Juliana Vievering – Citizen Science Today

Grizz Tracker

Grizz Tracker Project — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:00:14 +0000

Grizz Tracker was developed in partnership with Peace Region’s Operations Division staff, Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) in collaboration with industrial stakeholders (Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd., Boucher Bro Lumber Ltd., Canfor, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Manning Diversified Forest Products) and the Miistakis Institute to enable industrial personal working in the Lower Peace Region to collect sightings information on grizzly bears. The...

Alien megastructure? Nothing to see around formerly weird star, scientists say

Alan Boyle — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:30:52 +0000

Recent infrared observations of a star that once showed a pattern of weird dimming have turned up no anomalous readings, astronomers say – and that supports the view that a comet blitz rather than the construction of an alien megastructure was behind the earlier observations. The latest evidence, laid out in a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal...

Editor’s Choice: Can kids do citizen science?

Roberta Kwok — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:30:46 +0000

We’re all used to citizen science projects that aim at education, or at producing scientific value, but the combination – especially involving groups of young children – remains incredibly difficult to pull off. The ‘Blackawton Bees’ study is a touchstone for much of my thinking, but hasn’t been replicated in the UK and required a...

Saving Bees with Surveillance

Sam Goldman — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:30:37 +0000

A new project called EyesOnHives has beekeepers buzzing. Developed by Santa Barbara–based Keltronix, Inc., the technology uses video to monitor hive activity in order to keep track of its health. A rapid decline in the insects’ population in recent years has concerned and at times baffled scientists and bee enthusiasts. EyesOnHives trains a camera-like device on...

Building Community Protocols with the Ashaninka from Apiwtxa

Carolina Comandulli — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:30:24 +0000

The community protocol meeting for the Ashaninka Land Monitoring Project happened on September 5, in Apiwtxa village, with the participation of the community, of the anthropologist Carolina Comandulli representing the Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS) research group, and of the partner organization Comissão Pró-Índio do Acre (CPI-AC). In the morning, the anthropologist presented to everyone what...

The nappy science gang who took on the NHS

Sophia Collins — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 16:30:14 +0000

“I appreciate your evidence-based approach.” I said recently, in a heated discussion about washing nappies, “But while the NHS recommends using non-bio detergents on baby clothes, you aren’t likely to convince the whole country to change its view.” “Yeah,” said a colleague, “getting the NHS to change their views on anything is like trying to...

Citizen Science Informs Bird Feeder Dilemma

Jonathan Trinastic — Tue, 01 Dec 2015 10:30:22 +0000

If you enjoy turkey this Thanksgiving, take a moment to think not about the bird on your plate but rather the birds outside your home. With increasing urbanization taking away more natural habitat, local wildlife is having difficulty finding food. Bird feeders have become a popular way for homeowners to help local wildlife and contribute to...

Quality is a verb: the operationalization of data quality in a citizen science community

S. Andrew Sheppard and Loren Terveen — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 16:00:55 +0000

Abstract: Citizen science is becoming more valuable as a potential source of environmental data. Involving citizens in data collection has the added educational benefits of increased scientific awareness and local ownership of environmental concerns. However, a common concern among domain experts is the presumed lower quality of data submitted by volunteers. In this paper, we...

Citizen Science You Can Wear

Best in Latest — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 16:00:52 +0000

This week we are proud to be joined by guest blogger “Best in Latest”. With the recent popular interest in wearable technologies the potential for a dancing citizen science grows. So today she looks at many of these exciting possibilities for us.Wearables for Citizen Science – What Does it Mean to Us? The rise in...

Open Ecology and Conservation with Shah Selbe – The Open Knowledge Cast

Alex Fink, Adam Terlson, and guest Shah Selbe — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 16:00:42 +0000

This interview is with Shah Selbe. Shah is a National Geographic Explorer and, with colleagues at Nat Geo and elsewhere, is helping to shape the fields of open ecology and open conservation. As he says, he’s an engineer developing technologies to help with our greatest conservation challenges. In this interview, Adam Terlson and I interview Shah...