Question (& Answers) from Julia Wilkinson

The Citizen Cyberscience Centre caught up with Julia Wilkinson from Galaxy Zoo who will be attending the summit in London next September. We asked her two simple questions to help explain her motivation to be involved in the summit but also citizen cyberscience itself.

Why are you going to the Summit?
I have been invited to attend the summit and take part in the panel discussion about volunteering and Citizen Science. I have been involved in various Citizen Science projects for the last 3 years and currently co-moderate the Solar Stormwatch and Moon Zoo Forums. I didn’t study science at school and have always regretted it. My career took me in a completely different direction. Citizen Science has offered me a second chance and a way to contribute to scientific research without a PhD. It has also rekindled an interest in studying science, specifically Astronomy, which I am now doing with the Open University. I am looking forward to discussing the benefits of Citizen Science with others and spreading the word!

What do you plan to talk about at the Summit?
I have 25 years experience of training and managing volunteers in the not-for-profit sector and as a consequence I am well aware of the huge benefits (as well as the downside) of using volunteers, in particular their recruitment, motivation and retention. These are the same issues faced by Citizen Science projects. Now I am a volunteer myself I hope to share some of my observations and swap ideas about how to get the best from Citizen Science volunteers and how to manage this vast resource in a way that will enhance the Citizen Science experience for everyone involved.

To learn more about Julia and the wonderful people over at Zooniverse did a full interview with her at the end of last year.

The Citizen Cyberscience Centre and Summit

The Citizen Cyberscience Centre has a been set up to help scientists in developing countries to access the power of internet-based volunteer computing and volunteer thinking.

To this end the centre's three-fold mission is:

1. To develop citizen cyberscience applications targeting research on humanitarian and development issues as well as fundamental science, by coordinating collaborative projects between scientists from North and South.
2. To organize hands-on workshops for scientists in developing countries in order to spread know-how about citizen cyberscience and its benefits for their research.
3. To provide online educational material about the research challenges addressed by citizen cyberscience projects, encouraging greater public participation.

Now the centre is bringing members from all sides in citizen cyberscience together for a summit in London later this year. The London Citizen Cyberscience Summit is a great chance for scientists and citizens to learn about the latest breakthroughs in citizen cyberscience. It will be a unique opportunity to brainstorm about how new technologies can enhance citizen cyberscience. A bold ambition of the summit is to draft a citizen cyberscience manifesto, involving all the stakeholders in the field.

The event will be in King's College London on the 2nd and 3rd of September. The programme is filling up fast with some amazing speakers lined up and you can register your interest here.

In the weeks leading up to the event we will be bringing you the views and opinions of people contributing to the summit from all walks of life so watch this space.

Welcome to the Citizen Cyberscience Centre Blog.

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Want to give your opinion on citizen participation in science through cyber-initiatives like BOINC? You've found the right place! We will have blogs from members of the community scientists, citizens and more coming soon.