase public participation greatly.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">So these are my initial thoughts on bounties. Right now there is a lot more promise with bounties than successful examples. But hopefully we can help businesses and citizen scientists build them up together.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-foV_blUgWZM/VTmpdm8UDNI/AAAAAAAABG4/xtj3-5IFy0E/s1600/Bounty-Hunter.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-foV_blUgWZM/VTmpdm8UDNI/AAAAAAAABG4/xtj3-5IFy0E/s1600/Bounty-Hunter.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br /></span></div>
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com313tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-81336408989765427382015-04-15T18:46:00.002-07:002015-04-23T20:59:48.693-07:00Citizen Science Business Model: Educator<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">At CitSci2015 I proposed a collection of </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/poster-on-citizen-science-business.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">business models that support, and benefit from, the work of citizen scientists</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and the </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/why-we-need-for-profit-business-models.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">reasons these are so important</a><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. For the next few months I will be explaining each one in much more depth along with the current state of the market, obstacles to expanding connections to citizen science, and unexplored niches in each market. These are needed to both help citizen scientists reap some rewards from the value they create, as well as convince firms to invest resources in developing tools to help the entire field grow. To everyone's mutual benefit. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br />Previously: <b><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/03/citizen-science-business-model-paid.html">Paid Participant</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This Week: </span><b style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Educator</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next Week: </span><b style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/04/citizen-science-business-model-bounty.html">Bounty Hunter</a></b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">A lot of value comes from the work of citizen science projects.
Some of this comes from the varied and unique perspectives that come
from opening problems to the overall public; they can bring ideas that
any small group would never have discovered themselves. In fact the
greatest promise (in my mind) of citizen science is this very type of
benefit. But currently most value comes from another source, people
volunteering to offer free services to the professional and academic
researchers. But why do they do this?</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
One of
the main reasons people join and engage with citizen science projects is
for the educational opportunities. They want to learn about a
particular area of science or about the scientific process in general.
So this opens up a new model for monetizing citizen science: Educator.
The best part is, this model provides great opportunities for both
businesses providing educational services for profit, as well as
individual citizen scientists retaining the value of their own work by
selling it as an educational tool. Meeting our goal of businesses both
rewarding, and benefiting from, the work of citizen scientists.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Incorporating Citizen Science into Educational Tools</b></div>
<div>
Helping teachers involve students in citizen science is a great opportunity for everyone. Teachers excite their students about science and help them learn. Kids get to experience science first hand and have lots of fun in the process. And businesses can benefit from helping them.<br />
<br />
Remember, just because these are children does not mean they can't meaningfully contribute to new discoveries. Even as we establish that findings of citizen scientists can equal that of paid researchers some people still doubt that extends to schoolchildren. Yet they've been involved since the very beginning. Many wildlife identification, weather monitoring, and environmental tracking projects rely on data from schools. The limitation is not the age of the children, but the passion of the teacher and access to the right tools. And these tools are what businesses can provide.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'd suggest businesses wanting to enter this market initially approach it as any other "Educational Support" opportunity. Just take the existing product categories and add a citizen science component. </div>
<div>
<u>Written Materials</u> - For new entrants to the educational field creating supplementary materials for individual science classes. These can either be project specific, describing a citizen science experiment and providing the educational materials that support it,or it can discuss a scientific topic area and include both experiments and educational materials covering that whole field. For example. creating a supplementary text for 6th graders for use when they learn about weather. The basic science will already be covered in the regular textbook, such as cloud types and how wind is created. But the supplementary text would go one step further, providing specific guidance on how to go outside and identify various cloud types, how to track them over time, and even how to report them to existing citizen science projects looking for that information. <a href="http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/">NASA's S'COOL project</a> collects that as part of it's regular research, though there are presumably others as well. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There is also a very real market for science textbooks that include citizen science as a part of the curriculum, or even as an overriding theme throughout the book (since much of what has been discovered historically has some sort of citizen science connection). This new focus can help publishers differentiate their texts from those of competitors. But given the high entry barriers facing new textbook publishers, this is primarily a strategy for current publishers.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Equipment, Supplies, and Kits</u> - <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">There are many firms that manufacture scientific equipment, and many that manufacture equipment to sell to schools. These are different markets differentiated by the latter typically being lower quality, fewer options, and lower cost. This meets the needs of students while keeping production numbers high, maximizing efficiencies, and staying within a tight budget. There is also a third market manufacturing equipment where quality standards increase to be scientifically reliable, but production is still in bulk and options are few to remain cost-competitive to schools. These are perfect for citizen science education and connecting students (of all ages) to real-world research. This is then sold to the school (or classroom) centrally and then distributed to the students.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Building on our weather example above, there is much more to data collection than just visual observations. Much of it requires specific equipment such as wind gauges, rain gauges, thermometers and barometers, etc. There are already non-profit citizen science projects (such as <a href="http://www.cocorahs.org/">CoCoRAHS</a>) that send out rain gauges and connect them to current research. But an equipment manufacturing firm could design a whole line of inexpensive, but scientifically accurate, equipment and supplies designed from the beginning to perform real research and connect to ongoing science projects. Some do this for the general public now selling home weather stations that connect to research projects (e.g., National Weather Service stations or Weather Underground), so they'd just need to add educational components that tie everything together and help students learn.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Science Fair</u> - Designing a package of materials that lets students participate in a citizen science project in a stand-alone way so they can use their research as part of a school science fair. This would include background educational material to bring students up-to-speed, detailed instructions on how to set up the project (including connecting to a larger project it would be a part of), and providing the necessary equipment/supplies needed to participate. <br />
<br />
The main way I see to be successful is realizing that while science in classrooms is performed by teachers who are trained in the subject and can properly guide students, it is left to parents to guide students in science fairs. Most don't have the expertise needed to properly guide those kids, so purchasing assistance from a company is a great solution for them. This is especially because science fairs encourage students to perform more original research than they would in a classroom, leaving parents without much material to draw on. Another key insight is that while a kit based on existing science materials and experiments might be somewhat successful, it is the citizen science component that makes it special and offers higher returns. This shows the student performing their own research, a key goal of the science fair. S<br />
<br />
The previous two models are focused on class-wide activities and are directed by students. So we emphasize cost constraints and the need to focus on teacher or school board as the actual customer, But there are also student-led initiatives, epitomized best by the classic school science fair. And unlike the previous two models, selling for use in science fairs is much more of "retail" strategy (where units are sold in small individual units to the public) as compared to a more "organizational" strategy (where units are sold in batches to an institutional buyer purchasing for many people). Science fair materials would thus be marketed primarily to either the parents or individual students, though some school districts or teachers may help by steering students toward certain products or favored companies.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Since science fairs are much more about students following their own interests than on pre-determined coursework, any for-profit provider would have to create a wide variety of kits to be successful. For example, the <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2013/01/the-levels-of-citizen-science.html">level of involvement</a> can vary between novice/contributory levels up to expert/co-created <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2013/01/the-levels-of-citizen-science.html">types of projects</a>. Typically this will vary with the child's age (allowing companies to sell to students throughout their educational career) and approximate age level, and should also include a variety of subject areas. So children can go from just making observations that are part of a larger national project (and learning about the science behind it through the company's supplemental materials) to purchasing kits in later years that involve projects that are much more free-form and </div>
<br />
This looks simple. Making these citizen science components meaningful is the tough part, especially since the more you can have students creating new research (and not just treading over existing research) the more compelling the product will be. So the development of close ties to the citizen science community and understanding the state of the field are competitive advantages that must be cultivated.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Providing Science Education to Citizen Scientists </b></div>
<div>
Young students are not the only ones in need of science education these days. Citizen scientists (of all ages) need it too. They need it for the projects they join and, as people who by definition have an above average interest in science, they want education for the general learning it can provide. Opening up yet another market for entrepreneurial businesses.<br />
<br />
<u>Training Materials Targeted to Specific Citizen Science Projects</u><br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Proper training is key to many successful projects and is an element project designers invest a lot of time and money into. If a company can provide high quality training in this area at a reasonable cost, they should be ale to market it quite effectively.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
After initial recruitment, one of the biggest issues citizen science projects must face is properly training their volunteers. While they may come in with much zeal, and maybe even a lot of general science knowledge, they typically are not experts in the field and they certainly don't have the skills for whatever task is being asked of them. Projects are highly specific and almost always require at least a bit of specialized training. Even a Ph.D. ornithologist who studies birds for a living may not have training on citizen science projects researching birds not in his specific area of study. This needs to be taught. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The needed types of training typically fall into the following categories:</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>How to use the physical equipment/supplies for real-world projects, or the user interface for web-based projects, and</li>
<li>A description of the essential science specific to the project.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">For some projects this is part of the intake process as new participants sign up. If it's easy for a person to back out (as is the case for many web-based projects), the initial training can be crucial to retaining volunteers. After that, the quality of training will show up directly in both the quantity and quality of results provided by participants. This directly impacts the value of the project; either the cost-savings to research or profitability from selling the research. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Historically project designers create the training themselves because it may need to be specific to the project. But approached correctly there are many ways for-profit companies can take over that role and do so in a cost-effective way:</span></div>
<div>
<br />
<ol>
<li>Skilled science writers employed by companies do not need expert knowledge of the areas they develop training materials for. They are knowledgeable enough to learn from the project designers quickly and do their own research to fill in the gaps. Once caught up, they can develop content that can far exceed what most scientists can. Developing the science project is where the researcher utilizes their strengths, while the writing and material development is where the science writer's strengths shine.</li>
<br />
<li>Although the science in each project is different the methods of teaching and basic principles are often the same. So creating various "modules" that can be mixed/matched to various projects and tweaked to meet the various idiosyncrasies of those projects would be helpful. Companies could invest in them and market to researchers, and if the product is high quality everyone would win. Especially the citizen scientist learning the new project. The <a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/">Zooniverse group of projects</a> are a great example of this. They do a great job with short-and-sweet trainings that quickly bring participants up to speed and teach some of the science as well. They also seem to use modular concepts, utilizing various bits from existing projects and adapt it to the new. It's a great model to draw inspiration from.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<u>Learning Materials Targeted to General Scientific Fields</u></div>
<div>
Training citizen science participants is not just important for guiding them through the project and ensuring high quality data. It is also a goal of its own for citizen scientists themselves. Many times they join for the specific purpose of learning more about science, and the citizen science project is a fun way to do it. Making general science education a key retention and recruiting tool; one that can help projects differentiate themselves and attract volunteers. It's also one <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science.html">I consider a key element to success.</a><br />
<br />
Fortunately providing general science education in a research environment is well-suited to development by outside experts instead of the project designer. They can invest in developing quality training that can then be easily adapted to other projects (due to it's general nature). All it takes is the preliminary work and some adaptation tailoring it to the specific project. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7QYAwEAulAQ/VS3NznJn3PI/AAAAAAAABGc/h8klbOZx_oQ/s1600/Education.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7QYAwEAulAQ/VS3NznJn3PI/AAAAAAAABGc/h8klbOZx_oQ/s1600/Education.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Of course these are just a few of the ideas for how businesses and citizen scientists can team up both educate and be educated. There are so many more examples and possibilities that can't fit into a single blog post, but are definitely worthy of discussion. So let me know your own thoughts in the comments below and I'll keep putting together more thoughts of my own for you.</div>
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com205tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-29123649091020444602015-03-31T18:00:00.000-07:002015-04-15T18:46:45.863-07:00Citizen Science Business Model: Paid Participant<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">At CitSci2015 I proposed a collection of </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/poster-on-citizen-science-business.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">business models that support, and benefit from, the work of citizen scientists</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">and the </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/why-we-need-for-profit-business-models.html" style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px; text-decoration: none;">reasons these are so important</a><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">. For the next few months I will be explaining each one in much more depth along with the current state of the market, obstacles to expanding connections to citizen science, and unexplored niches in each market. These are needed to both help citizen scientists reap some rewards from the value they create, as well as convince firms to invest resources in developing tools to help the entire field grow. To everyone's mutual benefit. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"><br />Previously: <b><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/03/citizen-science-business-model-analyzer.html">Analyzer</a></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">This Week: </span><b style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Paid Participant</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Next: <b><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/04/citizen-science-business-model-educator.html">Educator</a></b></span><br />
<br />
Ideal partnerships between citizen scientists and for-profit
businesses have them sharing the rewards, and profits, together. Last
week we talked about Analyzer services companies can sell to help
citizen scientists. Now it's time to discuss ways for citizen
scientists to get paid. This time through the simplest method of
all...as a Paid Participant.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is exactly
what it sounds like, providing cash or in-kind payments to volunteers
based solely on their joining a citizen science project. It's one of
the more popular methods of rewarding citizen science volunteers and
also a commonly used technique for recruiting new participants.
Wildlife census projects sometimes offer people a cash stipend for
hiking a particular area while cataloging the animals they see. Other
may offer a shirt or other promotional item in exchange for that same
type of hike. There are also projects that offer to pay people small
amounts per picture they analyze or puzzle they solve. And archaeology
projects sometimes pay participants in the form of free lunches and
expenses while at dig sites. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While we use the
term "paid" I've always tried to emphasize that this does not always
have to mean cash. In-kind rewards such as free lunches, free t-shirts,
or offers of discounted equipment would count as well. The important
distinction is that participants are provided "tangible" rewards. While
non-tangible rewards such as educational opportunities or civic pride
are important parts of many projects, they aren't included in the "Paid
Participant" discussion.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Payment can be based on a number of different variables.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Stipends: </b>Some projects handle
payment like a stipend providing a set amount of money for participating
over a length of time. For example, people may show up for a day-long
research project in the field a State park or wildlife preserve; in
return they receive a $20 bill or some free merchandise. This is less
than the minimum wage in most places (based on an 8-hour day) so nobody
is getting rich from it. But this payment does show appreciation for
the person's work and can offset some of their participation costs, such
as travel to/from the site, purchasing special clothing or boots due to
weather extremes, or buying other types of special equipment. In a strange way you might even consider the stipends people receive for participating in clinical research as human subjects as a type of paid participation. While payment is made once the volunteer signs up it in no way covers all the time, effort, and risk the volunteer commits to. In fact it would usually be considered unethical to provide too high a stipend for fear of motivating people to participate for just monetary reasons. Instead you want people participating for the many intangible benefits they also receive. Which sounds like many citizen science projects to me. </li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Per Task: </b>There are actually a number of scholarly articles (such as <a href="http://crowston.syr.edu/sites/crowston.syr.edu/files/hicss2013citizensort_cameraready.pdf">this one</a>) describing the benefits of using distinct "tasks" as the basis of non-paid citizen science projects. Or, in some cases where volunteers work for free, showing the value that would be received if payment WAS being made for the work. A great example of this is the Amazon.com <a href="https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome">Mechanical Turk </a>system. In the case of Mechanical Turk participants are rewarded on a per-task basis, making as much as a dollar or as little as a penny per task. Each one is not much. But add them up and an individual person can find themselves well rewarded for the work. Much like many citizen science projects, Mechanical Turk develops large projects that can be broken into large numbers of small, discrete tasks (called HITs: Human Intelligence Tasks) that can't be effectively performed by computers. These are typically very easy tasks on their own that require minimal time or effort to complete, but the large number of them in the overall project would overwhelm any individual researcher. This is similar to the premise of <a href="http://www.citizensort.org/">CitzenSort</a> and the original <a href="http://www.galaxyzoo.org/?utm_source=Zooniverse%20Home&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=Homepage%20Catalogue">GalaxyZoo</a> project (and the eventual collection <a href="https://www.zooniverse.org/">Zooniverse</a> projects). This similarity of these projects to Mechanical Turk is so close they were actually used as the basis for determining the <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/01/more-research-on-economic-value-and.html">economic value of Zooniverse projects</a> in a scientific paper (click <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/112/3/679">HERE</a> for the original article).</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
There
are two other ways projects can pay their participants that have not
already been mentioned. These have been written about much less in the
academic literature and there is not as much describing them on project
web pages. Though talking with citizen science project managers I know
they exist.</div>
<div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Providing Equipment and Supplies: </b>An example of this is the
<a href="http://www.cocorahs.org/">CoCoRAHS</a> (Colorado Community Rain, Hail and Snow) project measuring rainfall across the country. One can't participate without a rain gauge, so they are given out for free to all who
wish to join. Now obviously this is not completely altruistic and is a
necessity for having people participate. But you must contrast this
with the large number of projects that DON'T provide equipment to
participants. When I got into weather as a citizen science project I had to <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/10/citizen-science-weather-monitoring-and.html">research all my equipment options </a>and shell out my own money; in this case participants get the equipment for free!</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Raffles and Prizes: </b>Payment does not have to be made to every person equally. As a way to save money organizers may choose to offer money through raffles and prizes open to all who participate. An investment is still required for the prize but only a few need to be purchased. And some people end up winning and being rewarded quite handsomely through it. There's just no guarantee they will win.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Going back to our initial premise, all business models should benefit both citizen scientists and for-profit businesses in a mutually beneficial manner. In the case of Paid Participants the direct beneficiary is definitely the citizen scientists. But it helps businesses and professional researchers as a motivation and recruitment tool. In other words, the value paid participants provide is very high compared to other options such as hiring professional technicians or relying on unpaid volunteers. It's also a reminder to not just look at the costs of a business model, but also all the benefits. Something we will see more of as this series continues. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gemZZcblgSo/VRtCgxI1Y2I/AAAAAAAABGE/d4RV7ptkTCk/s1600/Paid-Participant.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gemZZcblgSo/VRtCgxI1Y2I/AAAAAAAABGE/d4RV7ptkTCk/s1600/Paid-Participant.png" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com290tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-24599524357443384872015-03-18T19:45:00.000-07:002015-03-18T19:45:10.936-07:00Citizen Science of the Ocean: An Idea Whose Time Has Come - by Guest Blogger Mike Bear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a5RzP_nnOqM/VQom_87dJlI/AAAAAAAABFs/hIQRB04nlfA/s1600/Ocean%2BSanctuaries%2BShark.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a5RzP_nnOqM/VQom_87dJlI/AAAAAAAABFs/hIQRB04nlfA/s1600/Ocean%2BSanctuaries%2BShark.jpeg" height="146" width="200" /></a></div>
One of the best parts about citizen science is the interesting people you meet. Sure, research and discovery are cool, but sharing that with like-minded amateurs makes it all the more fun. Mike Bear is a gentleman I first talked with few months ago and who I've learned much from since. And he's a passionate advocate for ocean-based projects.<br />
<br />
Like many citizen scientists his initial background was not in science at all. But after starting to scuba dive in 2000 he enrolled in several ocean-related citizen science programs that offered training in basic scientific method and data collection. As a diver myself I completely see the connection...seeing the ocean's beauty makes you want to protect it, and participating in citizen science gives you a means to do so. As time went on his interest grew to where he and a friend started their own ocean-related non-profit dedicated to creating and supporting citizen science programs called <a href="http://oceansanctuaries.org/wordpress/home/">Ocean Sanctuaries</a>.<br />
<br />
This week I'm excited to have him talk about his program and a variety of others devoted to the oceans. It has been updated and adapted from a piece originally published on Medium.com <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">(</span><a href="https://medium.com/@rapturedeep/citizen-science-an-idea-whose-time-has-come-8e3acc6f6202." style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">here</a>) which I also encourage you to check out.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In the bad old days of
ivory tower academia, only scientists with white coats and Ph.Ds were considered
qualified to gather and interpret scientific data—and, God forbid you should
suggest otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" id="6bb6" name="6bb6" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Enter the</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <b>Cornell
Lab of Ornithology</b></span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, where
citizen scientists from all over the world (without Ph.Ds or white lab coats)
can enter data about their bird sightings and even discover new species.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Collecting the observations of everyday birders
for scientific use is a hallmark of the Lab. Bird watchers of all ages and
skill levels help gather the data needed to capture the big picture about the
distribution and abundance of birds. Approximately 200,000 people participate
in the Lab’s projects. The eBird database allows birders to track any of the
earth’s 10,005 bird species to a single scientific database. So far,
observations on 8,650 species from 200 countries have been recorded.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">The observations of citizen scientists have
helped document the declines of some species, the range expansions of others,
and the spread of avian diseases. The observations of birders help the Cornell
Lab study birds in cities, suburbs, and forests and help answer questions about
how proximity to humans, pollution, climate change, and loss of habitat affect
different species.”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Source:</span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornell_Lab_of_Ornithology">Wikipedia.org: Citizen_Science</a></span><o:p></o:p></span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" id="d44e" name="d44e" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And, this is only one example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><u>So, what is a "citizen scientist" anyway?</u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" id="9323" name="9323" style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.8); margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">The simplest definition is: ...<i>anyone without formal training in science</i>, who collects data using the scientific method, <i>under the mentorship or supervision of a scientist</i>. </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;">Some prefer the term <i>community science</i> and</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt;"> it is coming under more and more acceptance within the formal
academic community as citizen scientists around the world prove that, with
proper mentoring, accurate scientific data can be collected by non-scientists. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><u>Citizen science and the oceans</u></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">For those with a bent
towards SCUBA diving and the oceans, there are several citizen science groups
dedicated to training certified SCUBA divers how to collect and enter data
about marine life.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Reef.org</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Reef.org’s mission is to
“to conserve marine ecosystems for their recreational, commercial, and
intrinsic value by educating, enlisting and enabling divers and other marine
enthusiasts to become active stewards and citizen scientists. REEF links the
diving community with scientists, resource managers and conservationists
through marine-life data collection and related activities.</span><span style="font-size: 18px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">REEF envisions divers and
marine enthusiasts actively engaging in marine conservation. With knowledge,
training and the opportunity to get involved, these marine citizen scientists
make significant and ongoing contributions through REEF’s strategic
partnerships with government agencies, science and academic institutions, the
non-profit sector, and local communities. Divers and snorkelers are in a unique
position to observe and document the many valuable and vulnerable living marine
resources. They play an important role in bringing information to the surface
that adds to the knowledge base of ocean ecosystems and facilitates informed
decision-making. Through REEF’s efforts, marine citizen scientists impart an
ethic of stewardship to current and future generations.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Learn more at:<a href="http:"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> http://reef.org/about</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Reef Check</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Reef Check is a slightly more rigorous program
whose training is not free, but enables volunteer divers to collect data using
many of the same methods used by professional marine biologists.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Founded
in 1996 by marine ecologist Dr. Gregor Hodgson, the Reef Check Foundation is an
international non-profit organization dedicated to conservation of two
ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and California rocky reefs. With headquarters
in Los Angeles and volunteer teams in more than 90 countries and territories,
Reef Check works to create partnerships among community volunteers, government
agencies, businesses, universities and other non-profits. Reef Check goals are
to: educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems and the current
crisis affecting marine life; to create a global network of volunteer teams
trained in Reef Check’s scientific methods who regularly monitor and report on
reef health; to facilitate collaboration that produces ecologically sound and
economically sustainable solutions; and to stimulate local community action to
protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide.”</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Learn more at: <a href="http:"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://reefcheck.org/about_RC_Reef/about_us.php</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Ocean Sanctuaries and
National Geographic’s Citizen Science Tool: Fieldscope</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">San Diego’s most recent
ocean-related non-profit, Ocean Sanctuaries [<a href="http://oceansanctuaries.org/wordpress/"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://oceansanctuaries.org/</span></a>],
recently teamed up with <i>National Geographic</i><b> </b>to test its
newest citizen science tool, called ‘<i>Fieldscope</i>,’ specifically adapted
for documenting shark encounters along the California coastline.</span><span style="font-size: 18px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Local divers can log
sightings and submit photos of Leopard sharks, Horn sharks, Angel sharks, Tope
sharks as well as pelagic species such as Blue, Mako, Great White and Thresher. </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Also, the Fieldscope app for smartphones is available for both Androids (on Google Play) as well as for iPhones </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fieldscope-data-collector/id820381057?mt=8&ar_a=1" style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 16px;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px;">Learn more about Ocean Sanctuaries at:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://oceansanctuaries.org/wordpress/citizen-science-projects/fieldscope/" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://oceansanctuaries.org/wordpress/citizen-science-projects/fieldscope/</span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Learn more about Fieldscope
at:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/programs/fieldscope/?ar_a=1"><span style="color: blue;">http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/programs/fieldscope/?ar_a=1</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -0.25pt;">Ocean Sanctuaries and
Sevengill Shark Sightings</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Sevengill Shark Sightings</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> was originally set up as a citizen science
project to establish a baseline population study for the Sevengill Shark (<i>Notorynchus
cepedianus</i>) in the San Diego and Southern California area and is now
an <b>Ocean Sanctuaries</b> project. Local divers take high quality
video or photographs and submit them for analysis by the pattern recognition
algorithms in ‘<b>Wildbook</b>,’ a software program originally designed by<b> Jason
Holmberg</b> to be used in identifying Whale sharks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">For more
information on this project see:</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Methodology: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http:"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://sevengillsharksightings.org/our-methodology-introduction/</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wildbook</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: <a href="http://www.wildme.org/wildbook/doku.php?id=start"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.wildme.org/wildbook/doku.php?id=start</span></a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">And, for those with doubts
about the quality of data collected in citizen science, a recent scientific
paper in <b>PLOS ONE </b>by <b>Gabriel Vianna</b> of the
University of Western Australia in showed that <i>data collected by divers
was as reliable as the telemetry used by marine biologists. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Learn more about the study <a href="http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113130194/dive-guides-monitoring-sharks-on-coral-reef-at-similar-level-to-telemetry-042514/#AVI7hHH6TotqG3U0.99">here</a>.</span></div>
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com167tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-22569894209857988542015-03-17T20:15:00.000-07:002015-03-17T20:15:39.954-07:00Citizen Science Business Model: Analyzer<div>
<br />
<span style="color: red;">At CitSci2015 I proposed a collection of </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/poster-on-citizen-science-business.html">business models that support, and benefit from, the work of citizen scientists</a> <span style="color: red;">and the </span><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/02/why-we-need-for-profit-business-models.html">reasons these are so important</a><span style="color: red;">. For the next
few months I will be explaining each one in much more depth along with
the current state of the market, obstacles to expanding connections to
citizen science, and unexplored niches in each market. These are needed to both help citizen scientists reap some rewards from the value they create, as well as convince firms to invest resources in developing tools to help the entire field grow. To everyone's mutual benefit. </span><br />
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<span style="color: red;">This week:
</span><b style="color: red;">Analyzer.</b></div>
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We start with a new business opportunity for firms wishing to sell to citizen
scientists: marketing sample analysis services to citizen scientists
that expand their research capabilities.
There are many firms that already have the equipment, infrastructure,
and staff expertise to offer this at a competitive rate. They just need
help identifying the citizen science market and deciding how to best
package those services.</div>
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As background, a
popular way researchers utilize citizen scientists is as field
technicians who collects and analyze samples of whatever the researcher
is interested in. Typically these projects require frequent
collections from sites that cover a wide area. This is very expensive
for the scientists or professional technicians to handle by themselves.
But citizen scientists living close to those areas can much more easily
access those sample sites. Not only is it less difficult and less
expensive for those volunteers to do the research, they also don't charge
nearly as much (if at all) for their time. All providing a large cost
savings to the researchers.</div>
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There are many
examples. In <a href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/swamp/cwt_volunteer.shtml">California, citizen scientists help local water boards</a>
ensure the quality of water available for drinking. In States like
Pennsylvania and West Virginia, water is sampled for <a href="http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2014/12/19/gas-drilling-draws-citizen-scientists-to-the-field/">tracking pollution</a>
from drilling or agriculture, and Maryland uses it to ensure the health of
local waterways (such as the <a href="http://chesapeake.fieldscope.org/">Chesapeake Bay Watershed</a>) to protect native
species. And people from across the country are sending in swabs of
their homes and bodies to identify micro-organisms living in the world
with them. </div>
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Participants in those types of
programs are often considered the "<a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2013/01/the-levels-of-citizen-science.html">Contributory</a>" or "Collector" type of citizen
scientist. The defining common element is that while they collect the
data, it is then sent to a central location to be combined with data
from other collectors, and then analyzed independently by the research
team. But there are also smaller-scale examples where the citizen
scientist acts as more of an independent researcher performing those
tasks themselves on projects of their own design.</div>
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Taking
on your own research project, especially one based on field studies and
sample collection, can be difficult. Most are willing to dedicate the
time to collecting and either already have, or are happy to learn, the
scientific basis for the work. The difficult piece comes with actual
sample testing.</div>
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While citizen scientists
currently rely on a handful of different sources for analysis these are
not optimal solutions. Some use portable sensor devices, including some
that can be attached to smartphones (such as <a href="http://sensorcon.com/products/sensordrone-multisensor-tool">SensorDrone</a>), but those can't
always be calibrated and do not provide scientifically reliable
results. Others use testing kits available from local retailers (such
as home <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/PRO-LAB-Water-Quality-Test-Kit-WQ105/100176532">water quality kits sold at a local Home Depot</a>), but these have many problems as well:<br />
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<ol>
<li><b>They don't
provide scientifically reliable results.</b> This can be because the sample preparation is not standard or because the supplier cannot connect the results to calibrated equipment or accepted industry/regulatory standards.</li>
<li><b>The expense of testing limits the number of samples. </b> This increases statistical fluctuations, hinders discovery of procedural flaws in the testing process, and limits reproducibilty.</li>
<li><b>They only offer tests on a limited number of compounds. </b> Although these may be bundled together for convenience sake, this still leaves large holes in the available options. It could be that some tests are too generic, such as only providing "total organic molecules" instead of the amount of a specific compound (like benzene) in a sample. Or, since citizen science is about discovery, they may not test for the novel or rare compound that happens to be of interest to the researcher.</li>
<li><b>They only offer tests at a limited number of sensitivities. </b> This can be because the testing lab has limited equipment or does not offer the more sensitive equipment to retail customers. It could also be that they only test in a certain range because it is the typical "actionable range", but is not what the citizen scientist requires (for example, testing water for a substance to the range where the water is considered "safe to drink" but not any further, though the researcher is looking for trace amounts for other reasons).</li>
</ol>
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Industrial
firms and government agencies solve this problem by using one of the
many commercial testing services available to organizational users (such
as <a href="http://lancasterlabs.com/">Lancaster Laboratories</a>). Unfortunately these companies don't offer their
services to citizen scientists. But why? Although there are some
reasons listed below none are insurmountable.</div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Legal and Regulatory Concerns: </b>There has always been an odd relationship between independent scientists and chemical firms. Whether manufacturing or analyzing chemicals, it has always been difficult for independent scientists to have these firms accept their business. While there are some economic reasons, there are also concerns about how those services would be used. Many firms fear being tangled up in terrorism issues or illicit drug manufacturing. Since passage of the USA PATRIOT Act and the rise of home methamphetamine labs this is somewhat understandable. In fact, I used to work for a chemical firm that had these exact concerns. But chemical testing is different. You know that samples are coming in to you, and you are only selling information (not products). You can also quickly tell if the analysis is for something innocuous or if it is connected to illegal activity. Sadly fear can still override the market, and nobody wants to take that risk while also trying to build a new market. But (as we'll continue seeing) there is a sizable market worth building and a profitable business to be built.</li>
<li><b>Economies of Scale (Testing): </b>Custom services of any type can be very expensive to sell; that's as true for picture framing and furniture making as it is for sample analysis. Just the time spent setting up equipment can take up most of the cost for custom services when you don't have an "Economy of Scale" But just because companies are selling to citizen scientists, who are themselves working on individual projects, does not mean that everything must be custom. There are likely many people requiring similar testing services even if the specifics are slightly different. For example, anyone analyzing water quality of any type must be following standard protocols developed by the EPA and industry groups. There is no re-inventing the wheel here and the same tests citizen scientists would request would be the same ones a waste-water treatment plant might also order. Although the scale for any individual request is small, lumping them in with tests for other clients, or for other groups of citizen scientists, may help greatly in creating economies of scale and making the service price-competitive. That would cover the majority of customers and help build a client base that would also make more custom research more economically feasible.</li>
<li><b>Economies of Scale (Sales and Advertising): </b>Citizen scientists are a diverse group with many interests and located in a variety of places. This makes finding, advertising, and selling to them very difficult. Much like with manufacturing and testing, developing economies of scale for the sales function is also important. But I think that difficulty is a myth when it comes to citizen science. Many citizen science projects involve thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people. For web-based projects they can all be reached through a single web portal. For projects that are national in scope there are usually government agencies or national non-profits running them, and who can help with advertising if it will benefit the participants. Similarly, local projects are often connected to larger groups (for example, local bird projects may connect to the National Audobon Society), providing another central advertising location. There are also citizen science support sites such as the <a href="http://www.citizenscienceassociation.org/">Citizen Science Association</a>, <a href="http://www.scistarter.org/">SciStarter</a>, and even my <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/">OpenScientist web site</a> that could be convinced to hep if shown the value proposition. All that on top of the standard print publications (such as <a href="http://www.discovermagazine.com/">Discover Magazine</a> of <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/">National Geographic</a>) that accept advertising targeted a many of the same people who are also interested in citizen science.</li>
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Now that it's established that businesses utilizing the "Analyzer" model can succeed, what is the actual market they should target? There are a few ideas for that:</div>
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<li><b>Soil and Water Testing: </b>Pollution testing often focuses on the methods for conveying that pollution into humans, either through the water we drink or the soil that grows our food. Citizen Science projects may be monitoring individual sites over a long period of time to track existing problems, or may be investigating multiple sites trying to find where problems occur. For soil, citizen scientists may start testing local sites suspected of being polluted or which once hosted potentially-polluting activities. There are thousands of these sites around the country (if not in each state) as well as bodies of water impacting the health of local communities. </li>
<li><b>DNA Sequencing:</b> A few firms such as <a href="http://www.ubiome.com/">uBiome</a> and <a href="http://www.23andme.com/">23andMe</a> already compete in this space but looking at different types of genetic material. For <a href="http://www.23andme.com/">23andMe</a> they take human skin samples and test for various genetic traits carried by the customer. For <a href="http://www.ubiome.com/">uBiome</a>, they also collect human samples but look for bacterial DNA as a way to identify the microorganisms hosted by each person. Both sell kits to collect the data and provide back the test results. Both then go a step further, using composite results from all users and selling it to pharmaceutical firms to help identify new drug targets or diagnostic tests. Selling the kits keeps them in business and pays the bills, while selling the data let's them take bigger risks attempting to earn big money from potential health discoveries. It's a strategy that can be extended to other types of scientific analysis as well.</li>
<li><b>Food Testing: </b>The quality and safety of food is a prime concern for many people and can be the source of many interesting citizen science projects. A few examples include testing raw foods for bacterial contamination, especially comparing producers or cuts of meat. Testing those same foods for pesticide residues or other concerns of the organic food movement are additional opportunities for citizen scientists and services that can help with the analyses. There are also opportunities in testing the fish sold at local markets and restaurants, ensuring that what is sold as salmon is actually salmon and not a pink-tinted replacement (companies like <a href="http://www.seafoodid.com/">SeafoodID</a> are already attempting this in some markets).</li>
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To sum it all up, there is a large market of citizen scientists who are ready to expand their research but don't have access to all the analysis tools they need. Fortunately there are companies with the right equipment and know-how to perform those services. They just need to overcome a few obstacles and start marketing their services correctly. And once they do, a whole new set of sales opportunities will open up while citizen scientists greatly increase the knowledge they bring to the world. A win-win situation for us all.<br />
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com59tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-63926225660091295402015-03-11T18:56:00.002-07:002015-03-11T18:56:30.815-07:00Citizen Scientists Saving the Past for the Future - by Guest Blogger Sharman Apt Russell<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enSV9Pt6ZCs/VQDng0vzJnI/AAAAAAAABEo/qgrtb4EtS_U/s1600/Sharman%2BApt%2BRussell.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-enSV9Pt6ZCs/VQDng0vzJnI/AAAAAAAABEo/qgrtb4EtS_U/s1600/Sharman%2BApt%2BRussell.jpeg" height="133" width="200" /></a>This week I'm delighted to introduce <a href="http://www.sharmanaptrussell.com/">Sharman Apt Russell</a> as a guest blogger on OpenScientist. She is the author of last year's popular <i><a href="http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/diary-of-citizen-scientist">Diary of a Citizen Scientist</a> </i>and, to me, she personifies many of the values held by our field. Though a writer by training she has never lost her love of science, and despite not being a "professional" researcher, has no problem contacting experts in the field to discuss her findings. She also has a strong commitment to the environment and uses her research passion to help improve our understanding of nature. <br />
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Yes there's more. Sharman discusses in her book not only her investigations with Tiger Beetles and other native Southwest species, but also her interest in the native people who inhabited the land before us. <br />
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Last November she kindly published an excerpt from <i>Diary of a Citizen Scientist</i> on this blog (if you have not read the book I strongly recommend getting a taste for it <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2014/11/diary-of-citizen-scientist.html">here</a>). Today she looks back to the past, writing about the time she spends protecting local archaeological sites for the New Mexico Site Steward program and her experiences spending time in those sacred places.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><u><b>Site Steward Programs: Saving the Past for the Future</b> </u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">On
my first walk through this archaeological site—a flat gravelly field of
mesquite and prickly pear–I soon see signs of looting, dozens of illegal
excavations. Most of the digging is around the collapsed stone walls of
above-surface rooms dating from 1000 to 1150 AD, known as the Classic Mimbres
period, when this village in southwestern New Mexico was flourishing. Artists
then used the white interiors of clay bowls as a kind of canvas, drawing with
thin black lines narrative images and geometric patterns. These artists, who
were likely women, often had a good sense of humor. A bowl might show a
fantastical creature half bighorn, half snake or a wolf wearing a deer mask. Today
these pots sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is why this site
has been so heavily “pot-hunted” in the past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vezKFvPANbs/VQDoBiwOvxI/AAAAAAAABE4/byA8FzYwRXs/s1600/Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vezKFvPANbs/VQDoBiwOvxI/AAAAAAAABE4/byA8FzYwRXs/s1600/Bowl.jpg" height="196" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">My
job as a New Mexico Site Steward is to protect the scientific value of this
site by preventing more damage. Pot hunters look for the pots and funereal
goods often buried under the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>floors of ancient
Southwestern homes, buried with the dead, whom many Native Americans see as being
on a continuing spiritual journey. To disturb these graves is to disturb that
journey. Moreover, to disturb archaeological sites on public land is also illegal,
punishable by fines and imprisonment. This site, in particular, is still of
interest to archaeologists who in the future can use nonintrusive methods such
as heat-sensing to do their research. In this citizen science program—a
partnership of agencies funded by the National Park Service and operating in a
number of states--the emphasis is on preserving archaeological sites for that future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Since
that first day, I have been to this “village” in the Gila National Forest at
least twice a year for the last three years. The thrill never gets old. The
ground here is littered with the remains of broken pots from a human occupancy
that lasted from 800 to1200 AD and again in 1375 to 1450 AD. I am free to touch
and finger these clay shards as long as I carefully put them back where I found
them. I pick up (and put down) a square of white with thin black lines, part of
a Classic Mimbres bowl—perhaps the image of a crane spearing a fish or a woman
giving birth. I pick up (and put down) a curved piece the size of my palm of corrugated
brown or cooking ware—all those stews, simmering meat and roots and herbs. I
pick up (and put down) a zigzag pattern of red and white, part of an
Escher-like complexity, geometry and the human aesthetic: look at the world in <i>this</i> way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0eSERMTcCmk/VQDoBxRWoVI/AAAAAAAABE8/3kdLseT-fyA/s1600/pot%2Bsherds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0eSERMTcCmk/VQDoBxRWoVI/AAAAAAAABE8/3kdLseT-fyA/s1600/pot%2Bsherds.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
thrill never gets old. The sun is hot on the back of my neck. I breathe in the
smell of earth. My heart beats its pulse of blood. And I feel that connection
to this life, this potter, this woman. Maybe she had children. Certainly she
had worries. A difficult mother-in-law. An abscessed tooth. Danger in the form
of snake and mountain lion. Suddenly my own life in the twenty-first century
seems like a dream--an amazing, amusing, fantastical dream. Smartphones,
restaurants, traffic lights. None of that is more real than this moment among
the mesquite and prickly pear. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Although
I pick up and put down shards for my own pleasure, I am also taking notes and
photographs of the area, looking for signs of new damage caused by humans or
animals or other natural forces. This is the job of the site steward, explained
in the Site Steward Handbook: Find It, Record It, Report It. The program is carefully
set up to avoid confrontation between its volunteers and any potential looter
or criminal. Approaching my designated site, for example, I am instructed to
move quietly and cautiously, muting any cell phone or radio. If I see anyone on
the site, I should watch them from a distance, collect whatever information is
possible such as license number and “subject description,” and then leave. The New
Mexico Site Steward manual warns, “Never place yourself or your vehicle on a
hilltop or on the skyline of an open ridge—this makes you easy to spot. If
there is no obvious way to conduct your observations safely—do not observe!” I
am also reminded that the sun reflecting off binoculars can signal my presence
and that I should dress for weather, carry plenty of water, tell my site manger
when I am going, travel in teams if possible, watch for natural hazards, not
pick up litter (a clue as to who else has been here), gas up my vehicle before
leaving, stay near the vehicle if it breaks down, be careful while driving
through arroyos, and avoid prolonged exposure to sunlight. Sending people out
to remote areas in the Southwest is no joke, and we all take the job seriously.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As well as this
village, I have one more nearby site to visit: a small cliff dwelling high and
hidden on a crumbly slope that requires some climbing. Here a still-solid adobe
wall blocks half an overhanging ledge to create a darkened, cave-like room. The
narrow entrance to the room still has its wooden lintel. Peering into the dark,
hand on the lintel, I feel the frisson of time-travel scented with mice urine.
Elsewhere on the ledge, I check to see if the quartz crystals are still wedged
into porous rock. Because of these crystals, my mentoring archaeologist has
speculated that this dwelling might have been a shaman’s camp, used
ceremonially. But he doesn’t know when. People were doing a lot of that in the
1960s, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> The way back to my car is through a slick-rock
canyon, the streambed only a few feet wide, pinkish white-gray rock above my
shoulders. Next I pass under a cliff of yellow and orange, weathered and
oxidized, showing a bit of iron before the canyon narrows again. Now the boulders
pile against each other, creating a narrow space, flood debris caught in the
cracks and angles, tangles of root and dirt and stone. The air is rich with oak
leaf and the musk of some animal. The world is pink and white under the sky’s
blue bowl. The silence is broken by my own steps and the gurgly <i>thonk-thonk-thonk</i> and <i>ka-ka-ka</i> of a raven. I feel lucky to be
here, connected to both past and future, in a world filled with so much
treasure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Sharman Apt Russell lives a mile from the Gila National Forest in Southwestern New Mexico and teaches writing at Western New Mexico University in Silver City and at the low-residency MFA program in Antioch University in Los Angeles. Her recent book <i>Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger Beetles and Other New Ways of Engaging the World </i>was named by <i>The Guardian</i> as a top ten nature book of 2014 and is available now from the <a href="http://osupress.oregonstate.edu/book/diary-of-citizen-scientist">Oregon State University Press</a>. For more information, go to her website at <a href="http://www.sharmanaptrussell.com/">www.SharmanAptRussell.com</a>. She will be speaking about citizen science this April 4 at the Audobon's <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/sanctuaries/woodend-chevy-chase-md">Woodend Nature Center in Chevy Chase, MD</a>.OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-15397882978890271852015-03-09T20:59:00.003-07:002015-03-09T20:59:40.034-07:00Flash Thoughts on Apple's ResearchKit Program and Citizen Science <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oiVme8ACQ8Y/VP5KZek8nHI/AAAAAAAABEU/illr7g1_efM/s1600/ResearchKit%2Bfrom%2BApple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oiVme8ACQ8Y/VP5KZek8nHI/AAAAAAAABEU/illr7g1_efM/s1600/ResearchKit%2Bfrom%2BApple.jpg" /></a></div>
Today's big news in technology circles was Apple's unveiling the new iWatch. But for researchers and citizen scientists there was an even bigger set of announcements, Apple's introducing the new <a href="http://www.apple.com/researchkit/?cid=wwa-us-kwg-iphone-com">ResearchKit </a>suite of tools.<br />
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Don't get confused, ResearchKit is not a new app. Instead it is a toolkit that lets medical researchers create their own applications using functions and data from a user's Apple device. But not just professional developers. This will be an Open Source toolkit allowing anyone with a computer and interest in medical research to utilize it.<br />
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At the most basic level ResearchKit creates an electronic connection between researchers and their test subjects, allowing the constant collection, and reporting, of data. It blossoms from there though, as researchers can use exercise data from fitness applications and Apple's own HealthKit app, as well as pulling personal health information it. Other functions are available too, such as collecting GPS data (to connect medical incidents to locations) and voice recording. All a researcher needs is some coding experience and a willingness of people to join.<br />
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In promoting ResearchKit Apple discussed a number of initial apps designed to help existing researchers. One in particular (<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=972625668&mt=8&ls=1&v0=www-us-researchkit-itms-asthma-health">Asthma Health</a>) not only collects data from asthma sufferers and interfaces with bluetooth-enabled inhalers (to analyze that person's lung function), but it also maps any asthma attacks to maps of known pathogens and potential environmental toxins. So researchers can test which of those potential triggers are really connected to asthma, and which may not be. Other examples included:<br />
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=972191200&mt=8&ls=1&v0=www-us-researchkit-itms-mpower">mPower</a> - An app that analyzes a user's voice, walking motion, and finger function (by tapping on the phone) to determine the disease's progression at any given moment.</li>
<li><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=972143976&mt=8&ls=1&v0=www-us-researchkit-itms-Glucosuccess">GlucoSuccess</a> - A diabetes app that monitors behavior and exercise levels from the phone and compares it to user-reported glucose levels.</li>
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Although ResearchKit won't be available until next month, these apps are all published and ready to download now.</div>
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<b>Benefits to Citizen Science</b><br />
The promise of these individual programs are obvious, and Apple's Keynote (<a href="http://www.apple.com/live/2015-mar-event/?cid=li-us-keynote-mar-2015">available here at the 16:23 mark</a>) goes through many of them. But what most interests me is that the larger problems ResearchKit tries to solve, and those that are highlighted by Apple itself, are many of the same issues brought up in my own <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/03/keys-to-successful-citizen-science_23.html">Keys to Successful Citizen Science Projects</a> research.<br />
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<ul>
<li><b>Limited Participation: </b>Recruitment is often a large problem with clinical research on human participants. It is often hard for researchers to find willing subjects with the specific conditions one they are looking for. This is compounded by the difficulty in working with those patients if they are not in the researcher's geographic area, or if it requires frequent visits to a doctor. These obstacles add up as major roadblocks to research. But this is drastically lessened when millions of people have an iPhone and you <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science_23.html">Make Participation Convenient</a> by integrating your app with it. Massive recruitment campaigns are no longer necessary, nor are lengthy sign-up questionnaires when downloading the app is a click away. ReserchKit apps can help solve this by <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science_23.html">Making Participation Easy</a> through the iPhones existing health monitoring data and user-friendly interfaces. They more you can automate or require fewer steps by users, the more people will remain as participants through the end.</li>
<li><b>Communication Flow: </b><a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science_08.html">Providing Feedback</a> is important for keeping people involved in projects after they sign up, improving retention and reducing recruitment costs. The more they see a benefit to their work the more they want to stay involved. But it's also just fair. If they give you so much time and effort (or in the case of health data, trust), they deserve to at least watch what researchers are doing with it. Similarly, <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science_08.html">Interacting in Real Time </a>with participants also meets that feedback requirement, but int he case of medical data, can provide information they can use on a daily basis to improve their health. </li>
</ul>
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There are many more that are not addressed by Apple but which I think are strong contenders for future programs. For example, research apps that also include a gaming component, or a challenge component, will keep people involved by <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2012/02/keys-to-successful-citizen-science.html">Benefiting the User</a>. Gamification has worked in many other citizen science projects and there's no reason it can't work here too. Researchers could also use the tracking components of each phone to provide rewards, or connect to the many learning applications to help educate participants on the conditions being researched. And some budding entrepreneur could make participation easier by using HealthKit information not only as the data for the research, but also to help you identify which of the many ResearchKit apps to use (in the future there may be MANY to choose from). So there are opportunities for scientific gain as well as financial gain.</div>
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Of course there are many issues that must still be sorted out. For one, the rules for obtaining informed consent can vary greatly between research institutions, and although Apple has come up with an easy way to handle it for these projects, there is no guarantee that other researchers will be able to do the same thing. Additionally, we have already seen through <a href="http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/fda-vs-23andme-lesson-health-care-entrepreneurs/">23andMe and other cases</a> that entrepreneurial firms with big health ideas often run into problems navigating the labyrinth of regulations surrounding privacy, medical ethics, and patient protection in the health care industry. So any newcomers, entrepreneurs, or venture capital firms hoping to take advantage of HealthKit would be well advised to work through those issues first.<br />
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There is a lot of potential here. Obviously Apple likes to hype it's own creations and there are still many obstacles to overcome. But if we design apps carefully and learn from the existing keys to successful citizen science projects, the potential this brings will be even greater.<br />
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<br />OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-16766629718641603012015-03-03T18:38:00.001-08:002015-03-05T12:11:38.461-08:00Exploring the Economic Value of Citizen Science at CitSci2015<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q0oGVPjgBcQ/VPPCtRX_gDI/AAAAAAAABDc/CO-SnwoFfic/s1600/2015%2BCitizen%2BScience%2BConference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q0oGVPjgBcQ/VPPCtRX_gDI/AAAAAAAABDc/CO-SnwoFfic/s1600/2015%2BCitizen%2BScience%2BConference.jpg" height="123" width="200" /></a>Bringing the worlds of citizen science and for-profit businesses together was my main goal for the 2015 Citizen Science Conference. Now I'm happy to report it was a success! Though much work remains I saw examples of people trying various parts of my proposed models, and learned a lot about the economics of citizen science. I also met a number of interesting people with great insights on the topic. All of which I'm excited to share.<br />
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At this point a mere two weeks have passed since the conference. Enough time to catch up on my sleep, go through all my notes, and let all my thoughts settle. And time for many my colleagues to <a href="http://f1000.com/posters/browse?conferenceId=302670157&show=100">put up their posters online</a> so everyone can see the good work that is going on (you can also <a href="http://f1000.com/posters/browse/summary/1097630">find mine there too</a>).<br />
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The core principle is that citizen scientists are creating real value with the research they are doing, so increasing financial support for them will also increase the value they can create. To everyone's benefit. So it was great to hear my fellow attendees confirm that often citizen science really can save researchers large amounts of money over hiring full-time technicians. This has been much-discussed with anecdotal evidence, but I had not seen much specific evidence for it until now.<br />
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<b>Value Created in Citizen Science Ecology Projects</b><br />
In one early presentation, researchers described the difficulty of counting and tracking mountain goats in their normal environment. These animals choose rugged and highly inaccessible places to forage, they roam around a lot, and they blend in to their surrounding easily. All making it very difficult to find them. Typically researchers must resort to the very expensive tactic of renting helicopters for aerial surveys with trained spotters. However, some groups have found that despite the rugged terrain citizen scientists are able to visit mountain goat territory and provide census data equivalent to those using traditional (and expensive) methods. <br />
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From Jami Belt's presentation abstract for "<a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/program-cs2015-day12-8feb15.pdf">Evaluating the Use of Citizen Science Data for Detecting Trends in Climate Sensitive Wildlife</a>",<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Counts of mountain goats, a notoriously difficult to study species due to the rugged terrain
they inhabit, are declining throughout their range, but little is known about how resilient the species may
be to climate change. Our small army of over 150 volunteers each year has provided a large amount of
baseline information about mountain goats and pikas, a much-needed starting point for tracking future
changes. To understand how well these population and distribution estimates can serve as an early
warning signal, we needed to compare them citizen science estimates to data gathered by more
traditional methods (surveys by biologist and aerial surveys). In mountain goats, although detection by
biologists was significantly higher and less variable than that of volunteers, the two population density
estimates overlapped and population estimates by volunteers were more similar to those from aerial
surveys. </blockquote>
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Here we have a real case where scientists interested in mountain goat movements can hire citizen scientists to do much of the field work and save the project substantial sums of money. Those savings can then be used for additional research (maybe on other species in the same are) or to expand goat surveys to different areas. And that's after paying for the costs of training and supporting those citizen scientists.<br />
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But this value is not just demonstrated in ecology projects. <br />
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<b>Comparing Value Created in Different Types of Citizen Science Projects</b><br />
Expanding on the work above, some presentations looked to test this idea of citizen science value among different areas of science. For example Brian Fauver from <a href="http://www.citsci.org/">CitSci.org</a> (in his presentation "<a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/program-cs2015-day12-8feb15.pdf">Is Citizen Science Worth It: Identifying Natural Resource Managers' Values Through Cost-Benefit Analysis</a>") compared the citizen science cost savings between some ecology projects and archaeology projects. He looked at all of the expenses required to operate a citizen science project, such as recruitment costs, training costs, equipment/supply purchases, etc. For citizen science projects these can be considerable, especially the recruitment and training pieces. It costs a lot of money to find interested volunteers and bring them up-to-speed on species identification and reporting requirements (just to name a few). These costs get even higher if you don't just have to train people once, but if you have to do it repeatedly do to people dropping out of the program.<br />
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In accounting terms these start-up costs are relatively fixed, meaning that they are the same regardless of the project size (e.g., training a class of two people or 100 people costs the same amount). But once those fixed start-up activities are complete, you then have a cadre of trained people to do the research at a very low variable cost. At least for ecology projects, where you can send people out without much supervision or after-action debriefing. They can just go out to report data, and few new costs are added (whether they go out 2 times or 100 times). This provides an economy of scale that offers project managers sizable savings when utilizing citizen scientists.<br />
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However, not all projects are like that. In some fields, such as archaeology, you can't just leave volunteers unattended. Even after you recruit and train a person you must stay with them and directly supervise their work. This means sticking around to discuss what people are finding and guiding them through difficult situations. So not only are there large fixed start-up costs (like there are in ecology projects), there are also a significant set of variable costs that stay through the lifetime of the project. Sending someone into the field 100 times is much more expensive then sending them out two times, and there are much fewer economies of scale. This means those types of projects have a much higher break-even point and the savings (per research dollar invested by project managers) is much lower. </div>
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Yet archaeology is still heavily reliant on a volunteer workforce. Why? Because despite it all these people are still offering their services for free. They find motivation in the educational learning, opportunities to help science, and ability to connect with their past (among other reasons). These intangible rewards make them much less expensive (financially) than trained researchers or professional technicians. And that is how they add value to the project managers "employing" them.<br />
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<b>Creating Value for For-Profit Businesses</b><br />
When we talk about the value provided by citizen scientists we often think of it from the standpoint of reducing the cost of research. But there are other ways to add value. One occurs when the research they perform has economic value in and of itself. I've previously proposed a variety of ways this can happen and I was glad to see some good examples at the conference.<br />
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One very interesting example was a partnership put together between a Canadian oil company (Cenovus) and the environmental non-profit <a href="http://www.rockies.ca/">Miistakis Institute</a>. Together they created the <a href="http://iwildwatch.ca/">Wild Watch program</a> for tracking wildlife around some of their oil production facilities. These facilities extract petroleum from the Canadian Oil Sands, a highly controversial activity due to its potential environmental impact. <br />
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As described in Tracy Lee's poster, "<a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/poster-program-2015-for-website.pdf">Unlikely Bedfellows: Industry, Conservation and Citizen Science in the Canadian Oil Sands</a>",<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The program was developed as a stewardship tool to engage and
increase participant's knowledge regarding wildlife use around industrial sites as well as to inform
industry wildlife mitigation planning. Wild Watch participants enter their observations through a smart
phone app or interactive mapping tool. The mapping tool also enables participants to view their wildlife
observations as well as all wildlife observations in the database. The program has been evolved to
include bear alert warnings and notifications of rare species to environmental managers on site.
Wild Watch has been shared with other industrial partners working in the Canadian Oil Sands and some
are joining the program with the goal of informing broader landscape scale patterns of wildlife issues in
the region. </blockquote>
By participating in the program, Cenovus hopes to show that the local wildlife are not impacted by their operations and show they are good stewards of the land. This helps them with their regulatory obligations in Canada, as well as their legal liabilities if there is ever a spill. So there is real monetary value to this research. Now in this particular case much of the work is done by plant personnel, but they are not specially trained. They act as citizen scientists would in making their observations, and there is no special reason that other versions couldn't use actual citizen scientists unaffiliated with the company. And in those cases much of the value the research creates could be used to support those volunteers.<br />
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Right now the Miistakis Institute is gaining value from this project since their non-profit goal is ensuring land in that area remains untainted. They have also used the Cenovus funds to build the program and mobile app, which they can then use for many other projects. So these partners have found ways to share the value of citizen science research to both the company's benefit as well as the non-profit's. Just the type of mutually beneficial relationship we need to encourage.<br />
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<b>Summing Up</b></div>
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I've talked a lot about the profit motive as a key motivator for both businesses and the volunteer researchers. But I also heard people talk about the fairness issue as well. At one point Henry Herrera, President and CEO of the <a href="http://www.c-prep.org/">Center for Popular Research, Education & Policy</a> and a man familiar with projects involving local communities asked the audience to think about the ethics of relying on citizen scientists for data collection without compensation. I think that's a great question. This doesn't mean we have to turn all citizen scientists into paid researchers (and I don't think that was his point either). Not at all. But if people are extracting value from their work, shouldn't they be sharing it as well?</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">These examples above are just the tip of the iceberg for demonstrating this sharing and the potential value citizen scientists can provide for-profit businesses if they work together. Different projects obtain value from citizen scientists in different ways, and the different activities citizen scientists also provide different rewards. So there is a lot to sort out. But it's a great start.</span></div>
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-29850710557249598442015-02-22T20:20:00.001-08:002015-02-23T21:24:45.099-08:00Why We Need For-Profit Business Models to Support, and Benefit From, the Work of Citizen Scientsts<br />
I've written extensively about citizen scientists working more closely with the for-profit world, and have talked frequently about ways citizen scientists can potentially monetize their work. Though it's all good information there is a lot of it and not everyone has time to go through it all. So I put the following video together for you all. Learn why it is important for citizen scientists are rewarded for their efforts, how their work can benefit for-profit businesses, how that then helps the citizen scientists themselves, and ideas for ways to monetize citizen science research.<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/4qB7lPr_eUs/0.jpg" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4qB7lPr_eUs?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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This is the first in an ongoing series that will tackle each of these issues much more closely. So what are you waiting for...let's get started!OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-71551610678718465322015-02-14T23:06:00.000-08:002015-02-16T10:13:44.033-08:00CitSci2015 -- Another Great Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tcU1H-PtkPA/VOIylhW8ukI/AAAAAAAABDM/aSaPlqlWMj0/s1600/2015%2BCitizen%2BScience%2BConference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tcU1H-PtkPA/VOIylhW8ukI/AAAAAAAABDM/aSaPlqlWMj0/s1600/2015%2BCitizen%2BScience%2BConference.jpg" height="123" width="200" /></a></div>
What a week it's been! Between the 2015 Citizen Science Conference and the following AAAS conference my days have been completely full. So many things to see and interesting people to talk to. There's no way I can sum it all up in just this post. Instead it's a great opportunity to take the things I've learned and weave them into my posts over the next year. That will also let me send you directly to copies of the actual talks themselves once they are posted. But I can still give you some of the most interesting highlights.<br />
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For the society and conference itself it's obvious everything is on the right track. With over 3000 members worldwide joining since last year it's clear people are lining up with support. And with the marked increase in quality, and quantity, of sessions since the 2012 PPSR conference it's clear how much the field has grown. All very reassuring signs.<br />
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From my own perspective the opportunity to continue my own research on partnering citizen science with for-profit businesses was incredible. I discovered people already attempting some types of the partnerships I've been proposing, others engaged in great conversations on their positive and negative experiences with for-profit businesses, and many looking for my help in applying those principles to their own projects. That leaves me with ton of great material to sort through as we identify more opportunities for citizen science and for-profit businesses to help each other.<br />
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Finally, during CitSci2015 and the ensuing AAAS conference I re-learned one of the most important lessons of citizen science...that an everyday person can participate and be welcomed at this highest levels of science. From seminars on broadcasting to ET by the top names in astronomy, and updates from leaders of the CERN Large Hadron Collider, I never felt that I couldn't understand or have a reasonable opinion on the topics discussed. And that's a lesson I hope everyone reading this blog takes away from it.<br />
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So let's carry forward the conference charge until the next one in 2017. Hopefully I'll see you there, but there's a lot of great work to do beforehand!OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-37688901042186839622015-02-09T09:35:00.001-08:002015-02-09T09:35:36.771-08:00Poster on Citizen Science Business ModelsOn Wednesday afternoon I will be presenting a poster on "Business Models that Support, and Benefit from, the Work of Citizen Scientists. I've been working on this for months now and documented much of that journey on this web site. But I've not pulled everything together publicly until now. Of course, while this proposes some overall models there is still a LOT of work to build this out and a lot of advice on making these ideas work. You'll see much more of that in the months to come.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5vGUofemx3Q/VNjvp9_S-BI/AAAAAAAABC4/OTxV67DZnsE/s1600/Poster%2BImage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5vGUofemx3Q/VNjvp9_S-BI/AAAAAAAABC4/OTxV67DZnsE/s1600/Poster%2BImage.jpg" height="319" width="320" /></a></div>
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Below is an abstract of the poster though you can see the whole thing online <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3X5TU98AcQdNkFycDFEUVlVX0U/view?usp=sharing">here</a>. You can also find all poster descriptions on the <a href="https://citizenscienceassociation.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/poster-program-2015-for-website.pdf">conference web site</a>.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Title: </b>For Love
and Money: Business Models that Support, and Benefit From, the Work of Citizen
Scientists</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Description: </b>As
citizen science continues to grow as a field, and as open innovation concepts
gain traction in the business world, researchers have begun demonstrating the economic value citizen scientists can
offer. This includes helping companies
innovate new products and helping both non-profit and for-profit organizations
reduce the cost of research. But there
are many opportunities still untapped for citizen scientists to be financially
rewarded for their work. This poster
attempts to identify these opportunities in ways that 1) increase opportunities
for citizen scientists to profit from their work, 2) encourage companies to
develop products that support (and can be sold to) citizen scientists, and 3)
help companies benefit from the work performed by citizen scientists. To meet this goal I have reviewed 1) citizen science
projects fully or partially supported through crowdfunding campaigns, and 2)
citizen science activities that previously have been or reasonably could be
supported by private firms on projects in high-technology industries. From those I have developed a series of
proposed business models citizen scientists can use that provide value to
others, and can be used to support future citizen science work. All to support
future research on how to best implement each proposed model.</blockquote>
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Finally, on Thursday there will be a series of "Open Format" sessions for people to discuss topics informally and of their own choosing. I've proposed one titled "What Opportunities Exist for Citizen Scientists to work with for-profit businesses". If you have thoughts on this proposal, want to vote for it as a topic, or have your own topic to propose, check out the Padlet site at <a href="http://padlet.com/alison_kestrel_/citsci2015">http://padlet.com/alison_kestrel_/citsci2015</a>.<br />
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See you soon!</div>
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com437tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-44639457548738450002015-02-06T10:09:00.002-08:002015-02-06T10:09:56.647-08:00Let's Talk Business at the 2015 Citizen Science ConferenceIt's almost here. Next week the 2015 Citizen Science Conference begins in San Jose, California. It will be a busy couple of days discovering the wide variety of citizen science available and learning directly from one another. All to help each other grow in the field we love.<br />
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Will I see you there?<br />
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One of my main goals is talking about how citizen science and the for-profit sector can meet, helping citizen scientists get rewarded for their work and how that can help the whole field expand. That's the main theme of my poster "For Love and Money: Business Models that Support, and Benefit from, the Work of Citizen Scientists" which I will be showcasing at the conference and posting here as well. I want to get this conversation started so people can let their ideas,and talents, flourish.<br />
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So please stop by during the poster session Wednesday afternoon to share your thoughts. Or, if you'd like to chat more in depth, let me know beforehand (OpenScientist@gmail.com) and we can set up a time to meet. I'll even be staying afterwards for the AAAS conference that follows. We can always find time.<br />
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This is the start of a great conversation but it's certainly not the last. I'm hoping to gather as much information as possible next week to continue exploring the topic. There are so many different ways citizen scientists can be rewarded financially for their work, and so many lessons learned from other industries, that it can't possibly be contained in just one poster. Just talking about entrepreneurship can fill up a book (or books), much less the many other models. Thus the need to continue talking well after the conference.<br />
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That's my commitment to you. Come by and lend me your ideas at the conference next week, and I'll keep sending you mine throughout the rest of the year. Sound fair?<br />
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See you there!<br />
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OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-18717760155772153532015-02-04T16:04:00.000-08:002015-02-04T16:04:31.860-08:00Vaccines, Climate Change, and the Role of Citizen ScienceThe role of science in politics and the popular culture is often messy. From Galileo claiming the Earth revolves around the sun to Darwin proposing evolutionary theory, the public is not always quick to accept scientific advances. This continues today. In a <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/">recent poll the Pew Research Center noted</a> that only 50% of the public believes humanity is causing climate change as compared to 87% of scientists. The same is true for vaccines, where 68% of the public believes they should be required compared to 87% of scientists. This plays out in my own life when debating friends on social media about the importance of stopping measles and encouraging childhood vaccination. During these conversations I often wish people would just accept the word of scientists and believe what we tell them. But how do I say that as a citizen scientist?<br />
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The problem is that whenever I talk about citizen science, in this blog or elsewhere, I talk about how everyday people can become researchers themselves and stand as equals with full-time, professional scientists. There is too much data available in the public domain, too many powerful tools available, and too many unanswered questions to discourage the public's participation in scientific research. This includes global climate data and numerous articles on the relative safety/efficacy of vaccines that are free and publicly available. These are open to interpretation and debate, as are all scientific data and papers. Why can't citizen scientists join that debate too?<br />
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To me it all comes down to a simple rule for citizen scientists -- research with a humble confidence. I <a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/">touted this idea last year</a> after the Boston Marathon manhunt (which publicly fingered the wrong people) and think it still applies. Citizen scientists should boldly address and tackle the big issues of the day and let the world know about it. But they should also realize they may be wrong. <br />
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There is a concept that "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" which fully applies here. If you have evidence that the earth is actually cooling, that vaccines cause autism, or that the moon landing was faked, as scientists we are obliged to hear you out. But you must back it up. If you try to upend the work of thousands of independent researchers who have studied over the same question you are, but over a much longer period of time, you better have your facts straight. And you can't just come up with one or two minor points to justify throwing out an entire scientific paradigm. You need proof.<br />
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Citizen scientists also need to understand that there is a difference between research and advocacy. It is one thing to perform one's own investigations and debate the merits of various pieces of evidence. This is how science works. But we should not then go straight into telling people to stop listening to doctors or ignore medical consensus based just on your own opinion. Instead publish your thoughts (either formally or informally) and open it up for comments. Let people review your evidence and let them challenge it. You may quickly find you were very wrong, or missed some very important points. Or the evidence may not be as clear-cut as you initially sensed.<br />
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Just like the regular scientific world you must put your opinions up for "peer review". I've done that here on my own blog. As a silly but relevant example, I've had a long-standing hypothesis that the <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2014/02/best-editing-or-least-editinghow-will.html">longest film nominated for the Best Editing Oscar each year is much more likely to win than the others</a>, and that the longer (and less edited) a film is the more likely it is to win. I made my predictions and published them. Then the next two Oscar telecasts came through and my forecasts were incorrect. I was wrong. But I researched with a humble confidence, and accepted when my hypothesis didn't hold up.<br />
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Finally, always recognize the ramifications of your actions. It is one thing for me to argue about the Best Editing Oscar and make predictions. If I am wrong nobody is hurt. Or even to write about bird migrations or asteroid sightings. Put your opinion out there and let it be judged. But if you are making medical claims or recommendations, you can cause very real harm to the people who hear you. That doesn't mean you are wrong or that you should not speak up. It just means you need a highly compelling case before you do. Even then, are you really the best person to make that recommendation? Instead, try using your evidence to convince the medical establishment and if your case is strong enough, they can make the recommendation for you. Mind your ethics and don't play around with people's lives.<br />
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In all of these cases citizen scientists are still doing research and should remain confident in their findings. But they must also remain humble, letting other people review the work and not taking lightly the impact of their thoughts on people's lives or property.<br />
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Citizen scientists have so much to offer in assisting research, and can have an important role in challenging existing theories. We just need to be careful.<br />
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P.S. As always, the thoughts above are my own and do not reflect the views of any other organization or government agency.</div>
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com116tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2362452879968009227.post-91689335101138456862015-02-02T19:40:00.002-08:002015-02-02T19:40:45.565-08:00Industry Niches for Citizen Science - Part 2Our analysis continues of industry niches ripe for citizen science involvement. Now that we've identified a series of high technology industries (<a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/01/industry-niches-for-citizen-science.html">here</a>) and the types of activities they are involved in (<a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2015/01/citizen-science-and-employment-in-high.html">here</a>), we can look at how citizen scientists can support them and get rewarded for their efforts. All to everyone's mutual benefit.<br />
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Obviously there are countless ways high-tech firms could potentially benefit from the work of citizen scientists, most of which have been neither identified or explored. But the few examples that exist can be highlighted and grouped into a few distinct activities. This is especially for the large number of manufacturing and IT firms in the list of high technology industries.<br />
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In putting this together an interesting phenomenon surfaced. For most categories I found at least one non-profit or for-profit firm already working to organize citizen scientists in these areas. So where applicable those are described as well.<br />
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For now I can't/won't say too much about their relative merits or success. Some may just be startups, they may not be profitable yet, and they may not be the best way to do things. Or they may be hitting home runs. It's too early to tell. The most important thing is they offer potential case studies to learn from. Though they also help show businesses can be formed around citizen science, and that banks or venture capital firms can see its not a complete risk. There is a lot more that can be said about this but that is much better held until later in the Spring or even Summer. In the meantime we still have lots of work to do. <br />
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Below is a list of some opportunities I see for citizen scientists wishing to interact with for-profit firms and share in the rewards. I've pulled as much of these ideas possible from real-world examples, and from opportunities that don't require any large leaps. These are (presumably) straightforward groupings based on the type of activity the citizen scientist is performing. Because that is our ultimate goal, providing a reward model that is based around a citizen scientist's activities so they can be applied to for-profit and non-profit firms.<br />
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<li><b>Software Coding</b> - Nine of the top twelve high technology industries involve direct software development as their primary product/service, or they are computer-based industries that strongly rely on software coding for their success. This can be either a group or team effort, and if the work is divided up through proper project management techniques, coding can be handled by citizen scientists outside an actual firm. The Open-Source computing community has shown the ability of diverse, unconnected individuals to team up and create powerful products (such as the Firefox browser). Individuals can create their own projects or join projects created and sponsored by private firms who need the public assistance. Various firms and platforms have sprouted to promote this type of work with <a href="https://github.com/">GitHub</a> as one of the most famous.</li>
<li><b>Product Creation - </b>Eleven of the top twenty high technology industries involve manufacturing and ultimately the creation of physical products. But just because you may need a large firm to manufacture a product does not mean you need the same infrastructure to invent or design it. This could be handled by citizen scientists that provide the initial idea for a company, and that firm takes ownership, markets, and mass produces it. Proceeds are then split between the firm and the product creators. We already see this model forming through the <a href="http://www.openscientist.org/2010/04/prizes-for-innovative-amateurs-at.html">Innocentive Challenge web site</a>, where companies post product design problems or market needs they can't fulfill, ask the public to offer solutions, and then financially reward the "Solver" that submitted the best idea.</li>
<li><b>Consulting</b> <span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">- <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">Typically the term "consulting" implies firms bringing in outside experts to offer advice and direction in a specialized area. This can include advice on an area outside of the companies focus (e.g., a chemist advising on a specific reaction of interest to a pharmaceutical firm) or to perform a project for a defined length of time (e.g., an IT consultant upgrading computer systems of a chemical firm). </span></span><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">In some ways we already see examples of both types in existing platforms such as </span></span><a href="http://www.ideaconnection.com/">IdeaConnection</a>. Differing from Innocentive which opens projects to the public, IdeaConnection develops a list of "experts" in each field and can bring them together to work on a specific project for a specific client. In essence creating ad-hoc consulting teams from their roster of traditional experts and (conceivably) citizen scientists.</li>
<li><b>Writing/Publishing</b> - For every high technology field there are groups of people interested in following that field or learning more about the science behind it. Or just writing about it. This writing can describe new products under development, promote scientific or occupational opportunities, or explore emerging trends. It can also be sponsored directly by a company (for advertising or marketing purposes), written independently by a citizen scientist and sold to the public, or written for citizen scientists wanting to stay abreast of their field. The <a href="http://citizensciencequarterly.com/">Citizen Science Quarterly</a> was one example of this though others continue to be formed.</li>
<li><b>Environmental Monitoring and Remediation:</b> Only one of the high technology fields we've been discussing is directly involved with environmental issues (Forestry). But twelve of the top 26 high-technology industries, especially those with a manufacturing focus, must seriously deal with environmental issues and can incur significant costs if those issues are ignored. This includes citizen scientists performing environmental impact studies, or firms organizing citizen scientists for those studies. It also includes people analyzing waste streams from firms to help them reduce pollution or turn the waste into useful products. Or, in certain circumstances, citizen scientists can help law firms investigating and litigating polluters. Citizen scientists are already well-established in researching environmental concerns and are well-positioned to take on a larger role. This is one area where I have not yet seen a for-profit example, but either I'm just missing them or they will soon be appearing. The potential value (monetary and non-monetary) just seems to great to be ignored.</li>
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One important assumption I make in these proposals is that it is not just one person acting as a citizen scientist, but a team of citizen scientists acting together. Not everyone needs to be a solo entrepreneur. There is also a large need for people to organize or manage these citizen scientists, or set up systems that let those people manage themselves. So we don't just have first-order, direct interaction of citizen science firms with the high tech industries, but also second-order, indirect connections of firms that support the citizen science work regardless of industry.<br />
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We will talk more about those opportunities in the next post. But in the meantime lets talk in the comments about you'r thoughts to these ideas. </div>
OpenScientisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07505372981333039557noreply@blogger.com48