It's Not (Just) About the Money: Crowd-Funding for Science

Friday, February 15, 2013
Room 308 (Hynes Convention Center)
Jai Ranganathan , National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, Santa Barbara, CA
In the winter of 2011, scientists raised more than $76,000 for their research in the first round of the #SciFund Challenge. This pilot project asked whether scientists could convince the general public to open their wallets for small-amount donations to research. Continuing the theme of the public as active participants in science, this talk will explore patterns of success for individual projects, overall findings, and the motivations and expectations of those who donated.