Citizen Science: New Research Challenges for Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

Abstract

In this age of the anthropocene, humans have profound influence on the planet, changing the atmosphere we breathe and reshaping the earth’s surface, thereby triggering species extinction at an alarming rate.

HCI’s influence on every aspect of technology means that we have a responsibility to heal our planet by raising awareness and triggering action. Citizen science is a form of crowdsourcing that involves citizens in collecting and or analyzing data. This talk focuses on biodiversity citizen science and it challenges HCI researchers, practitioners, teachers, and students to lead the way in shaping a sustainable future. It includes inspirational prototypes that show how design excellence can change technology, raise awareness, and engage citizens to contribute by becoming “citizen scientists”. These challenges are advancing the leading edge of HCI theory and practice and contributing to save the species with which we share our planet.

Short Bio

Jennifer Preece is a Fellow of the ACM SIGCHI Academy and a Professor at the College of Information Studies – Maryland’s Information School, where she was Dean (2005-2015). She is co-author of the most widely-used textbook in HCI, Interaction Design: Beyond Human Computer Interaction (4th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2015). Her pioneering book Online Communities: Designing Usability, Supporting Sociability (2000), helped to clarify determinants of success in empathic online communities, especially in healthcare discussion groups. She is author, coauthor, or editor of seven other books including one of the first texts in HCI, Human-Computer Interaction (1994), as well as numerous journal and conference papers. Her heavily cited research covers online and networked communities, citizen science, informal environmental education, HCI design, data sharing, HCI education, and cross cultural participation. Professor Preece’s current research focuses on biodiversity, citizen science, and informal environmental education; she is particularly interested in factors that contribute to participation, especially long-term participation in these communities. Her research is funded primarily by the USA’s National Science Foundation and Yahoo.

More info: http://ischool.umd.edu/faculty-staff/jennifer-j-preece

Watch the keynote video.