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Analyses the tensions and dilemmas that citizen science projects commonly face. Key lessons are drawn from case studies where citizen scientists have investigated the impact of shale oil and gas, nuclear power, and genetically engineered crops. These studies show that diverse citizen science projects face shared dilemmas.
List of contents
Preface
1 Environmental Citizen Science: Virtues and Dilemmas
2 How is Environmental Citizen Science Political?
3 Investigating the Impacts of Fracking
4 Detecting Radiation
5 Tracking Genetically Engineered Cops
Conclusion: A Vision of Science by and for the People
Appendix: Resources for Getting Involved in Citizen Science
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Authors
About the author
AYA H. KIMURA is a professor of sociology at University of Hawai`i-Manoa. She is the author of
Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists: The Gender Politics of Food Contamination after Fukushima (Duke University Press, 2016).
ABBY KINCHY is an associate professor of Science and Technology Studies at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the author of
Seeds, Science, and Struggle: The Global Politics of Transgenic Crops (MIT Press, 2012).
Summary
Studies show that citizen science projects—projects involving nonprofessionals—face dilemmas ranging from austerity to presumed boundaries between science and activism. By unpacking the politics of citizen science, this book aims to help people negotiate a complex political landscape and choose paths moving toward social change and environmental sustainability.
