Involving the public in scientific research

This talk explores the growing role of citizen science and public engagement in scientific research, arguing for deeper inclusion of volunteers across the research lifecycle—from data collection to interpretation and even publication. Drawing on empirical examples such as eBird, Galaxy Zoo, FoldIt, and the speaker’s own Gravity Spy project, I examine how large-scale collaborative systems harness volunteer effort to tackle data-intensive scientific challenges.

I start by introducing Shirk and Bonney’s framework of public engagement in science—contributory, collaborative, and co-created—and use this lens to analyze a range of successful citizen science initiatives. A central case study is the Gravity Spy project, which integrates public contributions with machine learning to identify and classify noise artifacts (glitches) in gravitational wave data from LIGO. I highlights the training mechanisms, machine-assisted workflows, and educational design choices that scaffold volunteers’ participation.

The talk also addresses the limitations and tensions in co-created science, including the epistemic gap between expert and lay participants and the challenges of surfacing "interesting" scientific questions from the bottom up. I conclude by advocating for the expansion of citizen science beyond natural sciences into the digital economy and social research. He encourages researchers to consider volunteers not just as data gatherers but as partners capable of meaningful analytical and conceptual contributions.