Here’s Sarah with a fascinating update to one of her previous posts.
You may recall one of my posts from a few months ago where I encouraged everyone to become involved in CureTogether. (To summarize, CureTogether is a collaboration of people from around the world volunteering to solve real problems by reporting information about their chronic conditions. Patients self-report and rate symptoms and treatments for over 360 conditions. The top conditions at CureTogether are depression, anxiety, migraine, back pain, and vulvodynia.) I am pleased to report that I just received an e-mail from Alex Carmichael, one of the co-founders of CureTogether, with some fabulous news about the success of their citizen science projects.
According to Alex, after an analysis of data reported by 324 patients at CureTogether, patients who report infertility are 1.9x more likely to report having asthma than patients who don’t report infertility. Within the 34 people reporting infertility, 13 (38%) reported having asthma (the remaining 21 out of 34 specifically said they did NOT have asthma). Within the 290 people reporting “no infertility”, 58 (20%) reported having asthma (the remaining 232 specifically reported NOT having asthma). This 38% vs. 20% relative risk is statistically significant, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.4 – 2.6.
This finding is really important because using only user-reported data, CureTogether has confirmed the infertility-asthma association that has only been explored previously in clinical studies such as the ones I have listed below:
4. A big cohort study in the UK found no link between fertility and allergy-related diseases but also said that with asthma in particular there was a different relationship to fertility than with eczema and hay fever.
Obviously, this is a big step for citizen science – REAL disease correlations being confirmed just by people answering a few health questions. I encourage you all to log on to the CureTogether website and take a few moments to report data of your own! In the meantime, I have no doubts that they will continue to have more success to share with us in the coming months…
Do you ever wonder what is really coming out of the faucet when you turn on your water? If you participate in World Water Monitoring Day on September 18, you will be one step closer to finding out! World Water Monitoring Day is an international education and outreach program that protects the quality of local water resources around the world by enlisting citizen volunteers to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies. This project is organized by the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA), and they hope to expand participation to one million people in 100 countries by 2012.
Though there are celebrations being held in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta this year on September 18, anyone can organize their own event right in their neighborhood. An easy-to-use test kit enables everyone from children to adults to sample local water bodies for a core set of water quality parameters including temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO). Each test kit, which is recommended to be used in a group of no more than 5-10 people, contains:
1 Instruction booklet (English/Spanish)
1 Sample collection jar
1 pH test tube
1 Dissolved oxygen vial
1 Secchi disk decal
2 Temperature strips (14-40°C and 0-12°C)
50 pH reagent tablets (enough for 50 tests)
100 Dissolved oxygen reagent tablets (enough for 50 tests)
1 Color chart for determining DO, pH and turbidity test results
1 Mini pencil
1 Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
The results of the study are then reported through the World Water Monitoring Day website. Though World Water Monitoring Day is officially celebrated on September 18, the monitoring window has extended for the first time this year from March 22 (World Water Day) until December 31. Participants are encouraged to celebrate anytime during the extended window, making this a perfect project for classrooms this fall! (All the materials are even included, so schools and/or their teachers will not have to shell out extra dollars for supplies.)
PROJECT SNAPSHOT:
Topics: water, analytical chemistry
Location: at home, close to home
Duration: until December 31, but if you are going to a local river or stream, probably in the warmer months!
From Sarah: This photo was taken while I was painting ceramics by the beach of our Cancun resort…and I’m sure you observant readers can detect the sunburn on my face even though we had only been outside for 30 minutes. (And by the way, don’t think I wasn’t coated in SPF 50 sunscreen!) I am not one of those lucky people that can tan easily…or at all. My skin is two colors: as close to albino white you can get without being clinically albino, or bright red…and so, I am indebted to the folks at the Maryland Science Center for studying those pesky UV rays.
Earth by Aura is an ongoing research program sponsored by NASA and the Maryland Science Center that focuses on determining how accurate forecasters are at predicting the daily UV index. Citizen scientist researchers go out into Baltimore’s Inner Harbor daily to take UV radiation readings and interact with other citizens, encouraging them to protect themselves from UV radiation and to get involved with the project. (more…)
Proteus Gowanus is calling all citizen scientists in the area to help them map out the distribution of crickets and katydids throughout the five boroughs of New York City on September 11, 2009 (rain date: September 12, 2009) from dusk to 1:00 am. Crickets and katydids, like many of the other natural creatures I have blogged about in the past, are part of urban ecosystems, but are fading fast as their resources disappear. Creating a distribution map of their locations through New York City will speak volumes about the types of habitats needed to sustain their survival.
Very little training is required to discern a cricket call versus that of a katydid, but the organizers will be providing a brief online training for participants prior to the crawl, as well as in-person demonstrations at the headquarters before the crawl begins. Throughout the evening, volunteers would listen for the calls of crickets and katydids and document their observations with pencil and paper. (Or, those citizen scientists that are more technically saavy than I am can ditch their pencil and paper and submit their findings via text messaging for real-time analyses at Cricket Crawl headquarters.)
Signing up for the crawl is easy! Just e-mail cricket_crawl@yahoo.com for more details. Also, if you are interested in volunteering beyond just recording the calls of crickets, you can play a larger role in the organization of Cricket Crawl by creating a Cricket Crawl website, Facebook page, or a Twitter network. And for those citizen scientists with an artistic side, Proteus Gowanus is also looking for artists to create pieces in connection with the crawl that could be posted in an online gallery. Interested artists should e-mail info@proteusgowanus.com for more details.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT:
Topics: crickets, urban ecosystems
Location: at home or close to home, if you live in NYC
Duration: one starry night, from dusk to 1 am
Cost: free or low cost
Gear: pencil and paper, and/or a phone with text messaging capability
A first-person account of a citizen science project, from our very own, Georgette.
Last weekend, I gave my first go at searching for ladybugs to photograph for the Lost Ladybug Project. The project looks for local evidence of a few native species of ladybugs that have become quite rare in recent years, being quickly replaced by more exotic species. Ladybugs are important and beneficial predators; they eat harmful insects like aphids that damage plants. This project aims to collect photographs and raise awareness for the many important questions this change poses for agriculture like, Will these new exotic species be less able to protect farms from harmful insects?
The site provides tons of useful and interesting information, from how to make your own sweep net, to illustrated ladybug identification pictures, to bookmarks, pamphlets and even a coloring book page for kids to join in on the fun!
I set out on my expedition on Saturday, heading for the BioPond at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Ripe with beautiful greenery and wildlife, I figured this was a sure spot for finding some spotted friends. With sweep net and bug box in hand I searched the area, but was unsuccessful. My lack of success continued for the next two days. Despite having certainly seen ladybugs in Philadelphia, finding them out in the wild seemed to be quite a challenge. Perhaps they really are disappearing?!
My search will certainly continue. I’ve planted some cilantro and fennel in my own garden to attract the lovely critters (ladybugs are particularly fond of those herbs). In any case, I had fun and learned a lot about ladybugs in the process. If you happen to come across a ladybug, scoop it up and snap some pictures to send in to the Lost Ladybug Project. Send us (Science Cheerleader) your thoughts on the experience as well. And I’ll leave you with this lovely ladybug tune.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT:
Topics: ladybugs, nature, outdoors
Location: anywhere
Duration: any
Cost: free
Gear: sweep net (wire hanger, pillowcase, duct tape), camera
If you’re near Durham, NC this weekend (July 19), join the Plant Stalkers training session and help track and monitor invasive species of plants near the Eno River. Invasive plants range from those that do not provide adequate shelter or food for local animals to those that actually harm native plants. Watch the Plant Stalkers in action then join in on the hunt! Look for Japanese Stiltgrass, Privet trees, English Ivy, Chinese Lespedeza and other invasive species and then mark the location with a GPS device. They’ll provide instruction in finding the plants, using GPS and submitting your data through Google Earth…and even certify you to contribute to the project on your own!
Project Snapshot:
Topics: citizen science, plants, nature
Location: involves a trip
Duration: several hours
Cost: free or low cost
Gear: GPS device (you can also borrow one of theirs), computer
Cornell Lab of Ornithology presents this year’s contest in Celebrating Urban Birds, Funky Nests in Funky Places! Do some bird-watching and get creative with a photo, painting, quilt, sculpture, story…or any other medium that inspires you. And if the thought of getting outside and getting those creative juices flowing wasn’t enough, they’re giving away some great prizes like a digital camera, signed birding books, and HUMM hummingbird feeder!
Here’s Dr. John, with a new twist on the classic game of Frogger.
The Vancouver Aquarium has re-imagined the classic arcade game, Frogger, to better reflect the global decline in the amphibian population. The new version, Frogster, retains the spirit of the original game (e.g., horrendous controls and even more horrendous graphics) but now offers a myriad of new dangers, including loss of habitat, pesticides, pollution, and other human factors. The game also provides informative “Did you know?” facts about the amphibian population; for instance, did you know that air pollution is deadly because frogs breathe through their skin? Neither did I!
Frogster is advertised as “The Hardest Game You’ll Ever Play”, and they aren’t kidding. Navigating through car exhaust, polluted water, and human interference is a lot harder when you’re a helpless little frog. In fact, it was so frustrating to watch my frogs repeatedly drowned or flattened by oncoming traffic that I was compelled to help.
FrogWatch USA makes it easy! Since 1998, they’ve leveraged citizen scientists to monitor the health and behavior of various frog species around the country. In as little as 20 minutes a week, you can monitor frogs and toads in your own neighborhood wetlands and help scientists develop practical ways to help conserve these important animals. You can even learn to make your own frog calls — great fun at parties!
So play Frogster, get motivated, and let’s start monitoring some frogs!
Take it away, Dr. John! One of my favorite video games growing up was The Incredible Machine. This 2-D puzzle game required the player to organize a series of common household items into an absurdly complex contraption to perform a simple action (e.g., turn on a light). The playing field included both fixed and movable objects, all of which interacted through simulated physics of gravity, air pressure, heat, and contact. It was incredibly fun, and I was incredibly horrible at it. I have been looking for redemption ever since.
Recently, my colleague Bioephemera introduced me to Crayon Physics, an innovative physics puzzle game that relies on nothing but your imagination, creativity, and ability to wield a miniature crayon. Watch the video above and check out the demo – you can get familiar with the basic maneuvers and even create your own levels. If you’re interested in a real challenge, Crayon Physics Deluxe is now available for a nominal fee.
I can’t promise that you’ll learn much about actual physics, nor can I promise that you will atone for past failings like me. What I can promise you is heaps of fun, over 70 different puzzles, and the opportunity to create and share your own levels over the Internet. I can also promise you a bizarre musical arrangement that mixes Gregorian chanting with that relaxing music you always hear during deep tissue massages. Thankfully, this imaginary world of oddball physics also includes volume control.
…how about classifying a few while you’re gazing? SCOPE, or Stellar Classification Online Public Exploration, needs the help of citizen scientists to observe stars and compare their features to the sun. The gases on the outer visible surface of the star absorb the light emitted from the inside of the star, and these absorption spectra are collected by a prism placed in front of a telescope lens. These absorption spectra can vary with temperature and the composition of the gases on the star’s outer surface.
Spectra of stars that are currently not classified are made available online by PARI volunteers for comparison to stars that have already been classified. Interested participants can read their science information section to learn more about stars and their spectra. There is a also a special tutorial section where new users can learn what a typical star’s spectra looks like and how it can be classified.
Many thanks to Christi Whitworth for bringing such a neat project to our attention. (Remember readers, if you have any projects to suggest, use this link!)
A first-person account of a citizen science project, from our very own, 
