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Citizen Science: Public Participation in Environmental Research

April 24, 2012 | Public Programs
Citizen science enlists members of the public to make and record useful observations, such as counting birds in their backyards, watching for the first budding leaf in spring, or measuring local snowfall. The large numbers of volunteers who participate in projects such as Project FeederWatch or Project BudBurst collect valuable research data, which, when pooled together, create an enormous body of scientific data on a vast geographic scale. In return, such projects aim to increase participants' connections to science, place, and nature, while supporting science literacy and environmental stewardship. In Citizen Science, experts from a variety of disciplines—including scientists and education specialists working at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where many large citizen science programs use birds as proxies for biodiversity—share their experiences of creating and implementing successful citizen science projects, primarily those that use massive data sets gathered by citizen scientists to better understand the impact of environmental change.

TEAM MEMBERS

  • REVISE logo
    Editor
    Cornell University
  • 2014 04 25 Bonney Rick
    Editor
    Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • Citation

    ISBN : 9780801449116
    Resource Type: Book
    Discipline: Ecology, forestry, and agriculture | Education and learning science
    Audience: General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists | Evaluators
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Citizen Science Programs

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