CITIZEN SCIENCE & AMATEUR RESEARCH
Archive for August, 2008
High-tech Amateur Research Investigates Fish DNA in NYC
Aug 30, 2008
This summer, two recent graduates of Trinity School in Manhattan conducted an impressive research program of amateur science that might send food critics and restaurateurs rolling through the streets of New York City.
And, if you happened to click on the school’s link above you will notice that we’re talking about high school students!
Using a recently developed technique called DNA bar coding, a species can be identified by looking at a single gene without the need to sequence the entire genome. So, Kate Stoeckle and Louisa Strauss went out into the city and ate a lot of sushi and preserved a bit of each sample to send off to a lab for testing. At the University of Guelph in Ontario, a graduate student who works in the “Fish Bar Code of Life” project completed the genetic analysis and compared the results to the thousands of fish species already identified in their database.
Read more about how the two young citizen scientists became interested in sushi ID’ing and what they discovered…
“Fish Tale Has DNA Hook: Students Find Bad Labels” :: The New York Times :: August 21, 2008 :: [ READ ]
Bar code of Life Database [ VISIT ]
Watch the Evening Star throughout the Fall and Winter
Aug 29, 2008
The classic “evening star”, Venus (more), is now beginning to make its twinkling debut, and will be a beautiful sparkle to watch throughout the Fall and Winter seasons. Extremely visible to the unaided eye, Venus is a great celestial object for novice sky-watchers to begin learning how to track and enjoy observing the night sky.
Joe Rao, writing for Space.com, provides a nice overview of the Venus experience for 2008-2009… so, grab your binoculars, telescope, or just your family for an evening stroll through the neighborhood and check out the twinkle of Venus this Fall.
“Doorstep Astronomy: Venus Shines Bright” :: Space.com :: August 26, 2008 :: [ READ ]
Professional Ecologists Begin to take Citizen Science Seriously
Aug 27, 2008
As previously reported in the DPRI AmSci Journal (read), this year’s Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting had an wonderfully fresh emphasis on the opportunities for and importance of citizen science.
A professional in the field, Nalini Nadkarni, wrote a nice commentary for The Olympian that describes the new, broad applications for amateur research. The author also remarks on the absolutely critical task of scientists to work toward bring a wider understanding of how our universe functions to a larger audience.
We feel at DPRI that this is a fundamental need, and we’re so excited to see more professional researchers (who are often so buried in their instruments that go “ping!”) are taking seriously the need to bring their work to the masses. This is why we are trying to support citizen science opportunities and are working to bring more people into the world of science… we don’t expect everyone to delve so deep into science that it overtakes their lives, but just enough to increase our appreciation of our amazing universe and to have a bit more understanding of how things really work.
“Opening academia to families, civilians new trend in science” :: The Olympian :: August 27, 2008 :: [ READ ]
Vacationing Data Collectors Track Migrating Whale Sharks
Aug 25, 2008
We’re going to the ocean for vacation this year! … and we’ll do some scuba diving … and we’ll take pictures of the elusive whale shark … and we’ll submit the photographs to researchers to help monitor migration behavior!
Learn more about the whale shark
This is exactly the expectation of vacationers from the scientists working with ECOCEAN, who have already collected over 17,000 photos of whale sharks from over 1,400 citizen science contributors. This exciting database uses sophisticated image analysis software to help identify the whale sharks. Developed by NASA and Zaven Arzoumanian and originally used for star mapping, the software can map out the unique white spot pattern found on the whale shark.
So, if you are planning a vacation to the ocean in the near future, or if you are already an avid scuba diver and have seen a whale shark while swimming around, then check out ECOCEAN and join the program to contribute your valuable photos.
“NASA Tool Helps Track Whale Sharks, Polar Bears” :: National Geographic News :: August 25, 2008 :: [ READ ]
ECOCEAN Whaleshark Photo-identification Library [ VISIT ]
A Fabrication Laboratory for the Masses
Aug 24, 2008
The Fab Lab from MIT is the ultimate at-home kit for the do-it-yourself amateur scientists and technologist. Complete with CAD/CAM design software, laser cutter, miniature mill, and much more… the Fab Lab operator can design and develop nearly anything that can be imagined.
Sure, the price tag sits at a steep $50,000, so not many will be going into the garage of the average citizen scientist, but this is certainly a wonderful start to expanding the reach of opportunities for technological innovation.
Developed by the MIT physicist, Neil Gershenfeld, the Fab Lab has been set up for at least 26 different clients all over the globe. The primary target market right now for the program is small-scale, local entrepreneurs, who need a complete rapid prototyping environment to support innovative technology development in small business. The long-term goal, however, is to continue developing the concept for a much broader audience that might some day emulate the infamous “Star Trek Replicator“.
In all seriousness, the Fab Lab could be in the reach of a larger collective of citizen scientists who could pool together personal financing, donations, and organized non-profit funding to bring the ambitious and highly-educational lab to local groups of amateurs. Maybe in the very near future we will see local amateur research groups imagining, developing, and creating new, innovative technologies that could be launched into the marketplace. With a little collective help–something citizen scientists do best–the Fab Lab might be the ticket to bringing the amateur to the next level in research and development opportunities.
“Invention kits let you build (almost) anything” :: MSNBC.com :: August 21, 2008 :: [ READ ]
“What is a Fab Lab?” from the MIT CBA Educational Outreach Program :: [ READ ]
The Fab Lab Program at MIT [ VISIT ]
Successful Audubon Society Chapter in Forsyth County
Aug 22, 2008
The local Audubon Society of Forsyth County in North Carolina has been successfully active since 1973, and if you live in the area you should consider joining the chapter. With citizen science programs and surveys sponsored throughout the year, the chapter also holds monthly “public bird walks,” which would be a wonderful opportunity for enthusiasts to learn more about the natural habitats in the county.
They also take part in the National Audubon Society’s Important Bird Area with their “adoptions” of Hanging Rock and New River State Parks.
“Audubon chapter is dedicated to helping birds” :: Winston-Salem Journal :: August 19, 2008 :: [ READ FEATURE ARTICLE ]
Learn more about the chapter…
[ VISIT the Audubon Society of Forsyth County ]
Help Track the Fall Migration of the Monarch Butterfly
Aug 20, 2008
Image from Wikipedia: Monarch Butterfly
The great Fall migration of the Monarch Butterfly has begun. You may soon see hundreds of butterflies fluttering overhead has they instinctively navigate their way to the very same spot in Mexico where their parents left from last spring… they’ve never been there before, but they somehow know exactly where to go… one of twelve isolated mountain tops in central Mexico.
Join the citizen science program with Journey North and help track the observations of the flight of the butterfly. Starting August 28 through the arrival of the Monarchs in Mexico by the end of October, the program will post weekly news updates of the migration progress. This will certainly be an interesting and exciting process to follow, so DPRI AmSci Journal will also be keeping an eye on the flight in our Today’s Science News section!
Journey North: Monarch Butterfly Fall Migration Program [ VISIT ]
Register to Watch and Report your Butterfly Observations [ JOIN ]
