Citizen Microbiology: Engaging the Public in the Study of Invisible Life

Increased public interest in both microbiology and citizen science, combined with technological advances in DNA sequencing, has recently led to the rise of many “citizen microbiology” projects including Wild Life of Our... [ view full abstract ]

Increased public interest in both microbiology and citizen science, combined with technological advances in DNA sequencing, has recently led to the rise of many “citizen microbiology” projects including Wild Life of Our Homes, the American Gut Project, and Project MERCURRI. Citizen microbiology faces a number of special challenges for public engagement that set these projects apart from many other successful, ecologically focused projects: microbes cannot be seen with the naked eye, are often feared as the cause of disease, and are typically identified by genetic sequences, not physical characters. On the flipside, citizen microbiology projects are uniquely positioned to help participants engage in meaningful and intensely personal ways with topics that have significant consequences on human health and well-being (i.e., microbiome, overuse of antibacterial agents, sick building syndrome).

The objective of our citizen microbiology symposium is to shine a spotlight on this emerging field and discuss opportunities and challenges both unique to citizen microbiology and shared in common across more traditional citizen science projects. Our session will start with five-minute speed talks presented by stakeholders from all aspects of citizen microbiology (scientists, participants, project managers, teachers) to provide brief project overviews and set the context for discussion: (1) Wild Life of Our Homes and Belly Button Biodiversity (Menninger); (2) American Gut Project (McDonald); (3) Project MERCURRI (Lang); (4) Microbes in the Classroom (Dixon); (5) DIYbio and the citizen microbiology connection (D'haeseleer); (6) Participant perspective on citizen microbiology (James). Speakers will then transition to a moderated panel discussion (led by Coil) to discuss cross-cutting topics like data visualization, data return and sharing, managing participant expectations, biosafety, and participant privacy.