Patterns of Participation and Motivation in Folding@home: The Contribution of Hardware Enthusiasts and Overclockers

Folding@home is a distributed computing project in which participants run protein folding simulations on their computers. Participants complete work units and are awarded points for their contribution. An investigation into motivations to participate and patterns of participation revealed the significant contribution of a sub-community composed of individuals who custom-build computers to maximise their processing power. These individuals, known as “overclockers” or “hardware enthusiasts,” use distributed computing projects such as Folding@home to benchmark their modified computers and to compete with one another to see who can process the greatest number of project work units. Many are initially drawn to the project to learn about computer hardware from other overclockers and to compete for points. However, once they learn more about the scientific outputs of Folding@home, some participants become more motivated by the desire to contribute to scientific research. Overclockers form numerous online communities where members collaborate and help each other maximise their computing output. They invest heavily in their computers and process the majority of Folding@home’s simulations, thus providing an invaluable (and free) resource

Online citizen science projects: an exploration of motivation, contribution and participation

The number of online citizen science projects has increased significantly over the past decade, yet some aspects of participation are poorly understood as is the motivation behind the involvement of the scientists who set up these projects, and the citizen scientists who take part. This thesis explores three different online citizen science projects (Foldit, Folding@home and Planet Hunters) using a case study approach and data collected through online surveys, interviews and participant observation. It explores the motivations that initiate and sustain participation, and it examines the various ways individuals can contribute to these projects. It also investigates how participants (both professional scientists and citizen scientists) interact online. A number of theoretical models of motivation and participation are considered. While many individuals register to take part in these projects, only a small proportion become active participants. These active citizen scientist volunteers are motivated to participate because they want to make a contribution to science or have a background interest in science. Scientists set up these projects in order to get help analysing large volumes of data, particularly those that require human pattern recognition or problem-solving skills. The complexity of the project task and the presence of certain technological features can affect how participants interact with each other, and how they contribute. Tasks that are complex are more likely to present opportunities for cooperation and collaboration, and may foster the development of online communities of practice. The findings of this research suggest that online citizen science projects have been important in making scientific research more open for a number of distributed volunteers. These individuals have responded to the challenges presented by these projects, increasing their scientific and technical understanding, and self-organising into various roles and teams in order to produce new knowledge

Motivation to Participate in an Online Citizen Science Game: A Study of Foldit

Online citizen science projects have the potential to engage thousands of participants with scientific research. A small number of projects such as Foldit use an online computer game format. Motivation to participate in Foldit was investigated in a group of 37 players using an online survey, semistructured interviews, and participant observation. Results suggest that contributing to scientific research and an interest in science were among the most important motivations for participation. Interaction with others within the community of participants and the intellectual challenge of the game were also key for the continuing involvement of this group of regular contributors

Reassessing dialogue: reflections from an amateur astronomy event

The discourse of public engagement with the sciences is based on the oft-cited premise that publics will, a priori, value ‘two-way dialogue’. Despite the rhetorical emphasis on ‘two-way dialogue’ in the UK, research has illustrated that many science communication events retain an ‘educational framing’. Do publics desire dialogue or education when they engage with the sciences? What do they value in a science outreach event? By investigating a specific event this study aimed to explore these important issues in more detail. I studied a weekly ‘Open Evening’ organised by the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, UK. Each event typically consisted of a lecture aimed at general audiences followed by questions and answers. Guided observations of the night sky with the local amateur astronomy group followed if the weather was clear. A mixed methods approach resulted in a combination of data being collected. Participant observation through field notes complemented the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data from questionnaires. Audience demographics were analysed and participants were asked a number of questions relating to their general attitudes towards science outreach events and whether they wished to see more opportunities for dialogue. Feedback from the questionnaires demonstrates that this is a popular event run by a committed team of scientists and amateurs. Most of the participants are well educated. Many attended regularly, often travelling great distances to do so. Overall, the majority of those questioned attended to learn something new directly from practicing astronomers, and 'to be enlightened'. The lectures were often cited as the most rewarding aspect of the event. This is in contrast to the policy rhetoric promoting ‘two-way dialogue’. It suggests that the educational framing of the event was valued by attendees. Views regarding dialogue were not always straightforward. ‘Dialogue’ meant different things to different people; some were unsure how to answer, and there seemed to be a low level of awareness regarding different types of approaches available in the public communication of science. While a number of respondents were enthusiastic about the potential for more interaction with scientists, many were not sure how such an event could be structured. Overall, these findings indicate that further work could usefully explore how publics understand and value different forms of engagement

Abolition of male sexual behaviors in mice lacking estrogen receptors alpha and beta (alpha beta ERKO)

Male mice with a knockout of the estrogen receptor (ER)-α gene, a ligand-activated transcription factor, showed reduced levels of intromissions and no ejaculations whereas simple mounting behavior was not affected. In contrast, all components of sexual behaviors were intact in male mice lacking the novel ER-β gene. Here we measure the extent of phenotype in mice that lack both ER-α and ER-β genes (αβERKO). αβERKO male mice did not show any components of sexual behaviors, including simple mounting behavior. Nor did they show ultrasonic vocalizations during behavioral tests with receptive female mice. On the other hand, reduced aggressive behaviors of αβERKO mice mimicked those of single knockout mice of ER-α gene (αERKO). They showed reduced levels of lunge and bite aggression, but rarely showed offensive attacks. Thus, either one of the ERs is sufficient for the expression of simple mounting in male mice, indicating a redundancy in function. Offensive attacks, on the other hand, depend specifically on the ER-α gene. Different patterns of natural behaviors require different patterns of functions by ER genes

Online citizen science games: opportunities for the biological sciences

Recent developments in digital technologies and the rise of the Internet have created new opportunities for citizen science. One of these has been the development of online citizen science games where complex research problems have been re-imagined as online multiplayer computer games. Some of the most successful examples of these can be found within the biological sciences, for example, Foldit, Phylo and EteRNA. These games offer scientists the opportunity to crowdsource research problems, and to engage with those outside the research community. Games also enable those without a background in science to make a valid contribution to research, and may also offer opportunities for informal science learning

Public engagement through the development of science-based computer games: The Wellcome Trust’s “Gamify Your PhD” initiative

New developments in digital technologies are enabling scientists to explore novel avenues of engagement beyond face-to-face approaches. “Gamifying” science through the creation of computer games based on scientific research is part of this trend. Recently, the Wellcome Trust held a competitive “hackfest” called “Gamify Your PhD.” Six finalists were selected to develop their research into a computer game with the help of professional games developers. I was able to observe this event with the aim of exploring the collaboration between scientists and games developers and observing how science-based computer games can be used to engage the wider public

Online Citizen Science and the Widening of Academia: Distributed Engagement with Research and Knowledge Production

This book examines the increasing popularity of online citizen science projects arising from developments in ICT and rapid improvements in data storage and generation. As these new technologies allow for much higher levels of participation, collaboration and interaction, the author explores what online citizen science projects reveal about the ‘democratisation’ of science and distributed engagement with authentic research. Analysing the wider appeal of these projects as well as their potential for informal science learning and creating communities of practice, this book asks whether ‘citizen’ and ‘researcher’ will ever be on equal footing. Drawn from years of mixed-methods research, this volume sheds light on this under-researched subject area despite its recent growth and enormous potential. It is sure to be of interest to students and scholars of democratised knowledge, citizen science and online learning, as well as those already involved in citizen science

Evaluating the motivations and expectations of those attending a public astronomy event

The focus on a one-way flow of information from scientists to members of the public has been criticised for presuming public ignorance and offering few opportunities for interaction and debate. In response to these criticisms, recent approaches have promoted dialogue, participation and engagement between scientists and members of the public. However, it is not known to what extent members of the public prefer newer dialogic approaches to those with educational content. What do they value in a science outreach event? To explore this issue further, I investigated nine weekly public open evenings at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, UK. In this article I will describe the main features of these public events, outline my approach in exploring the participants’ motivation to engage with astronomy, and detail my research findings

Online media

This chapter provides a definition of online media for informal and formal science learning. It was written for an online encyclopedia of science education. Three key trends in the current (2012) digital landscape are outlined: media convergence; accessibility; and collaboration and participation. The draws on examples from contemporary research to illustrate some of the concepts being used to analyse and describe educational media and their uses in formal and informal science learning