Can Small Groups Advance Science?

Study of the bible and other books used to be reserved for professionals, but is conducted by millions of small groups of regular people today. At some point in history,

1. People questioned the assumption that only clergy can interpret scripture,
2. Then various attempts were made to pioneer small group study formats,
3. Then, once it was clear that regular people could study in small groups, many people came to believe that we should.

Step one in this process has already occurred regarding the study of science. Abandonment of the assumption that only professionals can advance science has created a citizen science movement which now has over a million members in over thirty countries.

Several study formats have emerged: One is the “Do It Yourself” science movement exemplified by the discovery of toxic chemicals in the Flint, Michigan, water supply. This format is less about publishing studies which advance the general state of science than about regular people applying science to solve local problems.

Another format is the crowdsourced science movement exemplified by Galaxy Zoo in which hundreds of thousands of volunteers helped professional scientists conduct a census of nearly a million galaxies. This format is less about regular people studying science than about regular people providing labor — it does not empower the general public to intelligently decide what will be studied or how.

A third format, more similar to classic small groups, is being pioneered by Citizen Science Belleville. We meet together on a regular basis to test the replicability of experiments which can help advance health, relationships and/or well-being for future generations. Small groups like ours can include people who would be unable to conduct science independently, yet our group as a whole produces independent scientific work. Much as a classic small group would select its own focus within a text, we choose which studies to test and what additional measures/analyses to incorporate into replications.

Citizen Science Belleville was launched by a bible study for spiritual reasons, but later decided to make our meetings “open to people of all denominations and faiths.” Compared to bible study, science study allows us to engage a wider community. It also makes us more of a service group in that the product of our study can help advance science for the entire world, provided we abide standards related to sample size, method, quality control and transparency.

Others (e.g. the Wilson Center) have affirmed that this model of citizen science holds promise. Belleville has a population of only about 2,500 people, but science can produce world-wide value even when it comes from small places, and we do not intend to work in isolation. We want to build a broad social network to help small groups like ours identify studies to test, refine protocols, and raise funds. Please help build that network by liking our Facebook page and sharing this message from there.