Transcript

JANICE ANSINE

In June 2009, six-year-old Katie from Berkshire, England, saw an unusual furry moth on her windowsill at home. Curious to find out what it was, she showed it to her dad who helped her take a photo and posted it on the then new citizen sized platform, ispotnature.org. Within 24 hours, the iSpot online community confirmed it to be the are the most Leaf Notcher, a species never previously seen in the UK and Europe.

This example of citizen science demonstrates its power. Anyone can get involved, make discoveries, and contribute to scientific knowledge, while at the same time being able to engage with and learn about science. This first week of the course looks at the growth of citizen science and how it contributes to scientific knowledge. I hope you are inspired to get involved.