Citizen Science in South Africa (Part 2: Naive Outcomes)

 What is citizen science? <-click here to see my previous lab note

 

Why would anyone want to voluntarily participate in a science project? This is an important and fundamental question to ask when organizing a citizen science program. Do you think the answer depends on the opportunities and resources one is surrounded by? (i.e. would you be more—or less—interested in participating in science if you didn't know any scientists?)

I will certainly have a different answer for that first question after I move. At this time, sitting in my living room in Corvallis, Oregon—half the world away from the place we are launching the citizen science program—it is difficult to design a program to meet the needs of the citizens we hope to engage. However, this lab note is dedicated to my naive hopes and expectations. Ultimately, the project design will need to be pretty cushy.

Do you enjoy learning?—is that reason enough to become a citizen scientist?

Why would anyone want to voluntarily participate in a science project? Can the answer be the same answer you would give me if I asked:

"Why did you go to College?"—to learn, to prepare myself for a career, to get a job, to party?, etc.

 

What about the question:

"Why did you go to graduate school?"—to learn more, to make an impact/make a difference, to advance science, to teach!,to prepare myself to be a Prof., etc.

Can participating in a citizen science project provide similar outcomes? Below are some outcomes that I naively hope our project can provide.

Outcomes for Research: Discover new species of Phytophthora, increased sense of Phytophthora diversity in native forests of South Africa,

Outcomes for individual participants:

Outcomes for social-ecological systems: Set an example for the application and value of citizen science programs in South Africa, develop more microbial aware communities, foster a shared appreciation for scientific advancement,improve biosecurity around the world, alleviate the spread of invasive species, encourage open access publishing, and inspire more pathogen explorers.

Outcomes for me: I want to learn to: answer hypothesis driven questions with a citizen science program, speak a new language, use bioinformatics for comparative genomics and phylogenetic analysis, improve at managing culture collections, comfortably describe a new species of Phytophthora morphologically, and improve at communicating science! I want to: leave my comfort zone, challenge my world views, grow as a world-impacting-scientist, inspire others, and become a FABIan!