The PACA Project: Ecology of Citizen Science in Astronomy
Presenter(s): Padma A. Yanamandra-Fisher
Affiliation(s): Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.
Session details: Monday, 2020-04-12 23:00:00
Abstract
This half-day workshop will introduce the ecology of the PACA Project — pro-am collaborative astronomy campaigns — and present the current scenario of conflation of scientific research with amateur astronomy, social media, and traditional fields of outreach. With the inclusion of amateur astronomers, educators, students, outreach coordinators, and adaption of various social media platforms and components of citizen science, four phases for successful collaborations have been identified:
- Identification of a scientific knowledge gap
- Integration of the pro-am communities and tech
- Embrace new technologies, and
- Stay in the limelight with results of the campaign.
Examples of the synergy of successful PACA campaigns will be showcased, as applied to outer planets, comets, total solar eclipses; and various observing modes suitable for global network of small apertures. By the end of the workshop, potential new pro-am campaigns will be identified and include the audience participation to short list the next few citizen science programs.
Biography
The workshop will be led by Padma A. Yanamandra-Fisher, the founder of The PACA Project, with its several successful campaigns such as PACA_ISON (2013), PACA_SidingSpring (2014), PACA_Rosetta67P (2015-16); Total Solar Eclipse (TSE) 2017 and TSE 2019. She is a professional and active observer, focussed on the study of outer planet atmospheres, their ring systems and polarimetric exploration of the solar system. She is a researcher at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A..