In this invited review, I provide an overview of the Spit for Science project from the lens of what it can teach us about how we conduct basic research. The project draws from two areas of participatory research that have gained increasing attention in recent years: community-engaged research and citizen science, which I will review briefly here. The project has also led us to rethink how we define interdisciplinary collaborations and our research team, as we have developed rich and meaningful collaborations with nontraditional partners. Finally, Spit for Science challenges us to rethink the boundaries of our roles as scientists and researchers.
