FOSSIL Kickoff Meeting
February 19, 2014
Breakout Session 1
Volunteering & Citizen Science Breakout Session
Several of the participants were not familiar with the meaning of citizen science and had expected the session to focus on the kinds of programs associated with outreach volunteering.
What are you doing in your club?
• “Surveillance” – pulling in data to help others understand what they are looking at
• Contributing data – club members are trained to collect specific information
What do you want to be able to do in your club?
• Professional development opportunities
• Access to resources to expand understanding (e.g., scientific papers, conferences)
• Training through workshops, internet, conferences, etc. (e.g., specific protocols, best practices)
•Mentoring by professional paleontologists
• Centralized portal that serves as a clearinghouse of expertise so know who to contact when find a particular type of fossil
• Opportunities for different levels of engagement from field work through publishing
• Knowledge of current paleontology projects and who needs help
• Credit for contributions
