Community-Based Education

Citizen Science

In our modern era, anyone with a camera or mobile phone can capture valuable data for auroral research. The general public and photographers are keen to learn more about different types of aurora and, as a specialist, I can tell them what they are seeing. I can also highlight what we didn't know as scientists and what we are interested in finding out and how they can identify interesting features themselves and in their photos.

I am a core member of the International Space Science Institute working group ARCTICS. This team unites auroral researchers and aurora photographers from around the world with a common goal of identifying and investigating strange or new types of aurora. As part of this team, we are developing an aurora handbook, which details amongst other things how to take aurora photos, identify different types of aurora, understand which are especially interesting to researchers, and how to submit observations to research databases.

One of my aims was to gather worldwide citizen scientist observations of the aurora feature at the heart of my research interests. To achieve this, I write a blog, publish newspaper articles and give youtube lectures:

Public Lectures

I have given a number of lectures on space physics topics to the general public. I am motivated to do this because I enjoy and am very effective in taking difficult concepts and communicating them in a simple and engaging manner. I start simple and then build up concepts so that even someone without any scientific background can understand quite complex ideas. I find great fulfilment in engaging a diverse audience, sparking their curiosity, and helping them understand something new.

Interviews & Videos

I have engaged the general public in science through various platforms because I am passionate about my research topics, the underlying physics, and the instruments designed to answer scientific questions. In my opinion, it makes no sense to do research if you don't find a way to effectively communicate it. Sharing my work in creative ways not only inspires others but also enriches my own perspective, providing new ideas on how to teach different concepts at all levels.