Talks and presentations
See a map of all the places I've given a talk!
February 13, 2020
Job Talk, University of Pittsburgh, School of Computing and Information, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
The arc of scientific research points towards an ever-growing universe of new automated scientific-data collection instruments, increasing the amount and variety of data. Virtual citizen science projects are a popular method for addressing the deluge of data generated by such instruments and facilitate collaboration on large-scale scientific research between professional scientists and amateur volunteers. Learning and motivation are two critical areas of research dictating the success of virtual citizen projects. Since most citizen scientists are amateur volunteers with little knowledge about the technical infrastructure supporting their participation or the science subject matter, insights into how citizen scientists acquire procedural knowledge, technical competence, and learn the subject matter is essential.
February 06, 2020
Job Talk, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Information School, Madison, Wisconsin
The arc of scientific research points towards an ever-growing universe of new automated scientific-data collection instruments, increasing the amount and variety of data. Virtual citizen science projects are a popular method for addressing the deluge of data generated by such instruments and facilitate collaboration on large-scale scientific research between professional scientists and amateur volunteers. Learning and motivation are two critical areas of research dictating the success of virtual citizen projects. Since most citizen scientists are amateur volunteers with little knowledge about the technical infrastructure supporting their participation or the science subject matter, insights into how citizen scientists acquire procedural knowledge, technical competence, and learn the subject matter is essential.
November 01, 2019
Research Talk, University of Wisconsin-Madison, The Information School, Madison, Wisconsin
The success of online crowdsourcing and peer production platforms depends on the voluntary participation of people to make contributions – in Wikipedia people write and edit articles, in free/libre open-source software (FLOSS) projects people compile software code and documentation, and in online citizen science projects people assist scientists in the collection and analysis of scientific datasets. A persistent problem plaguing crowdsourcing and peer production platforms is encouraging people to join, and once they join to remain active contributors. The research reports on the findings of an online field experiment where novelty cues were used to motivate volunteers. Novelty is a characteristic of objects and environments frequently associated with increased human attention; however, a dearth of empirical research exists exploring its effects on human behaviors in online settings. I provide an overview of novelty unpacking its theoretical origins, neurological processes, physiological responses, and the results of an experiment where the behaviors of volunteers to three citizen science projects were assessed. Such descriptions are necessary to understand the basis, mechanisms, and purposes of novelty and its effects on human behavior.
November 09, 2016
Research Talk, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York
