Oxford’s Zooniverse: Working with the Crowd
Professor Chris Lintott
Professor of Astrophysics and co-founder of the Zooniverse crowdsourcing platform
University of Oxford

Planets, Penguins and People: Lessons from a decade of citizen science

Ten years on from the Galaxy Zoo project which began it all, this talk will draw on the many and varied experiences the
speaker has gained as Principal Investigator of the Zooniverse to reflect on best practice in citizen science. By considering
the twin requirements of any successful project to be authentic and accessible, we can design projects that involve the
largest possible audiences in contributing to research. Such projects grow communities capable of advanced work,
creating a space amongst the largest of datasets for serendipitous discovery and follow-up. Finally, in considering the
significant rise in the capabilities of machine learning we will tackle the hard questions about what authentic engagement
in ten years’ time might look like.

Dr John Tweddle
Head of the Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity
Natural History Museum London

Citizen science at London’s Natural History Museum: from earthworms and seaweeds to microbial DNA and 19th
Century specimens

Through their unique combination of specimen collections, scientific and education expertise, and wide audience reach
and trust, Natural History Museums (NHMs) are obvious settings for bridging Science and Learning through citizen
science. Indeed, many NHMs have a long history of involvement in citizen science; initially through their historical
relationships with the volunteer naturalist community and more recently through the delivery of organised projects for
mass public audiences.

The Citizen Science Programme at the NHM London has now been established for over 15-years. Our projects are driven
by the scientific research question and tackle a wide range of themes: from tracking the dynamics of native and
introduced species, to exploring the hidden diversity of microbial life, understanding ecosystem services and quantifying
the impacts of environmental change. In this talk I will introduce our programme and discuss why, as a STEM research
and education organisation, we are investing in citizen science in this way, highlighting some of the key costs and benefits
via three short case studies.

The Microverse engaged over 120 schools and community groups in cutting-edge genomics research to uncover the
diversity of microscopic life in urban environments. Orchid Observers – in collaboration with Zooniverse – brings together
historical museum specimens and contemporary field observations to investigate how climate has influenced flowering
phenology within the UK’s flora over the last 150-years. Finally, the LEARN Citizen Science Project is a four-year
international collaborative research initiative that aims to build understanding of how young people develop
Environmental Science Agency through participation in Citizen Science.
Date: 4 May 2018, 16:00
Venue: Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street OX1 3BD
Venue Details: Seminar Room 1 and Seminar Room 2
Speakers: Professor Chris Lintott (University of Oxford), Dr John Tweddle (Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity, Natural History Museum London)
Organising department: Department of Physics
Organiser: Dr Helen Spiers (University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: tracey.greyvenstein@physics.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Oxford's Zooniverse; Working with the crowd
Topics:
Booking required?: Not required
Booking email: tracey.greyvenstein@physics.ox.ac.uk
Audience: Members of the University only
Editors: Tracey Greyvenstein, Helen Spiers