Making New Knowledge with Citizen Science

Dr. Caren Cooper

Our guest this week is ecologist & author Caren Cooper.  As an Associate Professor at North Carolina State university, Dr. Cooper also works with the Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program on Leadership in Public Science.  She is an advocate of citizen science, believing that anyone, anywhere at any time, can help conduct genuine scientific research. In her new book, Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery, Dr. Cooper tells the stories of citizen scientists who are challenging assumptions of how and where knowledge can be acquired.  Dr. Cooper joins us to share some of these stories, along with ideas and resources on how educators might engage their students in creating new knowledge from the world around them.

Anyone experienced on Twitter, particularly teachers, and with interests, experiences, opinions, perspectives, questions, and enthusiasm about citizen science is welcome to sign up to host a week of @IamCitSci, a rotating Twitter account managed by @CoopSciScoop and @SciStarter. The schedule, including open dates, and link to sign up are located here: http://www.carencooper.com/iamcitsci.html.

Links:

• carencooper.com
• About Caren Cooper – NC State University
• Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program on Leadership in Public Science
• Biodiversity Lab, North Carolina Museum of Natural History
• Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery (Amazon)
• The Cloud and the Crowd (a Public Television series about citizen science, crowdsourcing and mobile tech)
• Nature’s Rhythms And How They Impact Us. 26 Dec 2016. The Larry Meiller Show (wpr.org)
• Hope Jahren, the “Lab Girl”. 26 Dec 2016. On Point. (wpr.org).

Citizen Science Opportunities

• Students Discover
• SciStarter
• Journey North
• Zooniverse
• Nature’s Notebook
• iNaturalist
• Bird Sleuth (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
• eBird
• Sparrow Swap
• Galaxy Zoo
• Folding@Home
• foldit
• Rosetta@home (protein folding)

Connect with our guest:

• Twitter: @coopSciScoop
• Twitter: @IamCitSci
• #CitSciChat

Dr. Cooper Curating Eggs – Photo Courtesy of NC State University

We always love to hear from you – our listeners. Do you have any ideas for guests? What topics in science and science education need to be addressed? Submit your comments, concerns and suggestions through our contact page or tweet to us at @laboutloud.

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