What is the role of big corporations in citizen science? It is… well, big.

A recent publication from EY Global Corporate Responsibility Leader, Gillian Hinde, provides an important outlook on how the collaborative efforts of Zooniverse and teams like the global EY organization are pivotal in driving environmental research forward:

“This partnership highlights the immense value that citizen scientists bring, amplifying the scale and speed of data collection to get insights into penguin populations, behaviors, and ecosystem dynamics. Researchers can delve deeper into data analysis and accelerate conservation efforts, enhancing their understanding of penguin ecology and the preservation of Antarctic ecosystems amidst climate change and human impact.

However, the benefit is not just about scientific advancement. Beyond the value to research teams, the value of citizen science extends into society. For participants, these projects often foster a deeper connection to science, sparking new interests and opportunities beyond the project.”

It is worth mentioning that only in the first half of 2024, EY volunteers submitted nearly 400,000 classifications on Zooniverse projects like Penguin Watch, Snapshots at Sea and Elephant ID. Follow this link to read the full text of the article: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/about-us/corporate-responsibility/how-citizen-scientists-are-mobilizing-to-save-the-planet

Image courtesy of Penguin Watch team

Curious about corporate volunteering with Zooniverse?
Here are a few time-proven practices for your team to consider:

Focus and choice

Provide a relatively short list of recommended Zooniverse projects that align with your company’s goals/objectives (e.g., topic-specific, location-specific, etc.), but also leave room for choice. We have found that 3-6 specific project suggestions are most appreciated by staff (and work great for our research teams!).

Team building

Participation in Zooniverse can be a tremendous team building activity. While it can work well to just have people participate individually, at their own convenience, it also can be quite powerful to participate as a group. We are happy to help you organize 1-hour, 3-hour, and 6-hour Classification Challenges for your team!

Gathering stats

Impact reports have been key in helping a company tell the story of the impact of their corporate volunteering efforts, both internally to their employee network and externally to their board and other stakeholders. If you’re interested in impact reports, please join our Zooniverse Corporate Partner program!

We have created a variety of bespoke experiences for companies who are interested in directly supporting the Zooniverse. Get in touch at contact@zooniverse.org if you’re interested in exploring further and/or have any questions.

Alisa Apreleva, Zooniverse Science Communicator and Researcher (Oxford)

The views reflected in this article are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the global EY organization or its member firms.