How to get out of (extreme) citizen scientists way
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The digital information age promises a shift in the definition of who can do science and what science is for. The power balance in the production of scientific knowledge is shifting, initiated by DIY scientists, tryers, as well as professional scientists engaging in ever more participatory public research aided by digital technologies. However, defined and driven by prevailing institutionalised patterns of power and authority, the professionalisation of knowledge remains problematic undermining ordinary people’s hopes, passions and capacity to contribute. There is evidence that it is through the bottom-up envisioning and devising of methods and through the creation, re-purposing, and use of technologies, that some people are taking a lead applying their civic capacities into scientific research initiatives that challenge and/or question the state of things to address issues of concern to them. Conceptualised as Publicly Initiated Scientific Research (PIScR) it is these efforts that provide the granularity and nuance that renders them inclusive of local issues, knowledges, politics, and solutions. Understanding PIScR within citizen science and Participatory Action Research reveals the extent to which technologies enable the leveraging of production of knowledge between professional/institutional science and civil society as well as key concerns on the democratising potential of science.
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How to get out of (extreme) citizen scientists way
- 2. how to get out of (extreme) citizen scientists’ way Cindy Regalado UCL Extreme Citizen Science Research Group Dept. Civil, Geomatic & Environmental Engineering
- 3. • Problem-solving based primarily on institutionalised and professionalised science practices: ‘objective’ models, controlled experiments, reduced uncertainty • hinders understanding of the complex multiscale web of emerging problems & the conception of new methods for their solution • undermines creativity, skills, competence, and aspirations of a large portion of the population the problem
- 4. Type 5 ‘Beyond’ • PIScR Tryers & doers – do it yourself, discover it yourself, design it yourself Type 4 ‘Extreme’ • Collaborative Science – problem definition, data collection and analysis Type 3 ‘Participatory science’ Type 2 ‘Distributed Intelligence’ Type 1 ‘Crowdsourcing’ • Participation in problem definition and data collection • Citizens as basic interpreters • Citizens as sensors types of engagement in citizen science
- 5. Type 5 ‘Beyond’ • PIScR Tryers & doers – do it yourself, discover it yourself, design it yourself Type 4 ‘Extreme’ • Collaborative Science – problem definition, data collection and analysis Type 3 ‘Participatory science’ Type 2 ‘Distributed Intelligence’ Type 1 ‘Crowdsourcing’ • Participation in problem definition and data collection • Citizens as basic interpreters • Citizens as sensors publicly initiated scientific research (PIScR)
- 6. Kite Publicly Initiated Scientific Research is… Community oriented & developed Community owned camer a Tools can be adapted & spread in an open source fashion Civic Science based on practice by Public Laboratory for Open Technology & Science publiclab.org
- 7. In Publicly Initiated Scientific Research… Locals regarded as experts of their own environments Stems from public exploration & investigation of environments DIY spectrometry
- 8. the power of grassroots & DIY
- 9. • range from pollicised responses to satisfaction of having a job well done • referred to as amateurs, hobbyists, hackers… • essence of DIY is one of self-: self-reliance, selflearning, self satisfaction • taking ownership, figuring things out by ourselves • yes, of course, it is frustrating at times the essence of DIY
- 10. “grassroots bottom-up efforts provide granularity and nuance that renders them inclusive of local issues, knowledges, po litics, and sustainable solutions” Gowanus canal initiative
- 11. • how do we support grassroots initiative, DIY efforts? • more science education? …patronising • increased transparency? …anxiety • a shift in focus from “a lack of scientific literacy as a problem to a recognition of a range of different knowledges that people have and use as they confront science and technology in their everyday lives” Cunningham-Burley (2006) the challenge
- 12. “there are no process at the institutional level for the recognition and integration of multiple claims to knowledge and institutional arrangements cannot yet conceive a process for the validation of bottom-up knowledge claims because powerful interests subvert the process” – Yvonne Rydin (2007) the complication
- 13. • apathy is public engagement is a MYTH • what needs urgent attention is an acknowledgement of – our anxieties (“what is going on?”), – our ambivalence (competing desires and drives), and – our aspirations (I want to do something about it) • coupled with approaches that “meet people where they are at, not where we want them to be” Renee Lertzman (2012) • So let's acknowledge plurality and let's really listen the myth of apathy
- 14. ENGAGEMENT …let’s focus on FACILITATORS in our ability to question TRUST in our ability to do …let’s focus on ENABLERS that what we do matters COMMUNITY …let’s focus on OUR ROLE the proposal
- 15. DIY manifesto • • • • DIY = empowerment & sense of ownership DIY = independence DIY = creativity DIY = understanding of things and taking charge • DIY = the right to choose • DIY transforms consumers into contributors • DIY is saves you money!
- 16. …in Extreme Citizen Science we commit to principles of “…it is a kind of participation and science that questions inclusion, openness and the state of things” acknowledgement, collaboration and creativity we encourage a science that reduces barriers, increases democratic participation, recognises the importance of each participant and allows all voices to be heard Extreme Citizen Science is science by citizens, where anyone, regardless of their background, can take ownership over and investigate issues that are of concern to them to bring about meaningful change contact: cindy.regalado.11@ucl.ac.uk website: www.ucl.ac.uk/excites
Editor's Notes
- It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of this meeting and it is also quite encouraging to see UNESCO taking a lead on issuesto widen the dialogue not only in decision-making but problem solving as well.TodayI am going to share with you briefly a few insights on Publicly Initiated ScientificResearch, its impetus and some of the challenges it facesI think Unesco has incredible potential, if done in the right way, to support Publicly Initiated ScientificResearch
- It is a fantastic opportunity to be part of this meeting and it is also quite encouraging to see UNESCO taking a lead on issuesto widen the dialogue not only in decision-making but problem solving as well.TodayI am going to share with you briefly a few insights on Publicly Initiated ScientificResearch, its impetus and some of the challenges it facesI think Unesco has incredible potential, if done in the right way, to support Publicly Initiated ScientificResearch
- So what is Publicly Initiated ScientificResearch? Due to the nature of projects or issues at hand people engage in citizen science in different ways depending on the time available, their interests, projects available, stage in their lives… etc. – please note these are types – not levels[ref. to L4] and in other types of initiatives people are not viewed as participants, they are researchers that collaborate with professionals and institutitons[ref. T5] In In T5, the type I want to talk about is the unacounted type – truly independent and rarely know about unless they make their prescense known – web, group they are like the 5th sector of CSc b/c the are not integrated - people take a lead in the whole of the process from identifying/defining the problem, analyse their data and chose how their results will be used….this is where Publicly Initiated Scientific Research comes in. It is DIY in all its forms
- So what is Publicly Initiated ScientificResearch? Due to the nature of projects or issues at hand people engage in citizen science in different ways depending on the time available, their interests, projects available, stage in their lives… etc. – please note these are types – not levels[ref. to L4] and in other types of initiatives people are not viewed as participants, they are researchers that collaborate with professionals and institutitons[ref. T5] In In T5, the type I want to talk about is the unacounted type – truly independent and rarely know about unless they make their prescense known – web, group they are like the 5th sector of CSc b/c the are not integrated - people take a lead in the whole of the process from identifying/defining the problem, analyse their data and chose how their results will be used….this is where Publicly Initiated Scientific Research comes in. It is DIY in all its forms
- People across the world are engaging in DIY for a multiplicity of reasons (Wehr, 2012). Interests and motivations range from conscious and politicised responses to a complex and fast-moving world, to the pride of having a job well done, to wanting to save money. Referred to as amateurs, tinkerers, dilettantes, hobbyists, hackers, lay people with an interest, etc., Do-It-Yourselfers (DIYers) come in all shapes and sizes and their work is often juxtaposed with that of ‘experts’ or professionals (Beegan & Atkinson, 2008; Freidson, 1988). Like DIYers, DIY is both varied in character and broad in scope. But the essence of DIY is one of self-: self-reliance, self-learning, self-satisfaction. Taking ownership is a powerful experience and it is often linked to a realisation that makes us question what happens around us: Doing-it-ourselves incites us to figure out things by ourselves, to do things that have not been done before (by us or even anyone else), and to challenge who can (or should) do it and how. For example, who should take charge of environmental monitoring and who can hold polluters accountable?
- there is evidence that it is through the bottom-up envisioning and devising of methods and tools (including DIY) that some people are taking a lead applying their civic capacities into scientific research initiatives that challenge and/or question the state of things to address issues of hyperlocal concern. These efforts provide the granularity and nuance that renders them inclusive of local issues, knowledges, politics, and sustainable solutions.
- 1) When we talk about engagement we focus on facilitatorsPerhaps a utopia goal or vision would be that everyone has the ability to initiate their own research, as groups, communities, as individuals and that they have access to the resources they need But in reality it is a luxury to have the time to be connected with everyone. We need to recognise that it is a 'developed' country phenomenon to have the time to spend on additional coordination activities onlineSo rather than aiming for a general and all encompassing solution that tries to include (i.e. absorb and assimilate) "all of civil society, including rural communities and indigenous peoples” we focus on ways that help kindle and unleash those who are already doing so that they can do what they do better so they function as a link and catalyst in their communities in their own way because they understand their context better2) When we talk about Trust, we focus on enablers[to question] This means people trusting their ability to question the state of things, to question the system, to question authorities >> to trust in themselves, their tools and methods, their critical thinking[to do] This meanspeople trusting and believing that they can; for example it is also about organisations like UNESCO acknowledging the tremendous potential of people to address issues that are important to them. to acknowledge and push for a belief in people - in their abilities, their skills, their passions, their knowledges; which at the moment are highly undervalued and underestimated…[it matters] Finally, trust means a belief in that what people do will actually matter; that the fruits of their efforts will actually materialise into positive change3) When we talk about Community we bring together engagement and trust and focus on our rolepeople are already taking initiative solving their own problems, they are ingenious and resourceful AND they know the power that knowledge can bring – they hardly need ‘us’ for that bit – people do not care what it is called, they just want to get it done and they want it to work – and this is where we come in - our role then becomes that of facilitators, to give impetus to Publicly Initiated Scientific ResearchI want to very briefly share with you some examples to illustrate this