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Abstract Detail



Public Participation in Scientific Research:Emerging Resources for Botany

Mast, Austin [1], Dunckel, Betty A. [2], Nelson, Gil [3], Paul, Deborah [3], MacFadden, Bruce J. [4], Riccardi, Greg [5].

Engaging the public in digitization of a billion biodiversity research specimens.

There are about a billion biodiversity research specimens in the U.S., only about 10% of which have been digitized (i.e., databased, imaged, and/or georeferenced). A goal of the biodiversity research community is to digitize most of the remaining specimens within a decade. To meet this ambitious goal requires increased collaboration, technological innovation, and broader engagement in digitization. Engaging the public in digitization, rather than simply hiring more digitizers, promises to both serve the digitizing institutions and further public understanding of science. We present a classification of public participation in digitization activities that emerged from an iDigBio workshop on the subject in September 2012, the results from experiments engaging the public in two of the main activities of digitization (label transcription and georeferencing), and an assessment of opportunities to engage K–16 students in digitization.

Broader Impacts:


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Related Links:
iDigBio, The National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections


1 - Florida State University, Department of Biological Science, 319 Stadium Drive, Tallahassee, FL, 32306, USA
2 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Center for Science Learning, PO Box 112710, Gainesville, FL, 32611-2710, USA
3 - Florida State University, College of Communication & Information , Institute for Digital Information and Scientific Communication, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-2100, USA
4 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, 1659 Museum Road, PO Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
5 - Florida State University, School of Library and Information Studies, Institute for Digital Information and Scientific Communication, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-2100, USA

Keywords:
Biodiversity Informatics
Citizen Science
education
iDigBio
Outreach
Public Participation in Scientific Research
Digitization
database
Transcription
Georeferencing.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY01
Location: Jasperwood/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 11:00 AM
Number: SY01007
Abstract ID:535
Candidate for Awards:None


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