Citizen science involves collective efforts that produce discoveries that scientists cannot achieve alone. Through project-based learning, students will become familiar with academic and gray literature across disciplines about citizen science and other forms of participatory research such as community mapping, volunteer monitoring, crowdsourcing, participatory sensing, and community-driven science. Students will critically examine ethical, legal, and emergent issues, and analyze theory and practice with particular attention to data quality, informal science learning, and democratization of science in society.

Typically offered in Spring only

Students in this course gain hands-on experience in project management by organizing, implementing, analyzing, and assessing a citizen science event. With NC State Libraries as a partner in shaping the theme for an annual event to engage the student body, student work individually and in teams to facilitate engagement in an existing citizen science project. Activities might include recruitment presentations in residential villages, undergraduate courses, and public events, tabling and project demonstrations during the event, preparing data visualizations for individual report-backs and collective data summaries, and assessing measurable outcomes. The annual events will help NC State become a data-rich campus.

Prerequisite: PSC 550

Typically offered in Spring only

This course will be an introduction to producing videos and other online science media. Students will survey and discuss research-based best practices for online science media and will produce their own media pieces.

R: Grad Standing or Instructor Approval

Typically offered in Spring only

This is a special topics course for Public Science.

R: Graduate Standing

Typically offered in Fall and Spring