Introducing new AAPS/NASA Citizen Science Fellow: Sadie Coffin
Sadie Coffin, newly named 2025 Association for Advancing Participatory Science and NASA Fellow.
Guest post and video by Sadie Coffin, 2025 Association for Advancing Participatory Science and NASA Fellow. Originally published in the Association for Advancing Participatory Sciences blog on November 8, 2024.
My name is Sadie Coffin, and I’m excited to introduce myself as the first AAPS + NASA citizen science fellow. I’m currently pursuing a PhD in Astrophysics and managing a citizen science project, Redshift Wrangler. Redshift Wrangler is a citizen science project hosted on the platform Zooniverse that invites and teaches participants to help our research team classify galaxy spectra and calculate redshifts for distant galaxies. I’m looking forward to working at the intersection of research, public engagement, and participatory science, with a focus on making science more open and inclusive. These goals drive my career aspirations and inspire me to help people connect meaningfully with scientific discovery.
As a fellow, I’ll be distilling insights from four years of NASA Cit Sci Leaders events into quick start guides on key topics, set to be released over the next year. To help frame this work, I’d like to share a bit about my own background and the perspective I bring to this role, and why I’m so motivated to take it on. I’m excited to use what I’ve learned from Redshift Wrangler to develop resources I wish I had when I was starting out in this field.
My Background: Citizen Science meets Galaxy Evolution
Early experiences inspired my desire to create welcoming spaces where those interested in science can connect with and contribute to scientific discoveries. Before entering graduate school, I interned with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) Education and Public Outreach team. I also worked in the X-ray Astrophysics Lab at NASA Goddard measuring supernova remnant expansion, which fed my love of scientific research. During this internship, I connected with NASA scientists working in science communication, outreach, and museum education, and citizen science. I began to see how my passions for scientific research and public engagement with science could work together.
The timeline of the universe in the millennia following the Big Bang. In the foregraound, the Redshift Wrangler space cowboy logo. Credit: Redshift Wrangler website
As a leader on the Redshift Wrangler project, I have been inspired by the enthusiasm of our volunteers, who not only contribute to our scientific goals but also support each other in learning more about spectroscopy and galaxy evolution. Whether it’s through asking thoughtful questions, sparking discussions in our forums, or sharing their own tips and findings, our volunteers help make Redshift Wrangler a space where curiosity and collaboration can thrive. Our project has fostered a strong sense of community through discussion forums and during regular virtual office hours, where volunteers share their insights and connect with each other and our research team. I’ve learned a lot about best practices for project design and had the opportunity to share my insights with varied audiences, including colleagues at RIT and other scientists through presentations about the project.
I’m excited to learn more about the practice of citizen science as I work to summarize and curate the wisdom shared over the past four years of NASA Cit Sci Leaders events. On Redshift Wrangler, I’ve faced the challenge of figuring out how to engage a diverse audience with a topic like galaxy spectroscopy. Working alongside busy scientists at RIT has shown me how crucial it is to develop resources that are both informative and easy to use. Tackling these challenges has emphasized the importance of sharing clear and inclusive materials – something I will apply as I work on these resource guides.