What The Heck is Citizen Science and Why is it So Important?
Lecture Series 2016: Changes Challenges and Choices
What The Heck is Citizen Science and Why is it So Important?
The contributions of citizen scientists are revolutionizing science and data at a critical time - we know that climate change is disrupting the lifecycles of plants and animals but unless we can understand and document what’s happening on the ground, where it’s happening and how quickly, we can’t understand what we’re losing. So there is a critical need for observations and analysis at scale (locally, state-wide, nationally and internationally) that can only be accomplished with a huge cadre of volunteers. With the advent of big data, crowd-sourcing and GPS-enabled hand-held devices, “people power” is becoming instrumental in helping scientists with projects that range from gathering and analyzing large-scale datasets, to recording individual observations, to identifying patterns in digital records and much more. The Citizen Science movement is enabling research and data collection that would be impossible or impractical without it.
But what, exactly, is Citizen Science? What are the controversies in this movement? Join us April 27th to discover how YOU can get involved and contribute to this exciting and critical global phenomenon.
Wednesday, April 27 | 6:15 – 9:00 PM (Special Citizen Science exhibits opens at 6:15, lecture start promptly at 7:00)
Corte Madera Community Center
498 Tamalpais Dr, Corte Madera, CA 94924
Speakers
Mary Ellen Hannibal, Journalist, Author of Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction
Dr. Rebecca Johnson, Director of Citizen Science Program, California Academy of Sciences
Allen Fish, Director of Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Dr. Chris Pincetich, Marine Biologist, Toxicologist, and Environmental Educator
Coordinators
Heather Furmidge
Admission free to students with a high school or college ID.
* Lecture discounts based on membership status.
For more information visit: http://www.marinefm.org/
