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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Environmental researchers from the University of Southern Australia are soliciting assistance from citizen scientists to help better understand the still mysterious behavior of the possum. Because the animal lives among and shares space with humans, it's difficult to track and monitor their behavior without trespassing and interfering with the neighborhood.

So, Professor Chris Daniels has set up a brief on line survey for locals to submit observations--including the lack of observations--of the possum population. With the critical assistance from citizen science, he hopes to gain new insight into the population distribution of possums and how people manage their interactions with the creature.

The AmSci Journal has reported on plenty of wonderful citizen science projects from watching fireflies to monitoring plant growth in your own backyard, but now this is some serious amateur research... build your own fusion reactor.

Harnessing the power of nuclear fusion--forcing two or more atoms together so close that they join to create a new, heavier nucleus, and release a ton of energy at the same time--has been the holy grail in nuclear energy research since the 1950s... after uncontrolled nuclear fusion was used to create the powerful hydrogen bomb. Fusion is the process that powers the stars in our universe, and it does not result in piles of radioactive waste that will take eons to decay. So, if nuclear fusion can be generated in the lab and the released energy efficiently exported, then energy for civilian usage could become incredibly cheaper and infinitely safer for our environment.

This noble task has been taken on by a close-knit group of nearly one hundred amateur scientists around the world, many of whom have already built at least one version of a fusion reactor in their home laboratory (i.e., basement, attic, or garage).

Read the following story on Kit Hull and Frank Sanns featured in The Wall Street Journal, and see how amazing the amateur research community can be.

And check out some of the efforts from the "big boys"...

Just completing its second summer of data collection, a great new program brings citizen scientists from across the country to report observations on life cycle events from plants in their own backyard. The program called Project BudBurst is lead by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and the National Phenology Network, and collects information on the timing of the first bud, first flower, and seed dispersal for plants.

Visit Project BudBurst to learn more about the research, download the program activity guide, and plan to submit your critical observations for next year's cycle in Spring 2009.

Frogs make music ... and like any great sonorous pattern, one only has to learn more and experience a little to appreciate it as true music. This is what University of Nebraska-Lincoln herpetologist Dennis Ferraro is trying to support with his compilation of "Frog Calls of Nebraska" [ order online ].

Learning the rhythms of frogs can certainly be aesthetically pleasing, but even more so a detailed knowledge of the frog language can help scientists track population trends. A decline in frog populations has become such a concern, that 2008 is the official "Year of the Frog".

Online databases exists for local regions as well as a national program supported by the National Wildlife Foundation that allow citizen scientists the opportunity to learn specific frog calls and report the findings for nation-wide monitoring systems.

Citizen scientists high up in the Rocky Mountains today were "blitz-ing" for water samples at hundreds of locations through the Rocky Mountain National Park. Researchers are massing together to monitor water conditions all over the park -- at approximately the same instant in time.

This research, which can only be accomplished with the outstanding efforts of many citizen science volunteers, will help guide professionals on understanding the greater habitat, and how and where external nutrients like fertilizers and other pollutants are affecting the environment.

During the Summer of 2009, NASA will torpedo a big barrel of metal into a forever dark spot on the Moon producing an explosion on the order of 2,000 pounds of dynamite. The Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) is designed to target a location that is permanently located in a shadow of the Sun where there is a possibility of having water ice stored at the constant estimated temperature of 40 degrees above absolute zero.

We won't actually be able to see the crash on the surface, but the plume is what is of interest ... if water ice existed in the dark spot, then it might be thrown up into the hyper-thin atmosphere and water molecules vaporized into constituent H and OH, which can then be detected by their characteristic wavelengths.

Let alone that this mission is the first critical experimental step to returning human beings to the Moon -- for permanent residence -- but, the greatest part of this lunar research program is that NASA will be scheduling the event so that amateur astronomers in Hawaii and the western United States will be able to monitor the action from their backyard telescopes (as well as professional astronomers with their multi-million dollar telescopes).

Learn more about the LCROSS mission by following the links below and find out how you can take part in the experiment. Mission scientists believe that the impact plume will be visible from amateur-class telescopes with apertures as small as 10 to 12 inches. NASA will be activity soliciting images from the public and will be posting additional information on this outstanding opportunity on their website.

DPRI AmSci Journal will keep a watch on the developments, so stay tuned! (And, be sure to register with DPRI to receive free email updates!)

A new citizen science survey of migratory birds in South Africa is being launched this week by the Ndlovu Node of the SA Environmental Observation Network. Locals will record observations of the arrival of specific species to help track the migratory behavior, which might be related to potential issues in regional climate change. In particular, as habitats change, birds will migrate to alternate areas that might better match their climate preferences.

This study is expanding on results earlier this year from the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which found significant decreases in migrations of certain bird species from Africa into Europe.

This is an update to a previously-published journal entry here in DPRI AmSci Journal on the exciting discovery of a new galactic "something-er-other" seen for the very first time by none other than a school teacher from the Netherlands.

Hanny van Arkel has been getting quite a bit of attention lately (just check out her Google search!) with her interesting observation while reviewing and classifying images of galaxies on Galaxy Zoo. The Hubble Space Telescope is also scheduled to focus in on the odd object next year.

Read the following feature from CNN, which does a nice job presenting the growing contributions of citizen scientists.

Watch Out World, now, the serious amateur researcher is making some waves!

The citizen science volunteers of the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy of Purcellville, VA recently completed their annual butterfly count. Covering 7 1/2 miles, the program records the number of butterflies found as well as the variety of species.

A few of the more rare species found this year include the Giant Swallowtail, the American Snout, and the Juniper hairstreak. The full results will be submitted to the North American Butterfly Association, which then merges it with other groups' results from across North America to produce broader butterfly species habitat and population trend maps.

Check out the NABA website for a listing of upcoming butterfly counts as well as "Butterflies I've Seen," which is a great online database for submitting your own butterfly observations.

Rise up all ye amateur scientists and join the revolution that is just beginning! A little dramatic to be sure, but right before our very eyes is an evolving wave of collective, nearly self-organized, efforts in discovery for scientific principles, mapping in natural habitats, and even individual consumer behavior.

Crowdsourcing is the notion where a large, undefined group of individuals collectively contribute to the solution of an "open call." This idea is beginning to be used by more organizations, from those who sell t-shirts to those who are searching for life in the cosmos.

The growing realization that the masses can be useful is only a boon to those who are interesting in doing real science, but are not directly implanted into the deep academic universe. There are many endeavors that require a great deal of data collection, often over vast geographical regions ,where a small team of scientists--let alone a single researcher--could never reach the the individual capabilities required to complete the task at hand. Here is where the citizen scientist comes into play: an individual who has a sincere desire and interest to learn something new and contribute meaningful information to a larger scientific program is an asset to the professional scientist with unmeasured value.

These collective efforts will not only act to drive the individual success of some academic higher into the ranks of the University (although, it will certainly help!), but they will provide critical information for a broader understanding of our universe (locally and throughout the galaxy). And -- possibly, more importantly -- these personal efforts as an amateur researcher offer grand enjoyment and education for oneself and an entire family, if the kids are allowed to join in the discovery process (and they most certainly should be a part of the experience!)

The following video clip is only a plug to present the new book by Jeff Howe called "Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business." This author has not yet read the book--it's released at the end of this month--but, it will certainly be on my short wish list for books to read by the end of the year. The video is clearly developed by a small production team and not a result of crowdsourcing efforts, but none-the-less, if does provide a great overview of the potentials and an interesting view into the future of crowdsourcing.

In an upcoming conference of the 93rd annual Ecological Society of America meeting, the USGS will be reporting on recent successes of research programs directly involving citizen scientists.

From bees, dust, and a 40-year historical overview of birding amateur science, the conference will be filled with fine examples of the productivity and effectiveness of citizen science efforts.

So, we have another positive report to the professional scientific community of how useful citizen science can be, and how we all can benefit from the personal enjoyment of amateur science while helping develop new knowledge for the greater scientific community.