This is an older post on Technology Review, but it’s an interesting take from the head of MIT’s Synthetic Neurobiology Group on the benefits of public participation in science.

The essence of the piece isn’t anything you haven’t already heard from Rick and Jennifer, but I thought this passaged described rather nicely why citizen science is such an important component of this project:

Involvement of the public in the act of science would shape the kind of science being done, perhaps increasing the impact of science on daily life. Community involvement in the act of research would also make science more understandable, and perhaps more familiar, to the public, because people would be engaged in its framing and communication. What better way to increase scientific literacy, make the benefits of science clear, and quell myths and spread facts than to give all people a stake in the act of discovering science? Maybe the way the world sees some currently controversial topics–stem cells, climate change, energy sources–would be different if more people engaged in the act of testing hypotheses and examining data. Community participation in science would also be enormously personally enriching, providing exercise in thinking and problem solving (something that is useful in all problem domains, throughout life) and empowering people to contribute directly to the betterment of society in a broadly impactful way.