Big Announcements in Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science at White House Event

WHITE HOUSE OSTP DIRECTOR JOHN HOLDREN MEMO:

Memo: Addressing Societal and Scientific Challenges Through Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/holdren_citizen_science_memo_092915_0.pdf

Blog post: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/09/30/accelerating-use-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-address-societal-and-scientific

FEDERAL CROWDSOURCING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE TOOLKIT

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in partnership with the Federal Community of Practice on Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science

Blog post: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/02/designing-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-toolkit-federal-government

NSF CORE PRIORITY IN CITIZEN SCIENCE AND CROWDSOURCING Announced

The NSF Director Dr. France Cordova announces that citizen science and crowdsourcing—“a visionary concept”– will be a core priority for NSF in the coming fiscal year. Her presentation begins about 32 min into the Citizen Science Forum video, and the announcement is at 40:49. The written announcement will come from OMB later this year. https://youtu.be/J17uBahTdDE?t=2449

NSF Press Release: Be a (citizen) scientist! (of note, NSF has made $5,613,201 in grants and related awards that support research in this area): http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=136445&org=NSF

CITIZEN SCIENCE DAY Announced

The Citizen Science Association and partners, including the Federal Community of Practice on Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science, announced plans to organize a Citizen Science Day on April 16, 2015, which will kick off a series of events nationwide.

http://citizenscienceassociation.org/2015/09/30/citizen-science-day-announced-at-white-house/

CITIZEN SCIENCE FORUM:

White House Citizen Science Forum, in partnership with the Federal Community of Practice on Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science

YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=4&v=J17uBahTdDE

Holdren Opening Remarks (waiting for them to be posted): https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/library/docsreports

Blog Post: https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/09/09/open-science-and-innovation-people-people-people

CROWDSOURCING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE ACT OF 2015 – FEDERAL LEGISLATION:

The Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2015 provides clarification to government agencies, removing ambiguity about whether an agency can use crowdsourcing techniques. Senator Coons (D-DE) and Senator Daines (R-MT) co-sponsored the bill.

Text of the Bill: http://coons.senate.gov/download/?id=063AEFE6-CB5C-42FD-8FD6-57F58BD1AC5B

Press release: http://www.coons.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/release/senator-coons-introduces-bill-to-promote-open-science-and-innovation-in-government

The Government Wants You to Help It Do Science Experiments, Senator Chris Coons, Wired Magazine

http://www.wired.com/2015/09/government-wants-help-science-experiments/

First in MT…Coons to Unveil Federal Crowdsourcing Bill

http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-tech/2015/09/tech-advocates-aim-high-for-next-librarian-of-congress-whitfield-resignation-narrows-candidates-for-e-c-chairmanship-coons-to-unveil-federal-crowdsourcing-bill-210469

Senator Coons Introduces Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act of 2015 by Gene Quinn, IPWatchdog

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2015/09/30/senator-coons-introduces-crowdsourcing-and-citizen-science-act-of-2015/id=62158/

FEDERAL COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE ON CROWDSOURCING AND CITIZEN SCIENCE WEBISITE

New and improved website, with instructions to federal employees for how to join:
https://www.digitalgov.gov/communities/federal-crowdsourcing-and-citizen-science/

ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING POLICY DOCUMENTS:

OMB Memo M-15-16 Multi-Agency Science and Technology Priorities for FY 2017 Budget, p. 14

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/holdren_citizen_science_memo_092915_0.pdf

2013 OPEN GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIP: 2^nd OPEN GOVERNMENT NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, p. 12

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/us_national_action_plan_6p.pdf

AGENCY BLOGS:

Calling Citizen Scientists: You Can Help When Disasters Strike by Jenn Gustetic, Jacqueline Meszaros, Hannah Stafford, OSTP Blog and Data.Gov

http://www.data.gov/disasters/calling-citizen-scientists-you-can-help-when-disasters-strike/

How OSTP Crowdsourced A Crowdsourcing Toolkit by Ashley Wichman, Digital Gov

http://www.digitalgov.gov/2015/09/30/how-ostp-crowdsourced-a-crowdsourcing-toolkit/

USDA is Making Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing Possible through STEM and Collaboration

By Bernetta Reese, USDA

http://blogs.usda.gov/2015/09/30/usda-is-making-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-possible-through-stem-and-collaboration/

Leading the Development & Design Team that Built the First-Ever Federal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Toolkit with the White House by Bernetta Reese, USDA

bernettareese.com/1/post/2015/10/leading-the-team-that-built-the-federal-crowdsourcing-and-citizen-science-toolkit.html

WHITE HOUSE CITIZEN SCIENCE FORUM PRESS COVERAGE:

White House Explores How “Citizen Science” Can Help Society by Alexander Howard, Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/white-house-citizen-science_560c3b81e4b0dd85030a6a38

Science of the People, By the People, and For the People by Caren Cooper, Scientific American

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/science-of-the-people-by-the-people-and-for-the-people/

Coop’s Scoop: Citizen Science at the White House, by Caren Cooper, PLOS Blogs

http://blogs.plos.org/citizensci/2015/09/30/coops-scoop-citizen-science-at-the-white-house/

Citizen Science in a Nutshell: A Guide to Expanding the Reach of Environmental Research by Liza Lester, Phys.org

http://phys.org/news/2015-09-citizen-science-nutshell-environmental.html

White House Hosting Forum on Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing by Chandra Clarke, Popular Science

http://www.popsci.com/white-house-hosting-forum-on-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing

Administration Issues New Mandates on Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science by Aaron Boyd, Federal Times

http://www.federaltimes.com/story/government/it/2015/10/01/citizen-science-memo/73142734/

Curious About Crowdsourcing? OSTP Toolkit Can Jumpstart Efforts by Derek Major, GCN

http://gcn.com/articles/2015/10/01/crowdsourcing-toolkit.aspx

OSTP Releases Best Practices for Agencies Navigating the Crowd by Hallie Golden, NextGov

http://www.nextgov.com/cio-briefing/2015/10/ostp-releases-best-practices-agencies-navigating-crowd/122428/

New in Brief – Citizen Science, DSS Modernization by FCW

https://fcw.com/articles/2015/09/30/news-in-brief-september-30.aspx

Empowering the people through citizen science—how you can help, John Magan, European Commission

https://ec.europa.eu/futurium/en/content/empowering-people-through-citizen-science-how-you-can-help

Student-Developed Mobile App Featured at White House Citizen Science Forum, Spelman College

http://www.spelman.edu/about-us/news-center/news-releases/2015/09/29/student-developed-mobile-app-featured-at-white-house-citizen-science-forum

Elizabeth Sengoba, C’2017 Participates in White House Citizen Science Forum, by Alicia Lurry Spelman College

http://www.insidespelman.com/elizabeth-sengoba-c2017-participates-in-white-house-citizen-science-forum/

Lorriane Johnson invited to White House Citizen Science Forum, Lymedisease.org

https://www.lymedisease.org/lorraine-johnson-white-house-citizen-science/

UNO Professor to Participate in White House Citizen Science Forum, the University of New Orleans

http://www.uno.edu/news/2015/MichelleThompsonWhiteHouseCitizenScienceForum.aspx

Watershed Science Professor Participates in White House Citizen Science Forum, Elissa Schuett, University of Vermont

https://www.uvm.edu/~uvmpr/?Page=news&storyID=21506&category=uvmhome

Dr. Sacoby Wilson Participates in White House Citizen Science Forum, University of Maryland

https://sph.umd.edu/news-item/dr-sacoby-wilson-participates-white-house-citizen-science-forum-930

CALS Entomologist Invited to White House for Online Butterfly Database, University of Arizona

https://cals.arizona.edu/spotlight/cals-entomologist-invited-white-house-online-butterfly-database

PRIOR WHITE HOUSE OSTP BLOG POSTS ON CCS:

Citizen Science is Everywhere, including the White House, by Jenn Gustetic, Lea Shanley, and John McLaughlin

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/03/25/citizen-science-everywhere-including-white-house

Citizen Science Contributes to Advances in Scientific Understanding, by Jenn Gustetic and Lea Shanley, OSTP Blog

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/01/14/citizen-science-contributes-advances-scientific-understanding

Designing a Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing Toolkit for the Federal Government, by Jenn Gustetic, Lea Shanley, Jay Benforado, and Arianne Miller, OSTP Blog

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/02/designing-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-toolkit-federal-government

Using Citizen Engagement to Solve National Problem, by Cristin Dorgelo and Corinna Zarek, OSTP Blog

https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/06/27/using-citizen-engagement-solve-national-problems

White House Science Fair Fact Sheet

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/03/23/fact-sheet-president-obama-announces-over-240-million-new-stem-commitmen

https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/citizen_science_backgrounder_03-23-15.pdf

PRIOR CCS COVERAGE:

Citizen Science at the White House
NOAA Office of Education blog, April 2015

http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/archive.php?id=ctzScience-1

White House Weather, with NOAA Administrator Dr. Kathryn Sullivan
The Weather Channel, April 6, 2015

Weatherman-in-Chief and First Forecaster: The White House is Now Doubling as a Weather Station
The Washington Post, March 25, 2015

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/wp/2015/03/25/weatherman-in-chief-and-first-forecaster-the-white-house-is-now-doubling-as-a-weather-station/