An interview with researcher Jessie Oliver
When you participate in a citizen science project, you might not be aware of the details that go into the tool design for that project. A lot of planning goes into the who, what, where, why, and when before the project rolls out. Will your participation be virtual, or location-based? Will you use a custom app, a mobile device, a camera or a microphone? Or just a notebook? Will your contributions be auditory or visual?
About Jessie Oliver
Jessie Oliver is a tech design researcher based in Australia. She’s also the international liaison for the Australian Citizen Science Association. She’s designing a project about an endangered and elusive species of Australian bird called the Eastern bristlebird. And she spends a lot of time thinking creatively about project engagement and how to make it fun.
Image of the Eastern bristlebird from Wikipedia
Listen to the Soundproofist podcast
Jessie spoke with us on the Soundproofist podcast to share details about how she’s recruiting and engaging citizen scientists so they can participate effectively in this project, using learning devices like “The Bristle Whistle Challenge.”
You can listen to our conversation here or through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, Castbox, iHeart Radio, and other podcast apps.
Get involved!
If you haven’t participated in a citizen science project yet, you can browse through the offerings through one of these organizations and choose one that fits your schedule, location, and preferences. Some organizations include:
The Australian Citizen Science Association
CitSci
EU Citizen Science
iNaturalist
SciStarter
Zooniverse
Take the short quiz!
Learn more:
- Jessie’s 5-minute talk about bristlebirds on YouTube:
- Jessie’s paper on ResearchGate
- Wikipedia article on the Eastern bristlebird
- Xeno-Canto (bird calls website)
- Merlin Bird ID app (“The Shazam of Birds”)
- Other citizen science projects covered on Soundproofist: Hush City, Noise and the City, and SoundPrint
- eBird community website (we mention this in the podcast)