Partnering for discovery: Exploring the connection between citizen science and museums

Over the past few decades, citizen science has become a popular way to gather scientific data as well as engage and educate the public. Because this is a rapidly growing field, there is a need to learn what types of projects... [ view full abstract ]

Over the past few decades, citizen science has become a popular way to gather scientific data as well as engage and educate the public. Because this is a rapidly growing field, there is a need to learn what types of projects are being carried out, what disciplines are utilizing citizen science, and what partnerships are common and beneficial to citizen science efforts. A better understanding of these areas can inform future project design, implementation, and management to create more successful citizen science projects. This study surveyed citizen science project managers and analyzed citizen science database websites to explore and summarize broad scale patterns in citizen science project formats, topics, and affiliations. As a focus, we were particularly interested in the relationship between citizen science and museums. Our initial results, based on a sample of responses from 50 citizen science project managers, showed that about 80% of projects were field based and 50% were associated with museums. Additional data currently being analyzed will expand the data set to further understand the present and future roles of museums in the expanding field of citizen science. Strengthening our understanding of the ties between citizen science and museums will help promote the maturation of this growing field and encourage museums to determine what role they will play in the development of the citizen science endeavor.