"As we see the effects of global warming affecting our forests, our oceans and our air we also see a growing disconnect between science and society. In a Post-Truth world, citizen science projects seek to engage citizens in the scientific process by making science more accessible and show its merits. The purpose of this playlist is to show the growing number of people of all ages and educational backgrounds doing science outside the ivory tower to deal with the quality of our air, water, and food; protecting our biodiversity and searching for disease treatments. By educating themselves in the research, citizen scientists can get involved in setting the agenda of what gets researched and trust the results." -- Podcast Brunch Club

Episode from Science: Disrupt – Citizens Disrupt: Episode 4 – Making Science Accessible

Air date: October 2018. 42 minutes. Web page for episode,

The final episode of the Citizen Science mini-series zooms out to look at citizen science as a whole, from the different ways that people of all backgrounds can contribute, and some barriers people might face. This episode features: Ainhoa Moya a software engineer (formerly of Conde Naste now Disney), on the value of opening up the lab to people with deep computational skills that may not have formal academic training Dave Guston Professor School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University on how non scientists can have input into setting the research agenda. Caren Cooper Research Associate Professor in Ecology, and Author of Citizen Science: How Ordinary People are Changing the Face of Discovery.

Unfortunately, this podcast episode is no longer available online

Episode from Think: Sustainability – #76 - The Age Of Citizen Science

Air date: November 2017. 20 minutes. Web page for episode.

Citizen scientists and members of the public have done everything from discovering species, to documenting sea temperature changes. Just this year in Australia, an amateur astronomer named Andrew Grey, a mechanic from Darwin, helped scientists discover a whole set of new planets. But why are people like you, donating their time, to help scientists document and discover. And is crowdfunding the scientific method really trustworthy?

Speakers include: Annette Scanlon: Lecturer School of Natural and Built Environments; John Turnbull: Marine Ecologist and Social Scientist, University of New South Wales; Shuanna Murray: Associate Professor, Climate Change Cluster.

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Episode from TED Radio Hour – Mary Ellen Hannibal: Can Amateur Scientists Save Animals From Extinction?

Air date: September 2017. 6 minutes. Web page for episode.

For centuries, amateur naturalists observed the living things around them. But Mary Ellen Hannibal says citizen scientists today have a new mandate: to help save species on the brink of extinction.

Episode from Science Friday - Citizen Science: Help Document Your Changing Planet

Air date: April 10, 2020. 7 minutes. Web page for episode.

April is Citizen Science Month, a celebration of the ways community members can contribute to the scientific process by collecting observations or helping analyze large sets of data. This episode describes a project about how climate change touches neighborhoods and the people who live in them. Ira talks to Julia Kumari Drapkin, the CEO and founder of ISeeChange (https://www.iseechange.org/ ), about how citizen observations about rainfall, new spring flowers, and even how you feel can be valuable data for climate science—plus, how tracking that data benefits you.

Episode from Science Friday - Cooped Up At Home? Try These Citizen Science Projects

Air date: April 3, 2020. 17 minutes. Web page for episode.

April is Citizen Science Month! It’s a chance for everyone to contribute to the scientific process—including collecting data, taking observations, or helping to analyze a set of big data. And best of all, a lot of these projects can be done wherever you happen to be personally isolating.

Caren Cooper, an associate professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh and co-author of the new book A Field Guide To Citizen Science: How You Can Contribute to Scientific Research and Make a Difference, joins Ira to talk about what makes a good citizen science project, how to get involved, and suggestions for projects in all fields of science.

Cooper is also the project leader for the citizen science project Crowd The Tap (https://scistarter.org/form/crowd-the-tap ), looking at mapping water infrastructure and the prevalence of lead pipes throughout the country. For more projects to keep you company through this Citizen Science Month and beyond, head over to sciencefriday.com/citizenscience.

Questions for discussion

[1] Which episode on this list was your favorite episode? Explain.

[2] Were you familiar with the term “citizen science”?

[3] Would you trust a scientific study that used non-expert citizens to collect data? Why/why not?

[4] Do you think there is an isolation of knowledge in our society? What do academic institutions need to do to democratize access to science and encourage more diverse perspectives?

[5] Do you think Citizen Science is a tool to increase science literacy and critical thinking? Can science be a hobby?

[6] Have you visited SciStarter website? Is there Citizen Science projects in your community?

[7] Have you ever participated in a citizen science conservation project? Did it increase your interest in the subject?