Children (and the public at large) can discover patterns that trained scientists fail to see. To invite discovery, we invented a method called “Tom Sawyer Science” (TSS). Elementary school students discovered diagnostic morphological characters, and we named a new species after their school. More than a decade later, the original participants recall its impact and remain interested in outcomes. We present a timeline of events to the present, when need for TSS is high: molecular work recently revealed many morphologically cryptic species.

Results/Conclusions

Creative partnerships among teachers, scientists, and students can lead to advances in science (and to advances in public understanding of science).  Yvonne Andres invented GlobalSchoolnet.org to build a network that encourages collaboration and problem-solving in many arenas. Through organizations like GlobalSchoolnet, scientists can gain access to creative minds, and students and teachers can gain access to real problems. Andres, Condon, and Pearce suggest that one of the best ways to advance public understanding of science is to invite the public to work with our data. The results may surprise all of us.