Advancing citizen science through ASU, SciStarter collaboration

Arizona State University and SciStarter were recently awarded $2.6 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to further scale accessibility and participation in science.

The grant will be used on SciStarter’s Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science program. ASU’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society and SciStarter will work collaboratively through this grant to transform trusted local libraries into welcoming national networks for citizen science and training.

“Through Moore’s support of SciStarter and ASU, faculty extend their research by working with communities at scale, students gain hands-on learning through real research participation, and libraries and community spaces become sites where research and learning take place,” explained Darlene Cavalier, a professor of practice in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, a unit of the Rob Walton College of Global Futures.

SciStarter began with founder and CEO Darlene Cavalier’s search for participating in science as a member of the public. She discovered that there were no clear pathways to participate in citizen science, a practice where members of the public can directly contribute to real research and science.

“SciStarter grew out of that problem,” explained Cavalier.

“It began as a simple way to help people find projects they could join. I focused on making opportunities easier to understand, easier to search and easier to discover.”

The nonprofit hub works with ASU and North Carolina State University as a research affiliate to connect registered SciStarter members to citizen science projects. Through their Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science program, participants are connected to nearby libraries participating in citizen science.      

Citizens are able to participate in science with impact across fields including astronomy, health, ecology and more. Studies utilizing data collected by citizens allow research to scale beyond capacity limitations faced by scientists.

“For participants, the impact goes beyond learning,” Cavalier said. “People begin to see themselves as contributors and collaborators rather than passive consumers of science.”

In addition to creating a hub, SciStarter offers citizen science training through the Foundations of Citizen Science badge. This training has been completed by nearly 100,000 people and is already being used in coursework and prerequisites in some universities.

This April, for Citizen Science Month, SciStarter and the School for the Future of Innovation in Society are leading a global effort to engage the public in real scientific research through 2.5 million "Acts of Science" — a nod to the 250th birthday of the United States of America.

The month of April will also feature live events both virtually and with partner organizations across the country.

With the added support from the Moore Foundation, ASU and SciStarter are able to continue advancing citizen science to transform curiosity and concern into collaborative action among citizens and scientists.

“This work embeds science in the places where people are and reinforces that research is stronger and more relevant when the public is part of it.”