The Crowd & The Cloud - Using Broadcast and Social Media to Advance and Support Citizen Science

A November 2013 workshop on “New Visions in Citizen Science” at the Wilson Center concluded with a series of recommendations as to next steps, including (1) raising the visibility and impact of citizen science (CS); (2)... [ view full abstract ]

A November 2013 workshop on “New Visions in Citizen Science” at the Wilson Center concluded with a series of recommendations as to next steps, including (1) raising the visibility and impact of citizen science (CS); (2) broadening participation and lowering barriers to entry; and (3) developing and deploying training materials, including “success stories.” THE CROWD & THE CLOUD project (C&C), supported by NSF, is an ambitious transmedia initiative addressing each of those challenges. C&C includes 4 hour-long public television programs to air in Fall 2016, innovative social media resources, including a custom-designed 2nd screen app to help turn “viewers into do-ers,” and external evaluation to address the questions, “How, where, when, why and with whom can media, both broadcast and online, generate greater and deeper involvement in citizen science?” This session addresses conference Themes 1, 2 and 4 and invites creative collaboration by attendees in C&C’s work relatively early in project development.

Panelists will include C&C PI, Geoff Haines-Stiles (moderator), former NASA Chief Scientist, Waleed Abdalati, now director of CIRES, UC Boulder and host of the TV specials (on Big Science and the democratization of research), Darlene Cavalier, founder, Science Cheerleader and SciStarter (on maximizing awareness of innovative CS projects), Raj Pandya, Program Director of AGU’s Thriving Earth Exchange (on engaging underserved communities in CS) and Alexis de Belloy, Entrepreneur in Residence, Skoll Global Threats Fund, on SGTF’s support of participatory surveillance and “crowd-sourcing” for public health initiatives such as “Flu Near You.” This diverse panel will discuss C&C’s assumptions about how media—old and new—can mobilize broader awareness of, and greater participation in, CS by the public, and acceptance by professional researchers. It will present planned program content and invite feedback and new ideas, and the audience will even have a chance to boo or cheer episode working titles!