2014 AGU Fall Meeting

December 15 - 19, 2014

Citizen science, the engagement of members of the public in original scientific research, is increasingly recognized as a valuable scientific practice. Trained community members and volunteers can assist in data collection and processing, and can work with researchers to identify locally relevant issues and broadly disseminate results. Citizen scientists are able to actively contribute to scientific research that they find interesting and relevant to their lives and communities, while researchers benefit from the overall low-cost labor and expertise provided by citizen scientists. Additionally, working with citizen scientists can allow researchers to collect data over spatial and temporal scales that would otherwise be logistically and financially impossible. Citizen science also has the potential to greatly expand the reach of research by engaging community members in environmental issues that are directly relevant to them, by including people in the scientific process who have traditionally been excluded, and by changing the ways that scientists think about communicating their work.

During this session, we will cover some examples of ways that citizen science is being used in marine systems. We will also cover some best practices from the field of citizen science, resources, and tips for starting a new project.

• ED - Education, Outreach and Policy