Dear all We are convening a technical session ‘T64 Citizen Science in paleontology: harnessing public interest to advance research and STEM education’ at the Geological Society of America annual meeting in Seattle, Washington, 22-25 October 2017.
We welcome perspectives that are more broadly relevant to the session focus, e.g. ecologists with applicable citizen science expertise. We will include academic paleontologists, educators, and non-academic speakers to: (1) present examples of strong citizen science projects; (2) discuss effective strategies for improving informal science education through citizen science; and (3) showcase the potential of citizen science to educate the public in paleontological research themes relating to evolution, climate change, and biodiversity. Through a combination of case studies, theory presentations, and question-and-answer sessions, we hope to encourage more paleontologists of all levels to understand citizen science as a viable means for addressing research questions, and to provide a rewarding science experience for members of the public. If you are involved in a project that fits the scope of this session we hope that you will consider submitting an abstract. We want to present a diverse range of possibilities, so projects relating to any taxa, from speakers of any professional background, are encouraged. Funding may be available to assist attendance of non-academic presenters. Abstract submission will be open until August 1st. Please email us if you have any questions and feel free to forward this information to any potentially interested groups. Regards, Laura Soul (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, [email protected]) Eleanor Gardner (FOSSIL project, Florida Museum of Natural History, [email protected]) Terry Gates (NC State University and NC Museum of Natural Sciences, [email protected])
