Science communication is an integral part of citizen science, and Dr. Robert R. Dunn, a professor of applied ecology at North Carolina State University, has been masterfully igniting public curiosity and interest in science for over fifteen years. Dr. Dunn is the author of 5 books, over a hundred articles in science news and natural history magazines like Scientific American, National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Smithsonian and more.

Dr. Dunn’s ability to engage members of the public enables his lab to undertake a wide array of projects spanning yeast diversity, shower head microbiomes, cat tracking, bee health, and more. Many of the 20 projects in the Dunn lab have drawn a lot of participation from the public and garnered excitement from the press, and exemplify the capacity for citizen science to be both publicly engaging and scientifically productive.

” It is through diverse perspectives and abilities that we see all possible answers to a problem. It is through such diversity that we create an environment like that which we hope for in society more generally. If our lab does not reflect the diversity of society we have failed, and that failure is far greater than the failure to discover a species, get a grant or write a paper. ” –Rob Dunn

Dr. Dunn is currently the leader of the Students Discover project which aims to bring real science to classrooms around the world. Ebullient in his love for science and a natural storyteller, Dr. Dunn’s Keynote presentation will definitely be a highly anticipated highlight of the CitSci2019 conference. Don’t miss it, register today.

Interested in the conference but not sure if it is for you? Join an online Q&A session January 30th, noon Eastern.

Photo of Rob Dunn by Lauren Nichols, used with permission.

Posted on: January 24, 2019  |  Category: #citsci2019, Blog, conference, CSA Blog, News