Citizen Science (37)

The role of science in the modern world will become increasingly critical in the years ahead, as health care, energy, resources and the global environment become ever more problematic. Science can appear to serve powerful institutions, such as stock markets and the weapons industry, more that it serves the people most affected by these problems. Meanwhile, the resources of society's professional scientists are overtaxed by the amount of data to be collected and the need to distribute expertise over a wide area. Science needs greater participation from people at large, and people need a greater voice in science. We need to develop new approaches to collaboration between science and communities. Citizens, policymakers and professional scientists all benefit by bringing both scientific knowledge and local knowledge to bear on the problems that they experience. Text & Image: Stewart Dutfield