Science Cheerleader

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…)

In Chicago August 4-7th? Check out Georgette’s report on a citizen science workshop at the Adler Planetarium.

For 175 years scientists have been baffled by a star in the constellation of Aurigae, the charioteer.  The star is an eclipsing binary variable star, which means it circles another star around their joint center of mass.  From our perspective on Earth, there are long periods of time about every 27 years when the secondary star eclipses the other much brighter star.  Instead of appearing generally brighter from Earth, epsilon Aurigae appears dimmer.

What is this secondary star? Theories have ranged from black holes, to semitransparent stars to dark clouds of dust…

Take on the mystery of epsilon Aurigae with the American Association of Variable Star Observer’s Citizen Sky project. The project will use citizen observations to unravel the truth behind the seemingly invisible secondary star during its extremely long eclipse of epsilon Aurigae. The wealth of reading material on the Citizen Sky website is a good place to start if you’ve never done any observation before, I personally recommend walking through the 10 star training and then reading the section on “Visual Observing” to learn how to estimate the brightness of a star (its easy!). As the summer progresses, more information will be added about submitting your data and how to analyze your results in preparation for the Fall and Winter, when epsilon Aurigae will be visible to the naked eye in the Northern hemisphere. If you’re in the Chicago area, the first workshop will be taking place at the Adler Planetarium from August 4th-7th, 2009.  If not, follow along through the forums and blog, all located off of the main Citizen Sky website.

Project Snapshot:
Topics: astronomy, citizen science
Location: from anywhere
Duration: Fall-Winter, as long as you want
Cost: free
Gear: computer to submit results, telescope (not required)
Level of Difficulty: can be easy or difficult, depending on your level of involvement

Doesn’t it always seem like clocks tick faster during the summer?  This summer is already halfway over, and I have been trying to make the most of the warm (and humid!), sunshine-filled weather before it is sweater season once again.  One of my favorite outdoor activities is hiking with my husband David, and shown in this photo is one of the many gorges found on the trails of Watkins Glen State Park, in Watkins Glen, NY.  There is sometimes no better escape from our technologically-driven universe than spending 1-2 hours among the very best things biology has to offer, like trees and waterfalls.

Nature Rocks, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging families to explore nature together, agrees with me.  Their webpage is one of the most comprehensive guides to experiencing the outdoors I have found so far.  Not only do they have an application that helps users “find nature” by searching their zip code for different types of outdoor activities, but they also have a searchable database of science experiments and activities that are both fun and educational for kids of all ages.

Join Nature Rocks! on Facebook and you can benefit from live user comments and activity suggestions.  One activity suggested this week by a Nature Rocks! reader was, “Take your kids on a tour of your neighborhood with a sketchbook in hand so that they can draw their favorite plants and animals.”  What a great idea!  Not only will they get to spend some time outside, but they will also practice making observations and recording them (and bonus – your refrigerator will get redecorated in the process)!  Adults are never too old to join in this kind of fun either; I actually did something similar in my freshman year biology course while visiting a park near my school’s campus, though I was restricted to drawing certain kinds of plants.  Though I had gone on several Saturday morning distance runs through this very same park previously, I noticed birds and flowers on this class trip that I had never seen during all of those workouts.  It’s amazing what lowering the intensity of your life can do for your observation skills!

Nature Rocks was founded by the Children & Nature Network and ecoAmerica, and has been brought to life through partnerships with The Nature Conservancy, REI, the Flora Family Foundation, and American Camp Association.  If you are interested in getting involved in their cause by promoting just how much nature rocks, submit your own ideas (or family memories) for outdoor activities on their Facebook page or contact info@naturerocks.org.

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
• Level of Difficulty: easy

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

Level of Difficulty: easy

A citizen science alert from Georgette.

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

Level of Difficulty: easy

Here’s a citizen science report from Dr. John Ohab!

Let’s talk about things that frighten me and start with the mysterious creatures of the deep. I mean, really — surviving under extreme pressures and temperatures, often without sunlight, in a hostile ocean environment where you might very well be someone else’s dinner? We’ve all seen Pirates of the Caribbean. Creepy.

Still, someone needs to ensure that the marine environment is protected from various human pressures like pollution and over-fishing. That person is just not me.

That’s why I’m asking YOU to go down there on my behalf as part of Earth Dive, a global citizen science project that calls on recreational scuba divers and snorkelers to monitor the ocean for key indicator species.

When you participate in Earth Dive, your observations are recorded in a special database, called the Global Dive Log, and accessible through a clever Google mapping interface. Over time, observations are aggregated to create a Global Snapshot of the state of the world’s oceans. You can also use the satellite map feature to look for your house, which is totally cool. Importantly, everyone who contributes data is automatically added to a petition demanding that policymakers take action.

Earth Dive is what I like to call a win-win-win situation. I don’t have to be in the ocean; your hobby provides a sense of personal enrichment; and we all work together to monitor and conserve marine life on this planet.

• Topics: ocean, diving, science policy, citizen science
• Location: involves a trip
• Duration: several hours
• Cost: fee or cost
• Gear: scuba gear, snorkel, swimsuit, computer
• Level of Difficulty: difficult

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!

PROJECT SNAPSHOT:

Topics: bird-watching

Location: anywhere

Duration: until July 31st, 2009

Cost: free

Gear: whatever you choose!

Level of Difficulty: easy

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!

• Topics: frogs
• Location: neighborhood
• Duration: 20 minutes or more
• Cost: low cost
• Gear: pencil, flashlight, thermometer, watch
• Level of Difficulty: easy

Squirrels live in small areas of our neighborhoods year round and don’t hibernate, though they often go unnoticed as we humans carry on our daily lives.  However, you might say that squirrels and people have a lot more in common than any of us probably realize when we see one interrupting our picnics or scurrying across a sidewalk.  Like us, squirrels are creatures of habit, using the same sources of food, water, and shelter almost every day in order to survive.  By studying the appearance of squirrels, scientists also gain a lot more insight into our own habitats.  If squirrel populations fluctuate over the course of a year, this can tell a story about the changing ecology of a neighborhood.

Project Squirrel, a project sponsored by the Chicago Academy of the Sciences and the University of Illinois of Chicago, is trying to understand urban squirrel biology as applied to a larger “urban game park,” including everything from squirrels to migratory birds, nocturnal mammals, and secretive reptiles and amphibians.

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