The explosion of network and mobile technologies over the past twenty years has transformed scientific research. Citizen science is one result of this transformation: increasingly, researchers ask members of the public—science enthusiasts—to push scientific research forward by volunteering their time on citizen science projects. This presentation discusses a project with an atypical approach to engaging citizen science volunteers: the expertise-centered approach. Eterna volunteers began knowing little to nothing about an esoteric, yet important, aspect of macromolecular biochemistry: RNA folding. As they solved more and more RNA folding problems, a handful of volunteers became world-class experts at RNA design. The result became a powerful scientific collaboration between project developers and volunteers that is driving research forward. I discuss Eterna’s research program, the costs and benefits of such an approach, and the mechanisms behind Eterna’s success.