Crowdfunding in Academia: An Emerging Funding Mechanism for Science Research

Speakers

Organizer

Thomas Magladi, PhD

The New York Academy of Sciences

Speakers

Jeanne Garbarino, PhD

Rockefeller University

Jeanne Garbarino earned her PhD in metabolic biology from Columbia University, followed by a postdoc at the Rockefeller University, where she now serves as Director of Science Outreach. When she is not conducting research, Jeanne works as a science communicator, acting as chief editor of Rockefeller's The Incubator blog, co-organizer of SpotOnNYC, Biology Editor for Double X Science, and Director of Science Outreach for NEURODOME. You can find her on multiple social-media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Sarah Weisberg

Staff Scientist, BioBus

Sarah Weisberg joined the BioBus after completing an undergraduate degree at Harvard and a Master's degree in cell biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Now, she and a team of scientists drive the bus—a 1974 transit bus outfitted with solar panels on the roof and a research-grade microscopy lab inside—to schools, museums and community centers across the NYC area and the country. Funded in part through crowdsourcing, the BioBus project unites people of all ages and backgrounds, from preschoolers to Nobel laureates, in a common curiosity-driven exploration of the microscopic world.

Heather Kopsco

Graduate Student, Montclair State University

Heather Kopsco holds bachelor degrees with honors in English and biology from Rutgers University and Montclair State University. Currently, she is a master of science candidate and graduate assistant in Montclair State's Biology and Molecular Biology department where she studies ecology and evolutionary biology. Her thesis research focuses on the ecological role birds play in the dissemination of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. When she discovered that it would be difficult to secure grant funding for her project within the time constraints of her program, she turned to crowdfunding via Microryza as an alternative funding method. She briefly discusses her decision to crowdfund in an article by the International Business Times on the increasing use of crowdfunding in academia. You can find her project page on Microryza, and additional information about her research on Facebook and Twitter.

Bharathi Sundaresh

Undergraduate Student, Cornell University

Bharathi Sundaresh is in her third year at Cornell University, working towards a bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences and a minor in Business. This past summer, together with a team of undergraduate and PhD students lead by Dr. Chris Mason, she worked on establishing the project "PathoMap" at the Mason lab at Weill Cornell Medical College. PathoMap is a volunteer-driven study of the microbiome of all five boroughs of New York City, identifying the microorganisms present on public surfaces. Bharathi and the team have collected over 1500 swab samples from across NYC and begun efforts to sequence the bacterial genomes present. The team has created a project page in order to promote public awareness and encourage New Yorkers to volunteer for this project.