What is Citizen Science?

What is Citizen Science?

If you go to Google and type in citizen science, you will get over two million hits. So what is a this anyway? You may have heard it on the radio or read about it in the paper, but what is it really? Citizen science is a way for you, the general public, to be directly involved in the process of scientific data collection and be engaged in scientific thinking. The purpose is to have volunteers become amateur scientists while working with a group of professional scientists.

Download a PDF discussing Citizen Science.

A citizen science project can range from research on individual species to an entire ecosystem.  Citizen science is becoming increasingly important because involving the public allows for a unique experience for the public and allows extra help for professional scientist in their research and data collection. The informal classroom of a citizen science program is a fun way for the public to learn science without the stress of a traditional classroom and typically allows participants to learn hands-on skills quicker than traditional means.

Citizen scientists have been assisting professional scientist for a very long time and in all areas, whether it is ornithology (study of birds) or working together to collect data on climate change. This unique arrangement benefits both the public and the professional scientist. This is a fun way for you to become involved with the scientific community and allows the scientific community to teach you firsthand about current projects, how to better preserve local environments, and how to accurately assess the health of an environment.

There are thousands of projects worldwide and some may last a short time, like the Cicada Watch this year, while some may last a very long time, like the Christmas Bird Count done by the Audubon Society. These projects may also be local or may be nationwide. The bottom line is this; the information that scientists have collected on such massive scales could not have been done without the help of their citizen scientists. This is why you all are so important to making the Citizen Scientist Project on Key Biscayne a success.

If you would like to learn more about citizen science or see what other projects are going on, visit http://www.scientificamerican.com/citizen-science/.

Key Biscyane’s Citizen Scientist Project

Using Citizen and Professional Scientists, the Citizen Scientist Project will develop and continuously update this web site to provide the information needed to maintain the most critical natural resources of Key Biscayne. Like the environment around us, this site will adapt and evolve to meet the needs and interests of the Key. Our goal is to secure a future Key Biscayne characterized by the same bounty of natural resources that exist today, thus maintaining the title of “Island Paradise,” while the Key Biscayne Citizen Scientist Lab provides a place to record and organize your findings in and around our island, and to learn more about our island.