{"id":11977,"date":"2019-03-01t15:53:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-01t15:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/first-class-citizen-science\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28t18:36:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28t18:36:17","slug":"first-class-citizen-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/","title":{"rendered":"first-class citizen science"},"content":{"rendered":"

as we grow older, many of us lose touch with part of us that\u2019s always wondering, thinking, and asking questions. the people who don\u2019t become scientists. it\u2019s never too late to reverse our conception of science as textbooks, exams, and hours in a classroom: there\u2019s still a way for people of all ages to re-discover the joy of exploration, tinkering, and experimentation \u2014 what science is actually about.<\/p>\n

i hadn\u2019t heard of this possibility until recently. on my first night of a recent antarctic voyage, expedition leader robert gilmore gave us passengers a unique opportunity: as citizen scientists<\/a>, we could participate in real, cutting edge research in fields such as marine biology and meteorology.<\/p>\n

one of the projects gilmore mentioned specifically caught my attention: fjordphyto<\/a>, based in the scripps institute of oceanography in san diego. allison lee<\/a>, the project operations manager, is a second-year ph.d. candidate at scripps. the research team is investigating the impact of climate change-driven glacial melt on the influence of phytoplankton communities. phytoplankton are a key species in the antarctic, lee explains, as they are the main food source of krill, which feed nearly all antarctic megafauna (and  their prey) including whales, seals, and penguins. \u201cglobally diatoms are said to produce nearly 20% of earth’s oxygen!\u201d she said with emphasis, implying that changing these communities can have spillover effects in regions beyond the antarctic. i was fascinated that something so microscopic foreshadowed big changes happening in the earth\u2019s oceans.<\/p>\n

lee and gilmore both belong to the polar citizen science collective<\/a> (pcsc). gilmore explains that pcsc members work with polar scientists and tourism companies to create a productive and educational combination of data collection and citizen science participation. he furthers: \u201cthe pscs effectively design(s) programs that eliminate collector bias, while also streamlining the process so as not to infringe on the tourism\u2019s regular operations schedule.\u201d polar research is difficult and expensive to conduct, so the pcsc was formed when a group of polar guides, including gilmore, had the idea of helping scientists conducting research in the western antarctic peninsula (wap).<\/p>\n

\"\"
robert gilmore, above, adjusts an instrument to measure ocean properties such as temperature and salinity to collect data for the fjordphyto project. gilmore explains that the project’s first involvement with citizen science occurred when he met the principal investigator, dr. maria vernet, on a polar tour vessel. she happened to have sample collection bottles with her and asked if he would be interested in sample collection. this launched the first pilot year of the project, and data collection is still happening in the antarctic! instagram photo courtesy of @fjordphyto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

the program, which has been implemented on cruise ships like the one i traveled on, has seen success from both the scientists\u2019 and tourists\u2019 perspectives. \u201c(we\u2019ve shown) scientists that we can contribute directly to their investigations by taking accurate, detailed, and valuable data sets for them\u201d gilmore explains, \u201c(while) creating educated, motivated people that will be returning home with a message for their friends and family.\u201d this is one of the greatest benefits of citizen science, as people re-discover that sense of wonder regarding the natural world that they might have lost over the years.<\/p>\n

i asked lee about her fondest memory regarding citizen science, and she recalls a moment after collecting samples in a zodiac where a man came up to her and said: \u201ci\u2019m an entrepreneur and i’ve owned a lot of businesses. i came to antarctica feeling like it was the last place on earth i could search for inspiration in my life. doing this fjordphyto project i felt for the first time in my life that spark of childlike curiosity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
allison lee, above, with a fellow expedition leader and a zodiac of citizen science participants. to participate yourself, the polar citizen science collective suggests<\/a> finding an operator\u2014and offers to help you in your search! alternatively, websites like scistarter<\/a> and citizenscience.gov<\/a> allow you to search for projects that interest you based on filters such as location, and topic. instagram photo courtesy of @fjordphyto.
\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

gilmore has a similar experience as a polar guide, describing that his most impactful memory with the pcsc is seeing the \u201clight-bulb moment\u201d in a passenger: when they begin to become more engaged with a topic or issue, and start to ask more questions.<\/p>\n

most of us don\u2019t have enough background information to fully conduct our own experiments in meteorology, zoology, or geology \u2014 and that\u2019s ok. what we all can do is do our best to preserve our sense of wonder and curiosity. we can always be open to learning about new experiences and information.<\/p>\n

i\u2019ve always been fascinated by the ability of the right presentation and narrative to capture someone\u2019s attention: i\u2019ve learned about phytoplankton in a few science classes, but before boarding this ship, i never thought twice about them. but after my experience learning about the fjordphyto project, i\u2019ve done extensive research \u2014 and obviously felt compelled to share the story with others.<\/p>\n

i asked gilmore how he manages to engage passengers without extensive background information on marine biology on topics like trophic levels and phytoplankton blooms.<\/p>\n

he recommends an educator build their lesson or curriculum around painting a larger picture: \u201cyou don\u2019t want to go too deep into the science\u2026 convey the information that is most important for them to go home with.\u201d and that way, you focus on your audience understanding, which is the most important thing.<\/p>\n

\u201ctreat them like you would your own family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

when we talk to our family members, we want them to understand and care about what we\u2019re doing and why we\u2019re doing it \u2014 not just give them a set of facts to memorize. this is where science education goes wrong, i think. we don\u2019t teach to understand, and students don\u2019t learn to understand either.<\/p>\n

we can all learn from this experience \u2014 both scientists and ordinary citizens. plus, crowdsourcing data collection makes conducting projects easier and more affordable. lee mentions that citizen science is incredibly useful in many areas of data collection, including geographic scope and duration. additionally, involving the general public in projects is great for increasing scientific literacy, and providing more educated and involved populations overall.<\/p>\n

for citizens, getting involved in science is as simple as observation. it\u2019s never too late, and it doesn\u2019t have to be boring or difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cwe all have a responsibility to understand and protect our last remaining wild places,\u201d gilmore said. \u201cand we all have the capability to make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

citizen science gives people of all ages the chance to participate in research and re-discover the most curious parts of themselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9541,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5196,4930],"tags":[1423,4147,360,4148,591],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-past-storyfest","category-science-communication","tag-antarctica","tag-citizen-science","tag-climate","tag-polar","tag-storyfest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nfirst-class citizen science - planet forward<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"first-class citizen science - planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"citizen science gives people of all ages the chance to participate in research and re-discover the most curious parts of themselves.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"planet forward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-01t15:53:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-28t18:36:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"navya pothamsetty\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@planet_forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@planet_forward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"navya pothamsetty\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/#article\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"navya pothamsetty\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/286821693a11da919a79da9c10fe593a\"},\"headline\":\"first-class citizen science\",\"datepublished\":\"2019-03-01t15:53:33+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2023-02-28t18:36:17+00:00\",\"mainentityofpage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\"},\"wordcount\":1112,\"commentcount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"antarctica\",\"citizen science\",\"climate\",\"polar\",\"storyfest\"],\"articlesection\":[\"past storyfest entries\",\"science communication\"],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"commentaction\",\"name\":\"comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"webpage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\",\"name\":\"first-class citizen science - planet forward\",\"ispartof\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website\"},\"datepublished\":\"2019-03-01t15:53:33+00:00\",\"datemodified\":\"2023-02-28t18:36:17+00:00\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"readaction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"website\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/\",\"name\":\"planet forward\",\"description\":\"inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 \",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialaction\":[{\"@type\":\"searchaction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"entrypoint\",\"urltemplate\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"propertyvaluespecification\",\"valuerequired\":true,\"valuename\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\"},{\"@type\":\"organization\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"planet forward\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"imageobject\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png\",\"contenturl\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png\",\"width\":1264,\"height\":660,\"caption\":\"planet forward\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameas\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/planet_forward\"]},{\"@type\":\"person\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/286821693a11da919a79da9c10fe593a\",\"name\":\"navya pothamsetty\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"imageobject\",\"inlanguage\":\"en-us\",\"@id\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5a4f4b6849eab217dad42e93bef778d?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"contenturl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5a4f4b6849eab217dad42e93bef778d?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g\",\"caption\":\"navya pothamsetty\"},\"description\":\"i think storytelling is the best way to get people to care about issues because it provides education through empathy. sparking this connection is not only a way to inform readers; really good writing makes them want to do something about these issues. no revolution has been devoid of passion, and i think it's important to stimulate the same excitement you have in others to make real world change.\",\"url\":\"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/author\/navya-pothamsetty\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ yoast seo plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"first-class citizen science - planet forward","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/","og_locale":"en_us","og_type":"article","og_title":"first-class citizen science - planet forward","og_description":"citizen science gives people of all ages the chance to participate in research and re-discover the most curious parts of themselves.","og_url":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/","og_site_name":"planet forward","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org","article_published_time":"2019-03-01t15:53:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-02-28t18:36:17+00:00","author":"navya pothamsetty","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@planet_forward","twitter_site":"@planet_forward","twitter_misc":{"written by":"navya pothamsetty","est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"article","@id":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/#article","ispartof":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/"},"author":{"name":"navya pothamsetty","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/286821693a11da919a79da9c10fe593a"},"headline":"first-class citizen science","datepublished":"2019-03-01t15:53:33+00:00","datemodified":"2023-02-28t18:36:17+00:00","mainentityofpage":{"@id":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/"},"wordcount":1112,"commentcount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["antarctica","citizen science","climate","polar","storyfest"],"articlesection":["past storyfest entries","science communication"],"inlanguage":"en-us","potentialaction":[{"@type":"commentaction","name":"comment","target":["https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"webpage","@id":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/","url":"https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/","name":"first-class citizen science - planet forward","ispartof":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website"},"datepublished":"2019-03-01t15:53:33+00:00","datemodified":"2023-02-28t18:36:17+00:00","inlanguage":"en-us","potentialaction":[{"@type":"readaction","target":["https:\/\/planetforward1.wpengine.com\/story\/first-class-citizen-science\/"]}]},{"@type":"website","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#website","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/","name":"planet forward","description":"inspiring stories to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 ","publisher":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization"},"potentialaction":[{"@type":"searchaction","target":{"@type":"entrypoint","urltemplate":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"propertyvaluespecification","valuerequired":true,"valuename":"search_term_string"}}],"inlanguage":"en-us"},{"@type":"organization","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#organization","name":"planet forward","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/","logo":{"@type":"imageobject","inlanguage":"en-us","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png","contenturl":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/pf_main_primary_rgb-1-1.png","width":1264,"height":660,"caption":"planet forward"},"image":{"@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameas":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/planetforward.org","https:\/\/x.com\/planet_forward"]},{"@type":"person","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/286821693a11da919a79da9c10fe593a","name":"navya pothamsetty","image":{"@type":"imageobject","inlanguage":"en-us","@id":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5a4f4b6849eab217dad42e93bef778d?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g","contenturl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e5a4f4b6849eab217dad42e93bef778d?s=96&d=https%3a%2f%2fplanetforward.org%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2023%2f02%2funtitled-design-1-150x150.png&r=g","caption":"navya pothamsetty"},"description":"i think storytelling is the best way to get people to care about issues because it provides education through empathy. sparking this connection is not only a way to inform readers; really good writing makes them want to do something about these issues. no revolution has been devoid of passion, and i think it's important to stimulate the same excitement you have in others to make real world change.","url":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/author\/navya-pothamsetty\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11977"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9541"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11977"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11977\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11977"},{"taxonomy":"storyfest_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/storyfest_categories?post=11977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}