Two leading academics explain why everyone benefits when researchers look beyond academia to seek greater understanding and new knowledge alongside the broader public or affected communities.
Citizen science, in which researchers work alongside members of the public to collect or analyze data, brings multiple benefits, extending the capabilities of research teams and aiding public engagement. But there are still skeptics who question its validity as a research model. Find out why concerns are often misplaced and hear some of the ways enthusiastic amateurs have helped advance human knowledge.
On the broader question of public impact, hear how universities could provide a framework that supports academics to carry out more community-engaged research, designed to serve the public good.
On this episode, you will hear from:
Chris Lintott, professor of astrophysics at the University of Oxford, author and co-founder of citizen science platform Zooniverse, and presenter on the BBC’s The Sky at Night programme. He explains how his interest in citizen science was sparked and why he believes it is such an effective model.
Neeli Bendapudi, president of Penn State – Pennsylvania State University – discusses a new coalition of university leaders from across the US and Canada who are working with funders, government agencies and others to develop a road map for future community-engaged, public-impact research.
For more advice on this topic, check out our latest spotlight guide: How to engage the public in research.
This episode is sponsored by Elsevier.
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