CSP 54 Citizen Science: Crowdsourcing Scientific Discovery

Citizen science, or crowdsourced science, is a collaboration between scientists and members of the general public to collect and provide access to data for scientific research. Recent advances in mobile technology and computing have allowed citizen scientists to make substantial contributions to scientific research at an unprecedented scale. In this course, we will trace the history of public participation in science and explore how these collaborations between professional researchers and the public have impacted scientific research, the scientific community, and public perceptions of science. Over the course of the semester, students will critically evaluate and directly engage in citizen science by participating in a variety of citizen-science projects, analyzing open datasets, and conducting an original research project.