Post on 13-Jul-2015
transcript
How to Run an Effective Citizen Science Activity
Eileen Kane, Communications Director, Desert Rivers Audubon,Eileen.Kane@DesertRiversAudubon.org
Mike McBeath, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, m.m@asu.edu
Robert McCord, Arizona Museum of Natural History, Robert.McCord@mesaaz.gov
Eric M. Proctor, Wildlife Education Coordinator, Arizona Game and Fish Department ,
EProctor@azgfd.govConstance E. Walker, Senior Science Education
Specialist, NOAO, cwalker@noao.eduSummer Waters, Water Resource Extension Agent,
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Maricopa County,swaters@cals.arizona.edu
#CitizenScience
Citizen Science: “The systematic collection and analysis of data; development of technology; testing of natural phenomena; and the dissemination of these activities by researchers on a primarily avocational basis,“ or "public participation in scientific research.“ OpenScientist.org
OwlWatch volunteers from Desert Rivers Audubon monitor the artificial urban burrowing owl habitat installation at Zanjero Park, Gilbert. Christmas Bird
Count, December 14, 2012-
January 5, 2013
in Arizona
eBird data for Lucy’s Warbler sightings, South Central AZ.
November-April, $15, research kit.
Running an Effective
Citizen Science Study
Michael K. McBeathDepartment of Psychology and adjunct in
Neuroscience / Kinesiology / Electrical Engineering / Arts, Media, and Engineering
Mike erroneously
assumes that doing a
skateboarding study
will make people
think that he’s cool.
Popular Misconceptions of How Science Works
Best Practices of Science Studies at Public Events
1. Keep it simple, only test simple, straight hypotheses
2. Pick an interesting topic or no one will help facilitate
3. Get permission from all institutions and participants (IRB & consent)
4. Don’t compromise scientific integrity, but otherwise “go with the flow”
5. Be ethical, the reputations of you, the institutions, and science are at stake
Definition of Science:Study of the lawful behavior of natural phenomena
Strong scientific research requires the following (OPTIC):
Observation
Prediction
Testing
Interpretation
Communication
Science typically requires a Control Comparison
“There are three types of people in the world,
those that can count and those that can’t.”
Kissers favor leaning right
Right-Handers and Americans Favor Heading Right
Güntürkün, O. (2003). Adult persistence of
head turning asymmetry, Nature, 421, 711.
Scharine, A.A. & McBeath. M.K. (2002). Right handers and Americans
favor turning to the right. Human Factors, 44(1), 248-256.
Walk down aisle and
indicate color of sticky
note hidden at the end.
Testing Kids at the
Renaissance Fair
Does pre-swinging a weighted baseball bat increase bat speed at the plate?
Collecting data at the SciTech/Scottsdale
2012 Science of Baseball Festival(Richard Hinrichs and Michael McBeath)
1. Volunteer subjects overwhelmingly believed they
swung faster following practice with weighted bats.
2. Speedgun results indicated reliably slower initial
swings following weighted bat practice (several mph).
Best Practices of Science Studies at Public Events
1. Keep it simple, only test simple, straight hypotheses
2. Pick an interesting topic or no one will help facilitate
3. Get permission from all institutions and participants (IRB & consent)
4. Don’t compromise scientific integrity, but otherwise “go with the flow”
5. Be ethical, the reputations of you, the institutions, and science are at stake
START
FINISH
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80
Class Survey
SkateboardSurvey
SkateboardBehavior
Random
Chance
27%
61%
76%
Class
Survey
Skateboard
Survey
Skateboard
Behavior
Percent Choosing Correct Route
Which route is faster, red or blue?
Skateboarder Physics Study
Route Histograms(With children’s maze scaled to match the adult size)
Maze
Start
Maze
Exit
Race
End-Line
1’
3’
5’
7’
-1’
-3’
-5’-7’
8’
2’
Straight
Route
Mean
Route
Adults
Children 11Angular
Deviation
These extreme cases exhibit
over 50 Angular Deviation
R2 = 0.2171
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
01234567
Series1
-5 -3 -1 1 3 52 7
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0Tim
e t
o C
om
ple
tio
n (
se
c.)
Maze Curvature (Deviation in Feet)
Time as a Function of Curvature
Time minima occurs
at curvature 2.1’
(15.0 )
The optimum curvature for minimizing
task time occurs near the average
curvature preference
(Best quadratic fit for task time vs.
curvature, averaging left and right maze trials)
R2 = 0.297
McBeath, Brimhall, Miller, &
Holloway (2010). Journal of
Vision, 10(7): 1021.
Difficulty Gleaning Much Without a Comparison Condition
Dr. McBeath – Certified Mad Scientist
• Allow for different levels of participation by a wide variety of audiences.
• Grab people’s interest (plus no cost; require minimal time).
• Be something people can feel a part of – contributing value to a larger database.
• Be well-structured; easy to use, web-based to reach large audiences.
• Provide feedback on contributed measurements (e.g, map of world that’s easily accessible).
• Be available to multiple venues (formal & informal) & amenable to different types of learners.
• Be evaluated regularly to know what works and what does not.
A Successful Citizen Science Campaign Must…
Citizen Science and
GLOBE at Night
Connie Walker
National Optical Astronomy ObservatoryTucson, AZ
Sept 10, 2012 1AZ Science Festival
GLOBE at Night Campaign• Citizen-scientists record the brightness of the night sky; online
• Grown to five 10-day campaigns/yr: Jan.-May 2013 (no Moon)
• 2012: 16,850 measurements; 83,000 in 7 yrs
• 2012: 92 countries participated; 115 different countries total
• 2012: 40% USA; 25% Europe; 35% other
• 55% have limiting magnitude 3 or 4 in 2012; trend getting brighter
GLOBE at Night Websitehttp://www.globeatnight.org
• 5 step citizen science program –simple to participate
• Background information on key concepts
• Interactive games
• Fun quizzes to check proficiency
• Teacher and Family Guides in 16 different languages
• Postcards, flyers en español también!
• Report page turn-key: web app
• Map page with data in various formats
• Mapping tool: map app
• Facebook, Twitter, audio podcasts
• Kits, scaffolded lesson plans
Dark Skies Education Workshops, Classroom and Evening Sessions, and Kit
Overview of Survey Results from
the GLOBE at Night Campaign
• Two-thirds of the educators and 81% of
their students made changes in their
personal use of light and fixtures in their
homes since participating in the GLOBE at
Night citizen-science campaign.
• Changes included…..
• All but one respondent indicated that
engaging students in GLOBE at Night
increased their understanding of light
pollution.
Simple Report Form
Cloudiness
Tablet/PadCell
PhoneDesktop/
Laptop
Measurements
• are downloadable as datasets in various formats
• can be examined online via Google Earth or other tools
• used as the basis of research in a classroom or science fair
project or even to inform the development of public policy
Educational ValueGLOBE at Night Data
With the downloadable data sets,
• Compare data over time
• Compare to population density
• Compare with photography or spectroscopy
• Use in a lighting survey
• Search for dark sky oases
• Monitor ordinance compliance
• Study effects of light pollution on
– human health, animals or plants
– safety, security, energy consumption, cost Tucson, Arizona
Projects Done by Students
High school students with amateur astronomers from Norman, Oklahoma
Elementary & middle school students near South Bend, IN
GLOBE at Night 2013
During the Arizona SciTech Festival, Arizona towns will be challenged to compete
in the GLOBE at Night campaign using the “adopt-a-street” method. The Arizona
town with the most measurements gets a star party from GLOBE at Night staff.