Citizen-scientists have a long history; amateur astronomers have made many important discoveries, and, although opinions are mixed amateur archaeologists have brought many important sites to the attention of professionals. Now, citizen-science is moving into a new area: neutrino astrophysics.
Although neutrino telescopes are far beyond the reach of amateur scientists, their data is not. IceCube has enlisted the help of interested amateurs to help with a difficult pattern-recognition problem: classifying the types of neutrino interactions that IceCube sees. The figure above lists the different types classifications that are currently being considered. Distinguishing these classes of events is difficult for computer algorithms, but generally easier for people.
The program, called "Name that Neutrino" is hosted on Zooniverse, a web platform designed for citizen-science applications. A recent paper, "Citizen Science for IceCube: Name that Neutrino," discusses the program, and reports on the results of classifications by more than 1,800 volunteers.
All-in-all, a great way to teach science enthusiasts about IceCube and neutrino astronomy.
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