Citizen Science

[Freeky]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science

http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/
www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/3433.html

I just heard about this concept during a survey.  I think this is pretty awesome, and normal people can do menial tasks like look at shit all day long.

What do you scientist spags think?  Have you guys heard of this?  WHY DOES NOBODY TELL ME THESE THINGS?

[Reginald Ret]

Bookmarked!

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I think it's pretty cool, actually.

[Kai]

i think it's pretty cool when people do science. Generally, we just call them 'scientists', paid or unpaid. I see no reason to add a "citizen" qualifier to that. That, and the term "professional amateur" have always seemed condescending to me.

[The Johnny]

Yeah, the label is kind of implying that its a lower quality way of making science; as if being a "real scientists" excludes someone from the possiblity of using methodologies in an incorrect way.

On the other hand, im not sure how this particular type of participation can be labelled without it being demeaning.

[The Johnny]

well i supposed as wikipedia says ""public participation in scientific research."

or maybe non-profit collective science?

[Freeky]

It's a series of projects under one big project name, not a term used to denote lower quality science. 

I like the name, personally, because it sounds like community service, or something equally not hard that normal people can do.*


*This is speaking as a person who does not yet have any training in the scientific method, okay?

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

well i supposed as wikipedia says ""public participation in scientific research."

or maybe non-profit collective science?

"Hobbyists"

[Golden Applesauce]

i think it's pretty cool when people do science. Generally, we just call them 'scientists', paid or unpaid. I see no reason to add a "citizen" qualifier to that. That, and the term "professional amateur" have always seemed condescending to me.

"Citizen scientist" doesn't sound as bad as "professional amateur" or "hobbyist" to me.  I do like the conception of science & data collection as a civic duty, though.

[Rococo Modem Basilisk]

"Citizen scientist" sounds a lot better than "unpaid, untrained, unqualified lab technician".

Not that it really requires a degree to count things. I see this as a kind of Mechanical Turk for menial data collection tasks.

[Triple Zero]

"Minions"

"Radiation sponges"

"Spare parts"

"Test subjects"

"Unwitting accomplices"

"Feedstock"

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

Pylons?

[Freeky]

Pylons?

Additional ones.

[The Johnny]

Pylons?

Additional ones.

WE REQUIRE.

[Freeky]

Pylons?

Additional ones.

WE REQUIRE.

Don't freak out the witch!