Crowdfunding: A New Twist for Funding Science and Inspiring Change

Crowdfunding is changing the way science communicates and gets funding.

Dr. Jai Ranganathan and Dr. Jarrett Byrnes, two conservation scientists and ecologists, share their inspiration for SciFundChallenge, the new crowdfunding website for scientists. Although funding was the initial inspiration, the recognition that it’s time for science research to come out of the closet and be shared to inspire change by the public.

The SciFund Challenge connects to RocketHub, one of several crowd funding sites. Scientists from around the world share their passion and excitement for their research while helping educate interested people about their projects.

Public outreach is new for scientists. Traditionally scientists have shared primarily with their peers and are primarily concerned with acceptance and progression within the scientific community. The over-arching motivation has been to preserve their objectivity thus progressing their work and science.

However, younger scientists are starting to recognize the importance of educating and inspiring the public to get involved in positive change for the planet. Increasing the connection between society and science helps scientists share their passion and excitement for the world and motivates the public to take action to support the change required to save our planet. By visiting SciFundChallenge, you see videos, hear the excitement and get the opportunity to support science.

Dr. Jai Ranganathan also shares his biodiversity research in India that looks at the impact of agriculture on biodiversity. India was chosen due to the 2000 years of farming that has occurred next to highly biodiverse areas. He has found that the balance between farming and forest has maintained a high level of biodiversity where the ancient farming practices utilize natural processes and resources. Dr. Ranganathan also produces a weekly podcast published in Pacific Sandard Magazine (Miller McCune Magazine) called Curiouser and Curiouser.

Dr. Jarrett looks at modern day extinctions. He specifically works in the ocean due to the astounding level of biodiversity available there. His works has included kelp forests as well as the marine communities found on the sides of wharfs and boats, thus his blog I’m a Chordata, Urochordata. His research has shown that protecting predators is critical to maintaining marine biodiversity. His research also looks at the impact of global warming on wave patterns and a variety of other complexities.

On Twitter, you can find Jai at @jranganathan and Jarrett at @jebyrnes.