All researchers and educators interested in citizen science outreach projects are invited to participate in a three-day workshop from 9 to 11 July 2018 at Stellenbosch University. Registration is free of charge, but places are limited to only 45 participants.

With this workshop, SU's Department of Earth Sciences, in collaboration with North Carolina State University and the Western Cape Education Department, seek to foster the development of Citizen Science projects within Western Cape and South African classrooms. The workshop includes engagement with researchers, teacher success stories, how to start a citizen science project, empowering student success, Citizen Science and STEM-based learning, fostering of critical thinking style learning.

The workshop will be led by Dr. Terry “Bucky" Gates, a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist at North Carolina State University, USA.

Programme:

Monday 9 July 2018

Theory, implementation and benefits of Citizen Science, along with examples of real-world application in the classroom.

Tuesday 10 July 2018

Showcasing of four Citizen Science Projects in which participants will be given the opportunity to actively engage with the projects, and learn from the presenters.

Wednesday 11 July 2018

Developing means to support the implementation of projects in South African classrooms, combined with a showcase of Citizen Science projects available at Stellenbosch University.

Registration is free, and include lunch and snacks.

Participation is limited to 45 individuals.

For more information, or to register for the workshop, contact Dr Ryan Tucker or Ronald Engelbrecht

More about the presenter:

Dr. Terry “Bucky" Gates is a paleontologist and evolutionary biologist at North Carolina State University, USA. His research focuses on dinosaur biology, ancient shark ecology, and detecting patterns of evolutionary rates in the fossil and modern biota. Bucky Gates found his passion for citizen science when he began a project taking fossil shark teeth to public school classrooms that revolve around students discovering and measuring teeth to uncover the ecology of ancient sharks. The impact of seeing school kids participating in real scientific research led Bucky to incorporate citizen science within his large university classes.

Originally trained as a geologist, each semester he teaches over 200 undergraduate biology students using citizen science as a major pedagogical tool. This ultimately has led to the creation of a semester-long curriculum that incorporates multiple citizen science projects and unites all levels of biology from molecular genetics to ecology and evolution. Since beginning the path along citizen science, Bucky Gates has become a strong promoter of using real science in education by training hundreds of public school teachers, guiding university scientists on ways to incorporate citizen science into their own research, and presenting at international conferences on citizen science best practices.

On the photo above: Three of the presenters for the workshop include, from left to right, middle school educator Mr Nate Bourne, Dr Bucky Gates from the North Carolina State University, and Dr Ryan Tucker from Stellenbosch University's Department of Earth Sciences. Photo: Wiida Fourie-Basson