Citizen science is of course a poorly or variously defined concept, and so many different endeavours could be considered citizen science. So far I am finding two large categories of what is called citizen science. The greater of them is that of projects promoted and headed up by an organization with professional scientists providing leadership. The other is individual amateur science lovers who initiate research work themselves. In the former category, for example, are the pioneering citizen science initiatives of the Cornell Ornithology Lab, which has done a lot of work even on developing a formal definition of citizen science (and which defines it roughly as collaborations between ‘regular’ scientists and members of the public, while admitting that this definition excludes some serious amateur science).
In Cornell-style citizen science, members of the public are enticed by user-friendly ways of recording their observations, and they become part of a giant research or data collection project. In the other category are the solitary experimenters, who are more self-motivated, more involved in all aspects of whatever project they’re working on. On the other hand, every participant of a large project has their own history and individual involvement in observing nature and often in doing science. And even the independent amateur scientists, like for example Ontarian Aleta Karstad, a nature illustrator who studies slugs, correspond with professional scientists, work with them, and get much of the satisfaction of ‘real science’ by the mentor-type relationship they can establish with the professionals. I find the large-scale, organized projects fascinating in the ingenious ways they find to make science accessible (SO much more to say on that!). But I am still more taken with the independents–the curiosity, persistence and unconventionality of these people makes each one an eccentric and engaging character, and there is something Victorian–Age of Science and Progress! Era of Discovery! Flying machines and cabinets of wonders!–about the willingness to follow one’s curiosity, and the fascination with the world and how it ticks, that I find appealing. I’ll be seeking out the stories of people from both these groups.
