This is a USDA supported project that aims to better understand the spread of invasive plants in forested parklands that have high conservation value and high levels of public use. There is very little information about this in our region, which makes it difficult for park managers to determine the magnitude of the problem or how to manage it. Citizen volunteers help us to gather data on infestation during hikes on trails in areas of concern.
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Rutgers UniversityNew York-New Jersey Trail Conference
California NatureMapping is starting up through individual Centers that are trained and supported by the National NatureMapping Program. The goals are the same to link natural resource agencies with citizens and schools through biodiversity data collection and analyses. Currently, K-12 students are the main focus for NatureMapping training and local research projects. These projects include inventorying and monitoring wildlife through the Fresno County Schools and bioblitzes and tracking in the Bay area.
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Karen DvornichRiekes Center for Human EnhancementScout Island Education Center
resourceresearchProfessional Development, Conferences, and Networks
This discussion was held during the final plenary session on day three of the Citizen Science Toolkit Conference at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on June 20-23, 2007. Topics discussed include citizen science as a new field or discipline, the science role that citizen scientists play, next steps, issues to consider, suggestions, and developing (or not) a shared data infrastructure.
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Cathy McEverCornell Lab of Ornithology
This PDF includes a synthesis of presentations and discussions that took place at the Engaging and Learning for Conservation Workshop on Public Participation in Scientific Research, held at the American Museum of Natural History on April 7 & 8, 2011. Working in design studio mode, participants break into small groups to focus on areas of interest and issues of concern that lend themselves to a PPSR approach. In the process of designing potential PPSR projects to address these topics, the goal is to keep conservation at the forefront, to apply and test the steps generated during the previous
Washington NatureMapping links natural resource agencies with citizens and schools through biodivesity data collection and analyses. NatMappers report observations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, nearshore marine, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates either using Naturetracker data collection software on Pocket PC's or spreadsheets. NatMappers can report observations as individuals or working on field research projects through certified NatureMapping Centers. These data are used for statewide and local land planning and for communities to learn what in their own backyards.
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University of WashingtonWashington Department of Fish and WildlifePacific Education InstituteKevin Dvornich
This is the opening talk of the session titled "Technology and Cyberinfrastructure," delivered on day two of the Citizen Science Toolkit Conference at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York on June 20-23, 2007. Steve Kelling, Director of Information Science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, discuss hows advances in technology impact citizen science projects. Kelling uses the eBird project as an exemplar developed within an enterprise application framework. Kelling discusses the need for collaborative project development and lessons learned.
The Virginia Master Naturalist program is a corps of well-trained volunteers conducting natural resource education, citizen science, and stewardship projects in their communities for the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Michelle PrysbyVirginia Department of Conservation and RecreationVirginia Department of Game and Inland FisheriesVirginia Department of ForestryVirginia Museum of Natural History
Kansas teachers participate in workshops at Konza Prairie on prairie ecology and long-term data collection. They choose a native prairie site near their school where students can collect data annually. This real world research experience allows students to use their own data and data collected by other schools and in previous years for comparison in classroom units developed by their teachers. Student collected data is added to our databases on the Internet and is available for use in any classroom. Several activities are offered to fit the class curriculum.
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Konza Prairie Biological StationValerie Wright
Observations taken each year at the same place over a long period of time are valuable for showing phenological trends. The Konza Environmental Education Program (KEEP) began recording phenological events at Konza Prairie several years ago, and those observations are posted on the KEEP website. “What’s Blooming?” lists the procession of native plant species in bloom, and “Who’s Here?” lists the first sightings of the most common birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects that migrate, hibernate or otherwise appear on the landscape after an absence. A phenology database is available for each of the animal groups and also for plants that are commonly found on Konza Prairie in Kansas. These lists are not exhaustive but represent those plants and animals easily observed or abundant. The data added by volunteers and students becomes part of a long-term data set to show trends and relationships among plants or animals across Kansas. Phenology of the tallgrass prairie is observed by volunteers annually for the last eight yeas for the plant community and for the last five years for animals.
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Konza Prairie Biological StationValerie Wright
This article features critiques of the Darwin Centre, a state-of-the-art science and collection facility at the Natural History Museum in London. Stephen Pizzey, Director (and Founder) of Science Projects in London, Ian Simmons, Science Communication Director at the Centre for LIfe in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and Harry White, Science Centre Consultant at Techniquest in Cardiff, Wales, UK, share their analysis of the exhibition and assess its strengths and weaknesses.
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Stephen PizzeyIan SimmonsHarry White
In this article, Jenni Martin, Director of Education at Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose, describes how and why her team developed a new exhibit, "The Wonder Cabinet" for children ages 4 and under and accompanying adults. Martin outlines the design process associated with this exhibit, noting challenges and best practices.