Environmental Citizen Science Training Day

Working with Citizen ScientistsAlice Sheppard: UCL

Long term Citizen Science volunteer – forum moderator, speaker, writer and galaxy obsessor

A volunteer’s perspective

Community building

Problem solving

A volunteer’s perspective2007: galaxyzoo.org

Public invited to classify 900,000 galaxies from robotic telescope

Sloan Digital Sky SurveyPhoto: Patrick Galume

www.galaxyzooforum.org

The discussion forum became a friendly, helpful community …..

Every newcomer greeted:“Welcome to the zoo”

Everyone had a different expertise so taught others:• practical astronomy• astrophysics – how to read papers, spectra• technical support – how to use the forum• programming – how to search the database

My job as moderator:• remove swearing and spam• ban malicious users; resolve conflicts• keep the forum organised• provide technical support

• organise meet-ups• act as media contact; arrange interviews• analyse and write up volunteers’ discoveries

Some projects were started by astronomers

And others by volunteers

A new way of looking at science

“But what is the ANSWER?”

There is no answer in the back of a textbook. We write the textbook – and it’s a living textbook that we change all the time!

Community building

Citizen scientists need three things:(1) A job to do(2) Data to find or look for(3) A place to talk

All these need to be obvious and findable

Community building: Alice’s Tips(3) A place to talk: Provide break time or a discussion forum!Divide the forum into areas such as these – move threads in the wrong place, explain why:• Welcome and rules• Help (data analysis; technical support)• Project related science• Dedicated place for project related questions• General science• News/blogs/regular features, “Story of the Week”• Friendly chat

• ….and encourage bottom-up research to take place.

Community building: Alice’s Tips• Time & Effort – dedicated moderator/s• Have guidelines – but emphasise impacts, not rules• Keep updating FAQ & tutorials – encourage volunteers to

write these• Have regular news updates• Interaction often works better than instructions• Keep it super-civilised• Informal area, games etc – encourage friendships• Praise, highlight & showcase efforts – invite volunteers to

blog• Get your “hard core” on your side to set the tone• Be grateful!

Volunteers’ vulnerabilitiesA citizen scientist is alone in a way we academics are not.

Practical:• No access to equipment / colleagues• May live far away• May speak a different language

Financial:• Will not get expenses paid• May be struggling financially / lack money for equipment

Educational: • May have wanted to be a scientist, but e.g. failed exams• May be missing education / knowledge • May be unaware of this – “unknown unknowns” etc.• May be aware and thus unhappy / lack confidence

Volunteers’ vulnerabilitiesSocial / emotional:• May have always been “the loner”/ “the geek”• This may be their first intellectual “home”

• If have lots of free time – why?• Health issues (physical / mental)• Unemployment

• May struggle to fit citizen science in with other demands• May find peace through citizen science• May find this is their first real science education – may

become obsessed / grieve past frustrations• Family / friends / colleagues may not be supportive of

citizen science• Learning difficulties / autism

Financial / practical / educational:• Design: Bear in mind ease of interface, sight

problems, bandwidth etc. Beta-test.• Source or invite translations• Seek and post good information websites• Write good information and tutorials / encourage

volunteers to write for each other• Livetweet / blog conferences• Hold a virtual conference!• If grant money available, invite citizen scientists

to conferences / seek out local ones; encourage to blog

Some tips to improve things

Social/emotional:• In a friendly environment, volunteers will support each

other• Treat each contribution as valuable• Make clear absences / reductions in work are OK• Praise in public; address problems in private• Do not bow to pressure to relax rules – public “venting”

not always a good idea• Limit your responses to persistent / angry private

messages• Address public discontent ASAP – never ignore until

someone “throws a tantrum”!• Send a supportive message to any targets of aggression• Don’t worry – you can’t be perfect!

Some tips to improve things

Alice’s mum’s tip:

Try a citizen science project for yourself, anonymously, in an area you don’t know.(Volunteers have brilliant ideas.)

Problem SolvingChoose a Case Study at random

Consider or discuss underlying problems and good responses

You have 5 minutes, then we will all discuss briefly

Alice will e-mail round her solutions(yours might be different)

Case Study A

Case Study A• More arguments because longer! Not a problem.• Do not delete an area that forms friendships• Assess forum guidelines – Discourage reports to

moderator for minor issues• Get community on your side!• Decide as a team who gets the Report emails• Professor Phosphorus does not understand the

community:• Ask (diplomatically) if still wants to moderate• Explain benefits of chat area• State what solution you’ll choose and why

Case Study B

Case Study B• Choose purpose of forum: General science?

Project science? Accurate medical info?• Guideline: No medical advice (See a doctor)• Are these volunteers contributing to project?• Foxglove = either crusader or salesman. Unlikely

to negotiate. Either follows rules or leaves.• Grape Hyacinth = Create own thread; do not

interrupt others’.• Suggest other more suitable forums for these.• Ensure other volunteers also in line with

guidelines

Case Study C

Case Study CGeneral problem: Lack of communication and understanding• Quantum’s day job colleagues may have bad

ethics• She and Singularity not acknowledged• Allow time to cool and process emotions• Talk to Singularity• Invite both to blog about methodology. All not

lost – they have much to offer other volunteers• Dr Neptunium needs to meet volunteers and

appreciate their different culture

The words of another citizen science practitioner …..

Don’t worry …. You can’t do everything.Plan for being unable to plan …. Your volunteers will teach you best!

Thank you!Contact me at a.sheppard@ucl.ac.uk