Great points by Craig, sounds like it was a good discussion. I'd like to suggest a couple of additions to Issue 1: Research Scientists don't take it seriously

- Researchers often worry about the validity of data collected/analysed by volunteers. So we need to develop & share methods of validating citizen science data that result in credible datasets, and we need to share this working to persuade others of the merits of citizen science overall.

- Citizen science is both a research exercise and a public engagement exercise. I think having separate goals for research & public engagement, with clear success measures (e.g. peer-reviewed papers for the research goal and, say, the number of sign-ups for the public engagement goal) will help citizen science projects to be taken seriously, both as research exercises and as public engagement exercises. 

The top three impediments and proposed solutions from yesterday's workshop. What do you think"

Stream Two: Citizen Science

Issue 1: Research Scientists don’t take it seriously

Solutions:

Promote success stories

Get peer-reviewed papers

-- Use the ‘values’ of scientists and get peer-reviewed papers published that are respected by scientists.

Issue 2: Mismatched expectations

Solutions:

Involve the community from the outset in refining questions and designing processes to achieve shared objectives

-- Develop best practice models of citizen science that look at the impediments and solutions achieved, and promote them widely for other citizen science projects to use.

Issue 3: How to resource training and data management

Solutions:

Make funds available for grants for citizen science.

Use open access data.

-- Granting bodies to develop ‘pilot’ grants for citizen science with science mentor and seek to publish results.

Fascinating topic. I think participative science is broader than citizen science. Participative science includes situations where a member of the public is participating without assuming the role or practices of a scientist. For example, volunteers might answer a survey designed to survey the population's psychological characteristics. In this situation, the volunteer is acting as a subject. I think 'citizen science' is when a member of the general public takes on the role of a scientist by collecting/analysing data. I'm not trying to imply a value judgement - they're both valuable - but I think they're different.

Question?

If we ask ourselves and citizen scientists, "What is the difference between ‘seeing’ something and ‘watching’ it in a scientific way?" do we also need to explore the way in which the focus of scientific observation can narrow the 'watching' to a point wher we a become less able to see connection to the whole....the seeing that some citizen scinetists (particularyindigneous peoples) have a real insight into?

Here's another thing we're wondering: - The scientist / citizen scientist divide has emerged only recently. In fact, Darwin, Mendel and Wallace were citizen scientists. Is this an artificial divide that actually prevents citizen scientists from being more actively included in science projects?

Here's something we're wondering: is citizen science just glorified tech support, a way of outsourcing the repetitive and mindless aspects of science? To build on Craig's question below, what would be an effective mechanism to ensure that citizen scientists are increasing their knowledge and scientific skills base through participating in projects?

Okay, a very BIG question for all panel streams - are we too distracted by the word 'Science'? Is Science our obsession - and should we rather be talking less about the Process and more about the Endgame, such as:

- Environmental sustainability

- Productive industries

- Better health services

- More informed citizens

- Being healthier, wealthier and wiser etc etc etc?

What happens when citizen science goes from using citizens as primarily data collectors or providing their input to a toic, to civic science where citizens want to be strongly involved in the direction and uses of the scientific research being conducted? What blockers in the current sytem would prevent this, and would it be a good or bad thing to encourage??

participative science sounds like a great idea .. how does it work in practice and how is it funded?

Most successful citizen science projects are 'serious' games on Flash. The next generation should be mobile games through facebook or a CSIRO app