Citizen Scientists - Many Links

Submitted by Sophie Gale on Thu, 12/08/2011 - 17:54
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The Green Wizard's Cafe

Project BudBurst: Citizen scientists are wanted to document the effects of climate change:

http://budburst.org/

"Changes in the timing of phases of the plant life cycle, known as phenophases, are directly affected by temperature, rainfall and day length. While these factors change through the year in places where there are distinct seasons, the first two – temperature and rainfall – are also changing in many regions because of climate change. For example, if climate change causes warmer temperatures, warm weather may occur earlier in the spring and it may stay warm later into the fall than in years past. It will still get cold in the winter and warm in the summer, but the plant growing season will be longer and that can have big impacts on living things.

"That's where plants come in. By monitoring plants and noting when the first buds appear, when the first flowers appear, when leaves drop in the fall, and other parts of plant life cycles, scientists can figure out how seasonal patterns are changing, and make predictions for the future.

:When you report to Project BudBurst about how and when the plants in your garden, park, town, or city are changing with the seasons, you are contributing scientific data that can help us understand how plants are responding to this year’s seasons and long-term changes in climate. Scientists are using data about the timing of seasonal changes in species in computer models to predict how climate and ecosystems will change decades and even centuries into the future."

Sophie Gale

Mon, 10/09/2017 - 01:37

Download an app for your smartphone and become part of an early warning system for earthquakes

http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/2/e1501055

Sophie Gale

Tue, 08/29/2017 - 21:40

Catbirds and Neighborhood Nestwatch

I don't know that I have ever seen or heard a catbird although they seem to be common in the 46 of the lower 48 states.  I will be listening for them from now on. If you enjoy Citizen Science projects or want something for home schoolers, Neighborhood Nestwatch is another way you can participate in data collecting.

Sophie Gale

Thu, 03/17/2016 - 23:57

Another citizen scientist project we can embrace.

"The Experimental Farm Network (EFN) aims to fight global climate change and ensure food security far into the future by facilitating collaboration on plant breeding and other agricultural research.

"Founded in 2013 by Nate Kleinman & Dusty Hinz, the EFN is presently composed of over 300 participants: farmers and gardeners, plant breeders and researchers, amateurs and professionals alike. The network is not-for-profit, based on open-source principles, and dedicated to social justice.

"All are welcome and encouraged to join."

http://experimentalfarmnetwork.org/

Sophie Gale

Sun, 06/16/2013 - 19:30

The Museum of Science in Boston would like you to observe fireflies. How nice is that?

The Museum has teamed up with researchers from Tufts University and Fitchburg State College to track the fate of these amazing insects. With your help, we hope to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies and their activity during the summer season. Fireflies also may be affected by human-made light and pesticides in lawns, so we hope to also learn more about those effects.

https://legacy.mos.org/fireflywatch/

Sophie Gale

Fri, 06/14/2013 - 17:37

Another citizen scientist project for the U.S.

People all over the country are collecting data on pollinators in their yards, gardens, schools and parks. Together, we take counts of the number and types of pollinators visiting plants (especially sunflowers). We have been gathering information on pollinator service since 2008, and now have the largest single body of information about bee pollinator service in North America. Thanks to our thousands of observers, we can determine where pollinator service is strong or weak compared to averages.

http://www.greatsunflower.org/

Sophie Gale

Mon, 10/09/2017 - 01:39

It's late in the year for bee watching--or not! I bought the official Archon t-shirt a week ago when David and I did the writer panel. It's a vivid petunia purple color, and I have been buzzed three times by one or more bees where I volunteer.

Anyway...

https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/

Sophie Gale

Tue, 12/11/2012 - 10:12

Become a FrogWatch USA Volunteer

You do not have to be a frog or toad expert to be a FrogWatch USA volunteer; all you need is an interest in frogs and toads and a willingness to participate in a volunteer training session at your local FrogWatch USA Chapter, hosted by zoos, aquariums, and conservation organizations nationwide, and a commitment to monitor a site for 3 minutes at least twice a week throughout the breeding season.

Check list for training in your area... This would be a good project to do with kids.

http://www.aza.org/become-a-frogwatch-volunteer/

Sophie Gale

Thu, 03/15/2012 - 14:49

Another project for citizen scientists:

"Want to help contribute to data on light pollution in...wherever you happen to live in the Northern Hemisphere?? Participate in GLOBE at Night between March 13-22 or April 11-20. Their goal is to have 15,000 observations."

http://www.globeatnight.org/

Sophie Gale

Thu, 03/17/2016 - 23:48

Different campaigns each month using northern and southern constellations. Check to see the 2016 projects.

http://www.globeatnight.org/

Sophie Gale

Mon, 10/09/2017 - 01:26

Whether you live in the Northern Hemisphere or Southern, there are monthly constellations to view and report on.

https://www.globeatnight.org/5-steps.php

Sophie Gale

Thu, 01/19/2012 - 16:11

Crowd-Sourcing Science: What Is Animal Love?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/01/19/145373917/crowd-sourcing-scienc...

"Here's the central question I'm wrestling with: How can we tell, by careful observation alone (no hormonal analysis, brain scans or other invasive research allowed), whether nonhuman animals feel love for others of their own kind?"

Cathy McGuire

Thu, 12/08/2011 - 20:01

Glad to hear of this creative way to get lots of data. Wish I were observant enough to trust myself to report. :-} But I hope others do it!

Sophie Gale

Fri, 12/09/2011 - 22:56

Journaling was often an important part of farming. Weather, compost, crop rotations, animal breeding, planting, plant hardiness, pests, diseases, yields... Successful farmers knew their land intimately, and observation and journaling were an important part of the process.

McThick

Sat, 12/17/2011 - 11:46

Journaling is definitely a useful tool. Since I am new to gardening, I'm doing quite a bit of journaling about my habitat. Tracking the sun is particularly important. In Florida, the height of the sun in the southern sky is radically different in Winter and Summer. So much so that my winter garden ends up being about half the size of the summer garden!

Plus, journaling about your plants can REALLY help you identify issues before they become problems. One of that gardeners I worked with at the community garden could tell which plants were diseased simplty by looking at the leaves. (Sadly, I have forgotten both the plant, and the disease he identified.) To me, that speaks volumes about the value of experience, and experience is made more valuable if you have a journal acting as your own, personalized reference/textbook!

gkb

Tue, 05/23/2017 - 10:06

Here are some links to an organization called Public Lab.
On one hand, they do tinkering and legitimate low-cost citizen science.
But they also rely on the internet to collate their data.

https://www.partsandcrafts.org/
http://cartagen.org/
https://publiclab.org/notes/gretchengehrke/10-07-2015/intended-purposes-...
https://publiclab.org/questions/gkb/04-08-2017/data-collection-and-curat...
https://publiclab.org/notes/lenagd/01-25-2017/part-2-common-legal-issues...
https://publiclab.org/openhour
https://publiclab.org/notes/klie/02-24-2017/public-lab-community-newslet...
https://publiclab.org/wiki/health-effects-lit-review
https://publiclab.org/wiki/literature-review
https://datasociety.net/
https://publiclab.org/wiki/public-lab-cartography-collective
https://publiclab.org/wiki/mapping-the-waste-stream-of-southern-california
https://publiclab.org/wiki/touch-collect-display-order-measure-map-infla...
https://publiclab.org/wiki/how-to-get-involved-with-public-lab-illustrated
https://mapknitter.org/
https://spectralworkbench.org/
https://publiclab.org/wiki/public-lab-five-year-retrospective-by-shannon...
http://www.joaap.org/issue8/GrassrootsMapping.htm

ClareBroommaker's picture

ClareBroommaker

Wed, 05/24/2017 - 12:03

Here's another.

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects

People powered research in a variety of subjects. I'm not at all familiar with this site, but came across it in Radiations, official publication of Sigma Pi Sigma, the physics honor society. The project being described therein was:

"Join the citizen science project searching for signs of Planet Nine....You don't need an astronomy background or clear skies...just a computer, internet connection.... 30,000 citizens scientists are participating in a search effort called Backyard Worlds: Planet Nine.

Computers are expert at processing and sorting...but there are still some cases, like this one, in which human eyes are better. Computers can get distracted by unrelated but especially bright stars or blurry objects.... Humans are more drawn to movement.

...you'll view these 'flip books' as short videos and watch for spots of light that move.... If you find a mover, you 'flag' it...check whether it has already been catalogued.... Given what astronomers know is out there, you can expect about one mover per 60 videos."

Info on same project is also at www.backyardworlds.org

As for me, I wold be more interested in biological projects. Some of those can be found at Zooniverse, too.