# kb

id: seti-home-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home-1.md
category: reference
title: SETI@home
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:40.390913+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: seti-home-20260505-0
summary:
== Technology == Anybody with an at least intermittently Internet-connected computer was able to participate in SETI@home by running a free program that downloaded and analyzed radio telescope data. Observational data were recorded on 2-terabyte SATA hard disk drives fed from the Arecibo Telescope in Puerto Rico, each holding about 2.5 days of observations, which were then sent to Berkeley. Arecibo does not have a broadband Internet connection, so data must go by postal mail to Berkeley. Once there, it is divided in both time and frequency domains work units of 107 seconds of data, or approximately 0.35 megabytes (350 kilobytes or 350,000 bytes), which overlap in time but not in frequency. These work units are then sent from the SETI@home server over the Internet to personal computers around the world to analyze. Data was merged into a database using SETI@home computers in Berkeley. Interference was rejected, and various pattern-detection algorithms were applied to search for the most interesting signals. The project used CUDA for GPU processing starting in 2015. In 2016 SETI@home began processing data from the Breakthrough Listen project. === Software === The SETI@home volunteer computing software ran either as a screensaver or continuously while a user worked,


id: seti-home-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home-2.md
category: reference
title: SETI@home
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:40.390913+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: seti-home-20260505-0
summary:
== Competitive aspect == SETI@home users quickly started to compete with one another to process the maximum number of work units. Teams were formed to combine the efforts of individual users. The competition continued and grew larger with the introduction of BOINC. As with any competition, attempts have been made to "cheat" the system and claim credit for work that has not been performed. To combat cheats, the SETI@home system sends every work unit to multiple computers, a value known as "initial replication" (currently 2). Credit is only granted for each returned work unit once a minimum number of results have been returned and the results agree, a value known as "minimum quorum" (currently 2). If, due to computation errors or cheating by submitting false data, not enough results agree, more identical work units are sent out until the minimum quorum can be reached. The final credit granted to all machines which returned the correct result is the same and is the lowest of the values claimed by each machine. Some users have installed and run SETI@home on computers at their workplaces; an act known as "Borging", after the assimilation-driven Borg of Star Trek. In some cases, SETI@home users have


id: seti-home-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home-3.md
category: reference
title: SETI@home
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:40.390913+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: seti-home-20260505-0
summary:
SETI@home is a test bed for further development not only of BOINC but of other hardware and software (database) technology. Under SETI@home processing loads, these experimental technologies can be more challenging than expected, as SETI databases do not have typical accounting and business data or relational structures. The non-traditional database uses often do incur greater processing overheads and risk of database corruption and outright database failure. Hardware, software and database failures can (and do) cause dips in project participation. The project has had to shut down several times to change over to new databases capable of handling more massive datasets. Hardware failure has proven to be a substantial source of project shutdowns, as hardware failure is often coupled with database corruption. == See also == == References == == Further reading == Carrigan, Richard A. Jr. (2003). "The Ultimate Hacker: SETI Signals May Need to Be Decontaminated". Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the Stars. 213. Astronomical Society of the Pacific: 519. Bibcode:2004IAUS..213..519C. Sample, Ian (November 25, 2005). "Scientists be on guard..." The Guardian. London. Retrieved November 25, 2005. Scoles, Sarah (May 23, 2017). "A Brief History of SETI@Home". The Atlantic. == External links == Official website SETI@home screensaver video on YouTube


id: seti-home-beta-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home_beta-0.md
category: reference
title: SETI@home beta
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home_beta
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:45.401648+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: seti-home-beta-20260505-0
summary:
SETI@home beta, is a hibernating volunteer computing project using the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform, as a test environment for future SETI@home projects: AstroPulse is a volunteer computing project searching for primordial black holes, pulsars, and ETI. AstroPulse clients have been tested by this project for nearly 6 years. It is already running on SETI@home, testing new GPU/CPU optimized apps and performing other tasks. SETI Southern Hemisphere Search, which is another SETI@home project that was due to join BOINC. It was expected that this project would use a slightly modified version of the SETI enhanced client, as the Parkes Observatory has a feedhorn with more beams than the Arecibo Observatory. == Applications Testing == 11 Dec 2008, CUDA applications test 3 Jun 2013, SETI@home v7 test 01 Dec 2015 SETI@home v8 test == External links == Official website SETI@home beta screensaver video on YouTube == References ==


id: similarity-matrix-of-proteins-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Similarity_Matrix_of_Proteins-0.md
category: reference
title: Similarity Matrix of Proteins
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Similarity_Matrix_of_Proteins
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:46.582906+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: similarity-matrix-of-proteins-20260505-0
summary:
Similarity Matrix of Proteins (SIMAP) is a database of protein similarities created using volunteer computing. It is freely accessible for scientific purposes. SIMAP uses the FASTA algorithm to precalculate protein similarity, while another application uses hidden Markov models to search for protein domains. SIMAP is a joint project of the Technical University of Munich, the Helmholtz Zentrum München, and the University of Vienna. == Project == The project usually got new work units at the beginning of each month. More recently, (2010), inclusion of environmental sequences into the database has required longer periods of activity, several months of continuous work for example. Typically, these updates occurred twice each year. In the fourth quarter of 2010, the project relocated to the University of Vienna due to the failing electrical infrastructure at the Technical University of Munich. Part of this exercise involved the creation of a project specific URL requiring existing volunteers and users to detach/reattach to the project. On May 30, 2014, it was announced by project administrators that after a 10-year history, SIMAP would be leaving BOINC by the end of 2014. SIMAP research, however, will go forward with the use of local hardware consisting of "ordinary multi-core CPUs (some


id: slinca-home-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLinCA@Home-0.md
category: reference
title: SLinCA@Home
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SLinCA@Home
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:47.866145+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: slinca-home-20260505-0
summary:
SLinCA@Home (Scaling Laws in Cluster Aggregation) was a research project that uses Internet-connected computers to do research in fields such as physics and materials science. == Introduction == SLinCA@Home was based at the G. V. Kurdyumov Institute for Metal Physics (IMP) of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city. It ran on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) software platform, the SZTAKI Desktop Grid platform, and the Distributed Computing API (DC-API) by SZTAKI. SLinCA@Home hosts several scientific applications dedicated to research into scale-invariant dependencies in experimental data in physics and materials science. Statistics at the BOINCstats site (as of 16 March 2011), show over 2,000 volunteers in 39 countries have participated in the project; it is the second most popular BOINC project in Ukraine (after the Magnetism@Home project, which is now inactive). About 700 active users contribute about 0.5–1.5 teraFLOPS of computational power, which would rank SLinCA@Home among the top 20 on the TOP500 list of supercomputers in June 2005. == History == The SLinCA@Home project was previously launched in January 2009 as part of the EGEE project in the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) for the funding of research and


id: spinhenge-home-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinhenge@Home-0.md
category: reference
title: Spinhenge@Home
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinhenge@Home
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:49.045702+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: spinhenge-home-20260505-0
summary:
Spinhenge@home was a volunteer computing project on the BOINC platform, which performs extensive numerical simulations concerning the physical characteristics of magnetic molecules. It is a project of the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, in cooperation with the University of Osnabrück and Ames Laboratory. The project began beta testing on September 1, 2006, and used the Metropolis Monte Carlo algorithm to calculate and simulate spin dynamics in nanoscale molecular magnets. On September 28, 2011, a hiatus was announced while the project team reviewed results and upgraded hardware. As of July 10, 2022 the hiatus continues and it is likely that the project has been closed down permanently. == See also == Spintronics BOINC List of volunteer computing projects == References == == External links == Project Website Spinhenge@home screensaver video on YouTube More Information about Spinhenge@Home Project Statistics at BOINCStats


id: theskynet-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheSkyNet-0.md
category: reference
title: TheSkyNet
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TheSkyNet
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:50.270759+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: theskynet-20260505-0
summary:
theSkyNet was a research project that used volunteer Internet-connected computers to carry out research in astronomy. It was an initiative of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), a joint venture of Curtin University and the University of Western Australia. theSkyNet had two projects, Sourcefinder and POGS. Both projects have been completed. theSkyNet Sourcefinder aimed to test and refine automatic radio sourcefinding algorithms in preparation for radio galaxy surveys using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder and the Square Kilometre Array. theSkyNet POGS used Spectral Energy Distribution fitting to calculate characteristics of many galaxies using images taken by the Pan-STARRS PS1 optical telescope in Hawaii. == History == theSkyNet Sourcefinder project was introduced publicly on 13 September 2011, operating on a Java-based user platform, processing data using new distributed computing software called Nereus. One year later, theSkyNet celebrated its first birthday and at the same time theSkyNet POGS project became the first public Australian based project to participate in the well established volunteer computing platform BOINC. The acronym POGS is a reference to a game played with discs that originated on Maui, Hawaii, in the 1920s, and the fact that the Pan-STARRS PS1 telescope, is situated on Mount Haleakala,


id: world-community-grid-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-0.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
World Community Grid (WCG) is an effort to create the world's largest volunteer computing platform to perform scientific research that benefits humanity. Launched on November 16, 2004, with proprietary Grid MP client from United Devices and adding support for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) in 2005, World Community Grid eventually discontinued the Grid MP client and consolidated on the BOINC platform in 2008. In September 2021, it was announced that IBM transferred ownership to the Krembil Research Institute of University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario. World Community Grid uses unused processing power of consumer devices (PCs, Laptops, Android Smartphones, etc.) to analyse data created by the research groups that participate in the grid. WCG projects have analysed data related to the human genome, the human microbiome, HIV, dengue, muscular dystrophy, cancer, influenza, Ebola, Zika virus, virtual screening, rice crop yields, clean energy, water purification and COVID-19, among other research areas. There are currently four active projects and 28 completed projects. Several of these projects have published peer-reviewed papers based on the analysis of the data generated by WCG. These include an OpenZika project paper on the discovery of a compound (FAM 3) that inhibits the NS3 Helicase protein


id: world-community-grid-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-1.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
== Statistics and competition == The contributions of each user are recorded and user contribution statistics are publicly available. Due to the fact that the processing time of each workunit varies from computer to computer, depending on the difficulty of the workunit, the speed of the computer, and the amount of idle resources available, contributions are usually measured in terms of points. Points are awarded for each workunit depending on the effort required to process it. Upon completing a workunit, the BOINC client will request the number of points it thinks it deserves based on software benchmarks (see BOINC Credit System#Cobblestones). Since multiple computers process the same workunit to ensure accuracy, the World Community Grid servers can look at the points claimed by each of those computers. The WCG servers disregard statistical outliers, average the remaining values and award the resulting number of points to each computer. Within the grid, users may join teams that have been created by organizations, groups, or individuals. Teams allow for a heightened sense of community identity and can also inspire competition. As teams compete against each other, more work is done for the grid overall. == Outreach == World Community Grid recognizes companies and


id: world-community-grid-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-2.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
In February 2014, the Help Fight Childhood Cancer project scientists announced the discovery of 7 compounds that destroy neuroblastoma cancer cells without any apparent side effects. This discovery, made with the support of the WCG volunteers, is a positive step towards a new treatment. The project has announced that it is seeking a collaboration with a pharmaceutical company in order to develop the compounds into treatments. Given the success of the project, the scientists have stated that they are already planning a follow-up project which will focus on other pediatric cancers, possibly in collaboration with a newly formed Pan-Asian oncology group, of which they are a founding member. As of July 2012, the Human Proteome Folding Project has published several papers using data from WCG. These include a paper on validation methods and a new database of protein structure and function predictions; a paper on the identification of proteins that regulate human processes; a paper on the analysis of the genomes from five plant families and their proteomes, for which WCG was used in the creation of over 29,000 protein structures; a paper on the proteome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The GO Fight Against Malaria project reported the discovery of several


id: world-community-grid-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-3.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
=== OpenPandemics - COVID-19 === On April 1, 2020, IBM announced OpenPandemics - COVID-19. The project aims to identify possible treatments for the Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. WCG will partner with Scripps Research, with whom it has partnered in the past, notably in FightAIDS@Home projects. The project runs on CPUs and GPUs and will also serve to create a "fast-response, open source tool that will help all scientists quickly search for treatments for future pandemics." The project launched on May 14, 2020. === Mapping Cancer Markers === Mapping Cancer Markers (launched November 8, 2013). The project aims to identify the markers associated with various types of cancer, and is analyzing millions of data points collected from thousands of healthy and cancerous patient tissue samples. These include tissues with lung, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and breast cancers. By comparing these different data points, researchers aim to identify patterns of markers for different cancers and correlate them with different outcomes, including responsiveness to various treatment options. The project is focusing on 4 types of cancer, with the first focus being on lung cancer, and will move on to ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and


id: world-community-grid-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-4.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
=== AfricanClimate@Home === The mission of AfricanClimate@Home was to develop more accurate climate models of specific regions in Africa. It was intended to serve as a basis for understanding how the climate will change in the future so that measures designed to alleviate the adverse effects of climate change could be implemented. World Community Grid's tremendous computing power was used to understand and reduce the uncertainty with which climate processes were simulated over Africa. Phase 1 of African Climate@Home launched on September 3, 2007, and ended in July 2008. === Help Conquer Cancer === Help Conquer Cancer project (launched November 1, 2007) is sponsored by the Ontario Cancer Institute (OCI), Princess Margaret Hospital and University Health Network of Toronto, Canada. The project involves X-ray crystallography. The mission of Help Conquer Cancer is to improve the results of protein X-ray crystallography, which helps researchers not only annotate unknown parts of the human proteome, but importantly improves their understanding of cancer initiation, progression and treatment. The HCC project was the first WCG project benefiting from graphics processing units (GPU)s which helped finish it a lot earlier than initially projected due to the massive power of GPUs. In the April 2013 status report


id: world-community-grid-20260505-5
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-5.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
World Community Grid and researchers supported by Decrypthon, a partnership between AFM (French Muscular Dystrophy Association), CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research), Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, and IBM were investigating protein–protein interactions for more than 2,200 proteins whose structures are known, with particular focus on those proteins that play a role in neuromuscular diseases. Phase 2 was launched on May 12, 2009, and completed on September 26, 2012. The database of information produced will help researchers design molecules to inhibit or enhance binding of particular macromolecules, hopefully leading to better treatments for muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. Phase 2 of the Help Cure Muscular Dystrophy project began once the results from the first phase had been analyzed. Phase 2 ran on the BOINC platform. === Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together – Phase 2 === Discovering Dengue Drugs – Together – Phase 2 (launched February 17, 2010) is sponsored by The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, United States and the University of Chicago in Illinois, USA. The mission is to identify promising drug candidates to combat the Dengue, Hepatitis C, West Nile, Yellow Fever, and other related viruses. The extensive computing power of World


id: world-community-grid-20260505-6
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid-6.md
category: reference
title: World Community Grid
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Community_Grid
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:51.468676+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: world-community-grid-20260505-0
summary:
FightAIDS@Home (launched November 19, 2005) was World Community Grid's second project and its first to target a single disease. Each individual computer processes one potential drug molecule and tests how well it would dock with HIV protease, acting as a protease inhibitor. Scripps Research Institute published its first peer-reviewed scientific paper about the results of FightAIDS@Home on April 21, 2007. This paper explains that the results up to that point will primarily be used to improve the efficiency of future FightAIDS@Home calculations. === FightAIDS@Home Phase 2 === FightAIDS@Home Phase 2 (launched September 30, 2015) is looking more closely at the results of Phase 1. The project has two goals in the early experiments; the simulation architecture is functioning correctly and giving reliable results, and using BEDAM and AutoDock together provides better results than using just BEDAM or AutoDock. === Microbiome Immunity Project === Microbiome Immunity Project (launched August 2017) is a study of proteins in bacteria located in and on the human body; the human microbiome, which comprises around 3 million separate bacterial genes. By studying bacterial genes, researchers can determine their individual shapes, which in turn dictate the function of the bacteria. Collaborative institutions includes the University of California


id: ufluids-home-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFluids@Home-0.md
category: reference
title: UFluids@Home
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFluids@Home
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:52.648318+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: ufluids-home-20260505-0
summary:
μFluids@Home is a computer simulation of two-phase flow behavior in microgravity and microfluidics problems at Purdue University, using the Surface Evolver program. == About == The project's purpose is to develop better methods for the management of liquid rocket propellants in microgravity, and to investigate two-phase flow in microelectromechanical systems, taking into account factors like surface tension. Systems using electrowetting, channel geometry, and hydrophobic or hydrophilic coatings to allow the smooth passage of fluids can then be designed. Such systems include compact medical devices, biosensors, and fuel cells. == Computing platform == μFluids@Home uses the BOINC volunteer computing platform. Application notes There is no screensaver. Work unit CPU times are generally less than 20 hours. Work units average in size around 500 kB. You must run many work units to get levels of credit comparable to SETI@home or climateprediction.net BOINC projects. == References == == External links == Website archive


id: siarhei-besarab-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siarhei_Besarab-0.md
category: reference
title: Siarhei Besarab
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siarhei_Besarab
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:54.675118+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: siarhei-besarab-20260505-0
summary:
Siarhei Besarab (Belarusian pronunciation: [ˈsʲargej bʲesɐˈrab] ) is a Belarusian chemist, civil activist, and science communicator known for his contributions to popularizing science in the fields of radioactivity, nuclear safety, and environmental protection. A specialist in surface science, he formerly worked as a researcher at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Following the 2020 Belarusian protests, Besarab was dismissed from his academic position. He subsequently became a prominent critic of the safety protocols at the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant and published analyses regarding the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. In June 2023, citing political persecution and facing charges from the Belarusian KGB, he left the country for the European Union == Early life and education == Siarhei Besarab was born in 1984 in the city of Novogrudok in the Grodno Region of western Belarus. He graduated with honors from Secondary School No. 3 in Novogrudok, where he won several awards at regional and national chemistry olympiads during his school years. In recognition of his academic performance in chemistry, Besarab received a local student distinction which included the ceremonial wearing of the academic gown belonging to Boris Kit, a rocket scientist originally from the region. Besarab received


id: siarhei-besarab-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siarhei_Besarab-1.md
category: reference
title: Siarhei Besarab
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siarhei_Besarab
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:54.675118+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: siarhei-besarab-20260505-0
summary:
In 2020, he issued a scientific rebuttal to accusations against civil activist Stsiapan Latypau, debunking claims of a plot to poison law enforcement with agricultural chemicals. He also contributed to an appeal by Belarusian scientists condemning state violence following the contested presidential election, actions that led to his dismissal from the Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry and a professional ban. His inclusion in the list of repressed Belarusian scientists prompted the scientific community to publish The Scientists’ Open Letter Against Repressions, signed by over 800 academics. In response to ongoing repression, Besarab co-founded the Belarusian Scientific Solidarity Fund to support persecuted scholars. He further opposed the Russian invasion of Ukraine by publishing an open letter on behalf of the Belarusian scientific community, despite backlash from the NASB. As part of the Until All Are Free campaign, he became an advocate for political prisoner Artsiom Bayarski, a chemistry student targeted for his involvement in post-election protests. As a public defender of academic freedom Besarab has consistently highlighted issues in Belarusian science, such as censorship, lack of academic freedom, and opaque funding practices. His data-driven initiatives include mapping the repression of Belarusian citizens and scientists, producing analyses like the "map of


id: chemophobia-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemophobia-0.md
category: reference
title: Chemophobia
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemophobia
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:56.012554+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: chemophobia-20260505-0
summary:
Chemophobia (or chemphobia or chemonoia) is an aversion to or prejudice against chemicals or chemistry. The phenomenon has been ascribed both to a reasonable concern over the potential adverse effects of synthetic chemicals, and to an irrational fear of these substances because of misconceptions about their potential for harm, particularly the possibility of certain exposures to some synthetic chemicals elevating an individual's risk of cancer. Consumer products with labels such as "natural" and "chemical free" (the latter being impossible if taken literally, since all consumer products consist of chemical substances) appeal to chemophobic sentiments by offering consumers what appears to be a safer alternative (see appeal to nature). == Definition and uses == There are differing opinions on the proper usage of the word chemophobia. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) defines chemophobia as an "irrational fear of chemicals". According to the American Council on Science and Health, chemophobia is a fear of synthetic substances arising from "scare stories" and exaggerated claims about their dangers prevalent in the media. Despite containing the suffix -phobia, the majority of written work focusing on addressing chemophobia describes it as a non-clinical aversion or prejudice, and not as a phobia in


id: chemophobia-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemophobia-1.md
category: reference
title: Chemophobia
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemophobia
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:56.012554+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: chemophobia-20260505-0
summary:
== Causes and effects == According to chemistry professor Pierre Laszlo, chemists have experienced chemophobia from the population at large, and asserts that it is rooted both in irrational notions and in genuine concerns (such as those over chemical warfare and industrial disasters). Gordon Gribble has written that the start of chemophobia could arguably be attributed to Silent Spring (1962), and that subsequent events such as the contamination of Times Beach (1983) and the Bhopal disaster (1984) only exacerbated the situation. These events have led to association between the word "chemical" and notions of things that unnatural or artificial and also dangerous, and the opposite has occurred, where goods are marketed as "chemical free" or "natural", to avoid this association, which in turn reinforces the misconception that "chemicals" are unnatural and dangerous. The chemical industry has moved to make chemicals used as flavoring or aromas using biotechnology instead of synthetic chemistry, as the products can be marketed as "natural". According to the industry advocacy group American Council on Science and Health, chemophobia is a growing phenomenon among the American public and has reached "epidemic" proportions among the general public. In a book published by the Council, Jon Entine writes that


id: citizen-science-20260505-0
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-0.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
Citizen science is research conducted with the participation of the general public, amateur or nonprofessional researchers, or participants from the fields of science, social science, and many other disciplines. The exact definition of "citizen science" varies, with different individuals and organizations having their own specific interpretations of its scope. Citizen science is employed in a wide range of areas of study, including ecology, biology, conservation, health and medical research, astronomy, media and communications, and information science. The applications and functions of citizen science in research projects are multifaceted. Citizen science can be used as a methodology in which public volunteers help in data collection and classification, thereby improving the scientific community's capacity. Citizen science can also involve more direct involvement from the public, with communities initiating projects researching environment and health hazards within their own communities. Participation in citizen science projects also educates the public about the scientific process and increases awareness about different topics. Some schools incorporate citizen science projects as part of their teaching curricula for this very purpose. == Background == The first use of the term "citizen science" appeared in a January 1989 issue of the MIT Technology Review, which featured three community-based labs studying environmental


id: citizen-science-20260505-1
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-1.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
A Green Paper on Citizen Science was published in 2013 by the European Commission's Digital Science Unit and Socientize.eu, which included a definition for citizen science, referring to "the general public engagement in scientific research activities when citizens actively contribute to science either with their intellectual effort or surrounding knowledge or with their tools and resources. Participants provide experimental data and facilities for researchers, raise new questions and co-create a new scientific culture." Citizen science may be performed by individuals, teams, or networks of volunteers. Citizen scientists often partner with professional scientists to achieve common goals. Large volunteer networks often allow scientists to accomplish tasks that would be too expensive or time-consuming to accomplish through other means. Many citizen-science projects serve education and outreach goals. These projects may be designed for a formal classroom environment or an informal education environment such as museums. Citizen science has evolved over the past four decades. Recent projects place more emphasis on scientifically sound practices and measurable goals for public education. Modern citizen science differs from its historical forms primarily in the access for, and subsequent scale of, public participation; technology is credited as one of the main drivers of the recent explosion of


id: citizen-science-20260505-2
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-2.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
=== Related fields === In a Smart City era, Citizen Science relies on various web-based tools, such as WebGIS, and becomes Cyber Citizen Science. Some projects, such as SETI@home, use the Internet to take advantage of distributed computing. These projects are generally passive. Computation tasks are performed by volunteers' computers and require little involvement beyond initial setup. There is disagreement as to whether these projects should be classified as citizen science. The astrophysicist and Galaxy Zoo co-founder Kevin Schawinski stated: "We prefer to call this [Galaxy Zoo] citizen science because it's a better description of what you're doing; you're a regular citizen but you're doing science. Crowd sourcing sounds a bit like, well, you're just a member of the crowd and you're not; you're our collaborator. You're pro-actively involved in the process of science by participating." Compared to SETI@home, "Galaxy Zoo volunteers do real work. They're not just passively running something on their computer and hoping that they'll be the first person to find aliens. They have a stake in science that comes out of it, which means that they are now interested in what we do with it, and what we find." Citizen policy may be another result of


id: citizen-science-20260505-3
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-3.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
They conclude that as citizen science continues to grow and mature, a key metric of project success they expect to see will be a growing awareness of data quality. They also conclude that citizen science will emerge as a general tool helping "to collect otherwise unobtainable high-quality data in support of policy and resource management, conservation monitoring, and basic science." A study of Canadian lepidoptera datasets published in 2018 compared the use of a professionally curated dataset of butterfly specimen records with four years of data from a citizen science program, eButterfly. The eButterfly dataset was used as it was determined to be of high quality because of the expert vetting process used on site, and there already existed a dataset covering the same geographic area consisting of specimen data, much of it institutional. The authors note that, in this case, citizen science data provides both novel and complementary information to the specimen data. Five new species were reported from the citizen science data, and geographic distribution information was improved for over 80% of species in the combined dataset when citizen science data was included. Several recent studies have begun to explore the accuracy of citizen science projects and how


id: citizen-science-20260505-4
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-4.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
=== Data governance, privacy and sovereignty === As citizen science becomes increasingly influenced by digital platforms and sensors, governance questions go beyond research ethics to include data protection law and community control over reuse. Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), participatory projects that involve personal data can complicate the usual separation between professional researchers ("controllers") and participants ("data subjects"): citizen scientists may be considered joint controllers when they share or shape project purposes, which could expose volunteers to compliance responsibilities and create risks for both participant protections and project legitimacy. Practical guidance for citizen science therefore increasingly requires early planning for lawful data handling, clear allocation of responsibilities, and transparency about data flows across collection, storage, and sharing. A second governance challenge concerns power asymmetries in open data. Because volunteers often produce data while institutions handle and publish it, decisions about openness, attribution, and access restrictions can include unequal priorities and certain vulnerabilities. Ethical open-data practice in citizen science is therefore frequently framed as a matter of data governance, not only technical quality. These concerns also extend to environmental monitoring where data may be politically sensitive (e.g., pollution exposure, land use, biodiversity decline). Finally, monitoring initiatives have highlighted data


id: citizen-science-20260505-5
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-5.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
== Relations with education and academia == There have been studies published which examine the place of citizen science within education.(e.g.) Teaching aids can include books and activity or lesson plans.(e.g.). Some examples of studies are: From the Second International Handbook of Science Education, a chapter entitled: "Citizen Science, Ecojustice, and Science Education: Rethinking an Education from Nowhere", by Mueller and Tippins (2011), acknowledges in the abstract that: "There is an emerging emphasis in science education on engaging youth in citizen science." The authors also ask: "whether citizen science goes further with respect to citizen development." The abstract ends by stating that the "chapter takes account of the ways educators will collaborate with members of the community to effectively guide decisions, which offers promise for sharing a responsibility for democratizing science with others." From the journal Democracy and Education, an article entitled: "Lessons Learned from Citizen Science in the Classroom" by authors Gray, Nicosia and Jordan (GNJ; 2012) gives a response to a study by Mueller, Tippins and Bryan (MTB) called "The Future of Citizen Science". GNJ begins by stating in the abstract that "The Future of Citizen Science": "provides an important theoretical perspective about the future of democratized science


id: citizen-science-20260505-6
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-6.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
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== History == While citizen science developed at the end of the 20th century, characteristics of citizen science are not new. Prior to the 20th century, science was often the pursuit of gentleman scientists, amateur or self-funded researchers such as Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, and Charles Darwin. Women citizen scientists from before the 20th century include Florence Nightingale who "perhaps better embodies the radical spirit of citizen science". Before the professionalization of science by the end of the 19th century, most pursued scientific projects as an activity rather than a profession itself, an example being amateur naturalists in the 18th and 19th centuries. During the British colonization of North America, American Colonists recorded the weather, offering much of the information now used to estimate climate data and climate change during this time period. These people included John Campanius Holm, who recorded storms in the mid-1600s, as well as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin who tracked weather patterns during America's founding. Their work focused on identifying patterns by amassing their data and that of their peers and predecessors, rather than specific professional knowledge in scientific fields. Some consider these individuals as the progenitors of the citizen scientist concept,


id: citizen-science-20260505-7
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-7.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
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Citizen science projects have become increasingly focused on providing benefits to scientific research. The North American Bird Phenology Program (historically called the Bird Migration and Distribution records) may have been the earliest collective effort of citizens collecting ornithological information in the U.S. The program, dating back to 1883, was started by Wells Woodbridge Cooke. Cooke established a network of observers around North America to collect bird migration records. The Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count, which began in 1900, is another example of a long-standing tradition of citizen science which has persisted to the present day, now containing a collection of six million handwritten migration observer cards that date back to the 19th century. Participants input this data into an online database for analysis. Citizen scientists help gather data that will be analyzed by professional researchers, and can be used to produce bird population and biodiversity indicators. Raptor migration research relies on the data collected by the hawkwatching community. This mostly volunteer group counts migrating accipiters, buteos, falcons, harriers, kites, eagles, osprey, vultures and other raptors at hawk sites throughout North America during the spring and fall seasons. The daily data is uploaded to hawkcount.org where it can be viewed by


id: citizen-science-20260505-8
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-8.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
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=== Rocky reefs === Reef Life Survey is a marine life monitoring programme based in Hobart, Tasmania. The project uses recreational divers that have been trained to make fish and invertebrate counts, using an approximate 50 m constant depth transect of tropical and temperate reefs, which might include coral reefs. Reef Life Survey is international in its scope, but the data collectors are predominantly from Australia. The database is available to marine ecology researchers, and is used by several marine protected area managements in Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and the eastern Pacific. Its results have also been included in the Australian Ocean DATA Network. === Agriculture === Farmer participation in experiments has a long tradition in agricultural science. There are many opportunities for citizen engagement in different parts of food systems. Citizen science is actively used for crop variety selection for climate adaptation, involving thousands of farmers. Citizen science has also played a role in furthering sustainable agriculture. === Art history === Citizen science has a long tradition in natural science. Today, citizen science projects can also be found in various fields of science like art history. For example, the Zooniverse project AnnoTate is a transcription tool developed to


id: citizen-science-20260505-9
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-9.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
Video technology is much used in scientific research. The Citizen Science Center in the Nature Research Center wing of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences has exhibits on how to get involved in scientific research and become a citizen scientist. For example, visitors can observe birdfeeders at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation satellite facility via live video feed and record which species they see. Since 2005, the Genographic Project has used the latest genetic technology to expand our knowledge of the human story, and its pioneering use of DNA testing to engage and involve the public in the research effort has helped to create a new breed of "citizen scientist". Geno 2.0 expands the scope for citizen science, harnessing the power of the crowd to discover new details of human population history. This includes supporting, organization and dissemination of personal DNA testing. Like amateur astronomy, citizen scientists encouraged by volunteer organizations like the International Society of Genetic Genealogy have provided valuable information and research to the professional scientific community. With unmanned aerial vehicles, further citizen science is enabled. One example is the ESA's AstroDrone smartphone app for gathering robotic data with the Parrot AR.Drone. Citizens in Space (CIS), a project


id: citizen-science-20260505-10
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-10.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
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Not counting iNaturalist and eBird, the Zooniverse is home to the internet's largest, most popular and most successful citizen science projects. The Zooniverse and the suite of projects it contains is produced, maintained and developed by the Citizen Science Alliance (CSA). The member institutions of the CSA work with many academic and other partners around the world to produce projects that use the efforts and ability of volunteers to help scientists and researchers deal with the flood of data that confronts them. On 29 June 2015, the Zooniverse released a new software version with a project-building tool allowing any registered user to create a project. Project owners may optionally complete an approval process to have their projects listed on the Zooniverse site and promoted to the Zooniverse community. A NASA/JPL picture to the right gives an example from one of Zooniverse's projects The Milky Way Project. The website CosmoQuest has as its goal "To create a community of people bent on together advancing our understanding of the universe; a community of people who are participating in doing science, who can explain why what they do matters, and what questions they are helping to answer." CrowdCrafting enables its participants to create


id: citizen-science-20260505-11
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-11.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
Citizen science includes projects that help monitor plastics and their associated pollution. These include The Ocean Cleanup, #OneLess, The Big Microplastic Survey, EXXpedition and Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Ellipsis seeks to map the distribution of litter using aerial data mapping by unmanned aerial vehicles and machine learning software. A Zooniverse project called The Plastic Tide (now finished) helped train an algorithm used by Ellipsis. Examples of relevant articles (by date): Citizen Science Promotes Environmental Engagement: (quote) "Citizen science projects are rapidly gaining popularity among the public, in which volunteers help gather data on species that can be used by scientists in research. And it's not just adults who are involved in these projects – even kids have collected high-quality data in the US." Tackling Microplastics on Our Own: (quote) "Plastics, ranging from the circles of soda can rings to microbeads the size of pinheads, are starting to replace images of sewage for a leading cause of pollution – especially in the ocean". Further, "With recent backing from the Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act, citizen science is increasingly embraced as a tool by US Federal agencies." Citizen Scientists Are Tracking Plastic Pollution Worldwide: (quote) "Scientists who are monitoring the spread


id: citizen-science-20260505-12
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-12.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
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Citizen Sense (2013–2018): (quote) "Practices of monitoring and sensing environments have migrated to everyday participatory applications, where users of smart phones and networked devices are able to engage with modes of environmental observation and data collection." Breathe Project: (quote) "We use the best available science and technology to better understand the quality of the air we breathe and provide opportunities for citizens to engage and take action." The Bristol Approach to Citizen Sensing: (quote) "Citizen Sensing is about empowering people and places to understand and use smart tech and data from sensors to tackle the issues they care about, connect with other people who can help, and take positive, practical action." Luftdaten.info: (quote) "You and thousands of others around the world install self-built sensors on the outside their home. Luftdaten.info generates a continuously updated particular matter map from the transmitted data." CitiSense: (quote) "CitiSense aims to co-develop a participatory risk management system (PRMS) with citizens, local authorities and organizations which enables them to contribute to advanced climate services and enhanced urban climate resilience as well as receive recommendations that support their security." A group of citizen scientists in a community-led project targeting toxic smoke from wood burners in Bristol, has


id: citizen-science-20260505-13
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-13.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
The distributed computing project Folding@home launched a program in March 2020 to assist researchers around the world who were working on finding a cure and learning more about the coronavirus pandemic. The initial wave of projects were meant to simulate potentially druggable protein targets from SARS-CoV-2 (and also its predecessor and close relation SARS-CoV, about which there is significantly more data available). In 2024, the project has been extended to look at other health issues including Alzheimer's and cancer. The project asks volunteers to download the app and donate computing power for simulations. The distributed computing project Rosetta@home also joined the effort in March 2020. The project uses computers of volunteers to model SARS-CoV-2 virus proteins to discover possible drug targets or create new proteins to neutralize the virus. Researchers revealed that with the help of Rosetta@home, they had been able to "accurately predict the atomic-scale structure of an important coronavirus protein weeks before it could be measured in the lab." In 2022, the parent Boinc company thanked contributors for donating their computer power and helping work on the de novo protein design including vaccine development. The OpenPandemics – COVID-19 project is a partnership between Scripps Research and IBM's World


id: citizen-science-20260505-14
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-14.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
In South Africa (SA), citizen science projects include: the Stream Assessment Scoring System (miniSASS) which "encourages enhanced catchment management for water security in a climate stressed society." The South African National Biodiversity Institute is partnered with iNaturalist as a platform for biodiversity observations using digital photography and geolocation technology to monitor biodiversity. Such partnerships can reduce duplication of effort, help standardise procedures and make the data more accessible. Also in SA, "Members of the public, or 'citizen scientists' are helping researchers from the University of Pretoria to identify Phytophthora species present in the fynbos." In June 2016, citizen science experts from across East Africa gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, for a symposium organised by the Tropical Biology Association (TBA) in partnership with the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). The aim was "to harness the growing interest and expertise in East Africa to stimulate new ideas and collaborations in citizen science." Rosie Trevelyan of the TBA said: "We need to enhance our knowledge about the status of Africa's species and the threats facing them. And scientists can't do it all on their own. At the same time, citizen science is an extremely effective way of connecting people more closely to nature


id: citizen-science-20260505-15
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-15.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
The Hong Kong Birdwatching Society was established in 1957, and is the only local civil society aiming at appreciating and conserving Hong Kong birds and their natural environment. Their bird surveys go back to 1958, and they carry out a number of Citizen Science events such as their yearly sparrow census. The Bird Count India partnership consists of a large number of organizations and groups involved in birdwatching and bird surveys. They coordinate a number of Citizen Science projects such as the Kerala Bird Atlas and Mysore city Bird Atlas that map the distribution and abundance of birds of entire Indian states. RAD@home Collaboratory is an Indian citizen science research programme in astronomy & astrophysics. Launched on 15 April 2013, by Dr Ananda Hota, this programme uses hybrid model, social media platforms and in-person training of the interested participants. In 2022, the Collaboratory, using GMRT observations and archival data from other telescopes, reported discovery of an active galactic nucleus, a radio galaxy named RAD12, spewing a large unipolar radio bubble on to its merging companion galaxy. Recently, on 2 October 2025 the Collaboratory reported discovery of the farthest and most powerful Odd Radio Circle (ORC), RAD J131346.9+500320, using the LOFAR


id: citizen-science-20260505-16
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-16.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
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=== Europe === The English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) is widely regarded to have been one of the earliest citizen science contributors in Europe (see § History). A century later, citizen science was experienced by adolescents in Italy during the 1980s, working on urban energy usages and air pollution. In his book "Citizen Science", Alan Irwin considers the role that scientific expertise can play in bringing the public and science together and building a more scientifically active citizenry, empowering individuals to contribute to scientific development. Since then a citizen science green paper was published in 2013, and European Commission policy directives have included citizen science as one of five strategic areas with funding allocated to support initiatives through the 'Science With and For Society (SwafS)', a strand of the Horizon 2020 programme. This includes significant awards such as the EU Citizen Science Project, which is creating a hub for knowledge sharing, coordination, and action. The European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) was set up in 2014 to encourage the growth of citizen science across Europe, to increase public participation in scientific processes, mainly by initiating and supporting citizen science projects as well as conducting research. ECSA has a membership of over


id: citizen-science-20260505-17
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-17.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
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parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
Projects in Brazil include: i) Platform and mobile app 'Missions' has been developed by IBM in their São Paulo research lab with Brazil's Ministry for Environment and Innovation (BMEI). Sergio Borger, an IBM team lead in São Paulo, devised the crowdsourced approach when BMEI approached the company in 2010. They were looking for a way to create a central repository for the rainforest data. Users can upload photos of a plant species and its components, enter its characteristics (such as color and size), compare it against a catalog photo and classify it. The classification results are juried by crowdsourced ratings. ii) Exoss Citizen Science is a member of Astronomers Without Borders and seeks to explore the southern sky for new meteors and radiants. Users can report meteor fireballs through uploading pictures on to a webpage or by linking to YouTube. iii) The Information System on Brazilian Biodiversity (SiBBr) was launched in 2014 "aiming to encourage and facilitate the publication, integration, access and use of information about the biodiversity of the country." Their initial goal "was to gather 2.5 million occurrence records of species from biological collections in Brazil and abroad up to the end of 2016. It is now expected


id: citizen-science-20260505-18
file: data/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science-18.md
category: reference
title: Citizen science
tags: science, encyclopedia
source_url: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science
date_saved: 2026-05-05T04:12:57.708518+00:00
instance: kb-cron
parent: citizen-science-20260505-0
summary:
== Conferences == The first Conference on Public Participation in Scientific Research was held in Portland, Oregon, in August 2012. Citizen science is now often a theme at large conferences, such as the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. In 2010, 2012 and 2014 there were three Citizen Cyberscience summits, organised by the Citizen Cyberscience Centre in Geneva and University College London. The 2014 summit was hosted in London and attracted over 300 participants. In November 2015, the ETH Zürich and University of Zürich hosted an international meeting on the "Challenges and Opportunities in Citizen Science". The first citizen science conference hosted by the Citizen Science Association was in San Jose, California, in February 2015 in partnership with the AAAS conference. The Citizen Science Association conference, CitSci 2017, was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, between 17 and 20 May 2017. The conference had more than 600 attendees. The next CitSci was in March 2019 in Raleigh, North Carolina. The platform "Österreich forscht" hosts the annual Austrian citizen science conference since 2015. == In popular culture == Barbara Kingsolver's 2012 novel Flight Behaviour looks at the effects of citizen science on a housewife in Appalachia, when her interest


