AN ANALYSIS OF SUCCESS OF CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS IN TUCSON

Abstract

Citizen science is an emerging method of research that encourages collaboration between professionally trained scientists and volunteers, wherein the volunteers’ participation can range from data collection to project development. This paper examines current literature and two local citizen science projects to identify the benefits, challenges, and overall importance of environmental citizen science. The literature review revealed benefits for researchers and participants and the need for community involvement in scientific research for more complete findings. In order to gain a better understanding of local environmental citizen science projects in Tucson, Arizona, two interviews with project directors were conducted. The Barrio Research Project and Project Harvest both focus on sustainability and emphasize participant self-efficacy. I conclude that citizen science is an emerging field that is of vital importance to amplifying previously unheard voices and improving environmental research.