Citizen Science and the Data Avalanche

We aim to be as inclusive as possible for all our public-facing events. However, there may be times when an event is for students only, or is aimed at a certain age group- please read the individual event descriptions to find out if it is right for you. We always like to encourage engagement during our events; if you are watching via a social media platform, please use the chat function to share your comments and questions.  If you are experiencing technical issues, please email us through Eventbrite- but note, we are a small team and will try our best to respond to queries during a live event.Please note that while we aim to begin all of our events on time, there might be a slight delay, so stay patient and the event will start shortly.  If you are still experiencing issues, try refreshing your browser. Nearly all of our events are recorded and available to watch after- whichever social platform you choose to watch on will also host a recording of the session.

The Open University, Faculty of STEM

Did you know people are better at classifying tasks then computers?
Can crowdsourcing help us to classify data of the universe?
Astronomy and particle physics have begun a new data-rich era of discovery, from finding warps in space and time to new particles in accelerators. But the data avalanche is so fast, so large and so complex that it’s a challenge for computing. Artificial Intelligence (AI) regularly offers no easy solutions. Humans are still often much better than AI at classification tasks. This has led to a new way of doing science: crowdsourcing, with the help of citizen science volunteers. This gives members of the public a genuine and valuable participation in scientific discovery, and there is a huge public appetite for taking part. Stephen Serjeant, Professor of Astronomy, will show you how you can join in, and review some of the highlights of our citizen science on the leading crowdsourcing platform, the Zooniverse.
Following the talke there will be a Question and Answer session. Please email your questions to STEM-News@open.ac.uk
If you can't join us in person, please select the online attendance ticket to join us remotely.
<A HREF="http://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?s=1&whichevent=3337&option=both&record=0" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">http://stadium.open.ac.uk/stadia/preview.php?s=1&whichevent=3337&option=both&record=0</A>
Or follow us on Facebook, @TheOpenUniversitySTEM where we will also live stream the lecture.
 
FAQs
Is there an age restriction for the event?
Everyone is welcome to attend the event regardless of age, however, please be aware that all under 18's must be accompanied by an adult and will be the responsibility of that adult throughout the event.
What are my transport/parking options for getting to and from the event?
By Car: The campus postcode is MK7 6AA and there is lots of free parking available on campus, with disabled parking available immediately outside the event venue.
By Bus: Service 11/11a and 12/12a (Z&S Transport), Service 70 (Arriva), Service 15 (Vale Travel) public buses run frequently from the train station through various suburbs of Milton Keynes and to The Open University.
By Train: The campus is 4 miles from Milton Keynes Central railway station, served by the West Coast Mainline between Birmingham and London (Euston). Taxis can always be found outside the railway station. The Open University is five to ten minutes drive from the station.
 When you arrive:  <A HREF="http://ougo-app.open.ac.uk/" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="OU GO" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">OU GO</A> is a 3D map guide of the Milton Keynes campus that you can download onto your mobile.

The Open University

Our {communityGuidelinesLink} describe the sort of content we prohibit on Eventbrite. If you suspect an event may be in violation, you can report it to us so we can investigate.

To report other categories of prohibited or illegal content, submit {link}