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Proceedings
and Presentations of the
First Annual Citizen Science Conference
Philadelphia,
PA, June 28-29, 2002
Papers
All papers
are listed according to author.
Bentham,
Dolores Landy.
A
Speculation on Evolution as a Learning Process (abstract)
Fragale,
Richard. "Tax
Options for Citizen Scientists"
Greaves,
Sheldon. "Secrets
of Guerrilla Scholarship"
Lindsay,
D.M. "Dysautonomia,
Chronic Fatigue and the Development of a Proposed Treatment"
Mims,
Forrest M., III. "Validation
of Satellite Measurements Using Simple, Inexpensive Handheld Instruments"
Silk,
Ely. "LED
fluorescence microscopy in theory and practice"
Stanifer, Sam.Earthquake
Precursor Experiments: Exploring Mysterious Earthquake Preparation
Physics with Amateur Built Sensors and Data Networks
Stanley,
Norman. "Amateur
Science, 1900-1950: A Historical Overview (With Emphasis on Amateur
Chemistry)"
Attendee
Feedback
Sheldon,
I thought the meeting was a huge success in most respects, even
though attendance was a bit thin. I have been to many meetings,
from AGU and AAAS to SEG, from 1975 through 2000. I think I can
speak with some authority, then, about how well our meeting compared
with the professional societies.
Presentations at the SAS meeting this past weekend were as good,
and in some instances far better than presentations at the professional
meetings. John Lighton's talk on scorpions was so witty, polished,
and fascinating, that I can't imagine a better presentation at any
meeting. Joseph diVerdi produced a very polished summary of his
clever magnetic measurement sensor, data acquisition equipment,
and network data sharing. His nulling feedback system is worth applying
to lots of other measurements systems, especially seismometers.
Sam Stanifer and his collaborators showed not only interesting earthquake
precursory data, but produced data displays that suggest widespread,
coherent triggering of earthquakes over large distances. While triggering
is known to have resulted from the Landers earthquake in 1992, I
don't know of anyone who has shown that triggering occurs for the
many minor events that Sam showed. This is cutting edge sort of
science. What can I say about John Dooley's pendulum but that it
is damned clever.
The tutorial sessions were not only interesting, but also useful.
Sheldon, you provided a great pep talk on the trials and rewards
of being an independent scholar; and we were all very relieved that
you decided against presenting it in the nude. James Levine proved,
I think, that all of us may have a great book in our minds just
waiting to be written. Andrew Bowen's presentation on microscopy
was especially inspirational. I had no idea so many useful investigations
were possible with so little expense and equipment. The methods
he presented I will re-use in my engineering metrology course this
coming autumn. Richard Fragale's presentation on tax options cleared
up many misconceptions for me and for other people at the seminar.
Forrest Mims' work with the GLOBE project (David Brook's presentation),
Monty Robson's highly successful completion of the McCarthy Observatory
and D.M. Lindsay's presentation on Dysautonomia showed all of us,
I believe, that amateur science has the potential to contribute
greatly to society as well as to science.
Finally to describe the distinguished presentations by Jerry Macdonald
and Jack Horner as interesting or inspirational really doesn't do
them justice. There was something very touching about them as well.
I presume to speak for everyone who attended the meeting that it
is a rare privilege to rub shoulders with the likes of these two
famous paleontologists.
I left the meeting so wound up and excited that I could hardly wait
to begin work on my entry for the speed O' light contest being run
by Mark Streitman and his fellow enthusiasts at the New Jersey chapter
of SAS. Look out folks for a $5 measurement of c.
My only disappointments with this meeting are that I had no time
to fully view the poster session, and that we hadn't more time to
talk about Franklin with Ron Blumer and Muffie Meyers. I can hardly
wait to see the full series on PBS in November.
Thanks Shawn and Nancy, and everyone else who helped pull this meeting
together. This year's meeting will be a hard act to follow, but
I'm definitely heading to Pasadena next summer.
Sincerely,
Kevin
Kilty
Congratulations
on a beautifully organized and wonderfully enlightening conference.
I would go into the highlights, but I wouldn't know where to stop.
I
found the participants supportive of my own work and critical in
the best sense of the word. I am encouraged to go on.
See
you next year at Cal Tech.
Dolores
Bentham
Shawn
and Sheldon,
In
an attempt to collect my impressions of the first annual Citizen
Scientist's Conference this past weekend, I decided that my well-worn
list of words for superlatives didn't cut it.
Certain
events in a person's life turn out pivotal. One of mine, for example,
was a conference where my high school sent several of us in association
with the International Geophysical Year, in 1960. Giants of the
Geophysical Sciences of the time spoke there. One, I recall, was
Dr. James Van Allen. That event steered the remainder of my educational
and professional track, and most likely many others.
Your
conference made a similar impression. Except this time, I actually
got to shake hands with some current day giants. Thanks for the
rich, enlightening experience. This one goes straight to my list
of pivotal events.
Thanks
also for the opportunity to present our "Earthquake Precursor Experiments"
project to the conference. I'm honored to say that, as a direct
result, three additional people have offered their skills, talent
and effort to our project. This alone made the conference worthwhile.
The
annual conference idea is also pivotal, as it has strengthened the
foundation of SAS as 'home base' for citizen scientists.
Congratulations
on a superb job with this ground-breaking conference. (oops, the
'superlatives' list strikes again)
Sam
Stanifer
Los Angeles Chapter
Sheldon,
On
behalf of myself and the rest of the New Jersey SAS Chapter, I want
to thank you, Shawn and Nancy for a great conference. I've been
to other technical conferences/conventions, and even though this
was small by comparison, it was GREAT! Nothing short of a smashing
success.
Every
speaker was interesting and each topic more fascinating than the
last. Everyone I met was a joy to talk to and converse with. I hope
I can keep in touch with some of them (In other words, if you're
reading this and met me, please write).
The
highlight of the weekend was the banquet for Jack Horner. I feel
honored having met him and hearing the story of his life and work.
I'm
waiting for next year's conference already.
Mark
Streitman
President, NJSAS
president@central-jersey-sas.org
www.central-jersey-sas.org
Hi
Sheldon.
As
promised, here are my observations from the first SAS conference.
The
event was an overwhelming success.
I
first stumbled across the Society for Amateur Scientists a couple
of years ago during a routine web search for a research project
that I might initiate or participate in. Nothing of personal relevance
jumped out at me but I bookmarked the site for future reference.
In April of this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the
web site had received a "make over" and that a conference was scheduled.
From the caliber of the scheduled speakers I could tell that this
would be an important event so I registered immediately.
Holding
the event in Philadelphia with a Ben Franklin theme turned out to
be a very clever move. Before the conference, I thought of myself
as a member of the amateur astronomy community who happened to be
interested in doing research. Now I think of myself as a member
of the citizen science community who happens to be interested in
astronomy. I get the impression that other attendees had a similar
experience. Such a change of perspective will very likely help many
of us to get more original research done. Seeing ourselves as being
outside the mainstream of our respective disciplines probably holds
us back but seeing ourselves as being on the inside of a subculture
that has included such luminaries as Ben Franklin is an empowering
shift. Being in the actual rooms, like that upper one at the American
Philosophical Society, where people such as ourselves -- those motivated
by curiosity about nature -- once gathered was much more inspiring
than being in most rooms of modern, heavily institutionalized, academia.
Ever since discovering the Amateur Scientist column in Scientific
American more than 30 years ago, I have wondered who the other readers
were. Having now met some of them, especially in a setting such
as this, has been most rewarding.
The
range of speakers and subjects was entirely appropriate.
Hearing
from Jerry MacDonald and Jack Horner about how they achieved outstanding
professional success, despite the obstacles placed before them,
left the rest of us with no plausible excuses for not making our
own contributions to scientific research. Though both paleontologists,
their experiences were 100% relevant to each of us, regardless of
discipline. The papers by you on guerrilla scholarship (brilliant
term, by the way), James Levine on publishing a book, Kevin Kilty
on experiments in historical science and Richard Fragale on tax
savings were all excellent and, again, valuable to citizen scientists
in all disciplines.
Andrew
Bowen's microscopy workshop was stunning, especially for those like
me who had no idea how versatile an optical microscope can be.
I
am grateful that the event was small enough to have only a single
track because having to choose between presentations would have
been painful but, considering the success of the event this year,
I doubt that it will stay small for very long.
For
future conferences, SAS might consider inviting:
1.
those in the large professional organizations who are trying to
promote collaboration between professionals and amateurs
2.
the editors of peer-review research journals to speak on what amateurs
need to know about submitting professional papers
Other
comments:
1. I was astonished at Shawn's encyclopedic knowledge of Ben Franklin's
life and work.
2.
I appreciated Shawn being so candid and modest about his performance
as executive director at the meeting on Friday night.
3.
If the 2003 event will be at Caltech then I hope we can get a lengthy
tour of as much of JPL as possible.
You
might find the following links to be of interest. I certainly did.
I came upon them during the search that eventually lead to me being
able to work on a project that a recently retired astronomer had
to let go of. They describe experiences of both participants in
the collaboration between an amateur and a professional on an astrophysical
research project but their experiences should apply to all fields.
1.
Overview -
http://ottawa.rasc.ca/astronomy/amat_prof_partnerships/ampro_slides.html
2.
Amateur's perspective -
http://ottawa.rasc.ca/astronomy/amat_prof_partnerships/amproposter.html
3.
Professional's perspective -
http://ottawa.rasc.ca/astronomy/amat_prof_partnerships/sadun.html
Brian
Chapel
brian.chapel@telus.net
Shawn,
I
returned home last night after attending the First Annual Citizen
Scientist Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I just had to
write and thank all those people who made it possible. The whole
event was inspiring and instructive for anyone aspiring to be a
amateur scientist.
A
new member of SAS,
Bill
Appleby
Sheldon,
Overall,
I thought it was a very good conference. Shawn Carlson, the Executive
Director of SAS (Society of Amateur Scientists), was very methodical
in sticking to the assigned schedule, and providing updates about
speaker changes. It was a very informal but professional gathering.
And although the air conditioner sometimes shut down unexpectedly
(Philadelphia in June!), the fascinating talks by each of the speakers
kept me distracted enough from the temperature.
I
liked all of the talks. Although I think the one on earthquake prediction
was the technical presentation that interested me the most. It was
regrettable that Forest Mims III couldn't be there. However, I found
the GLOBE results a useful contribution to the global community.
It's also a shame that there was no talk on LED fluorescence microscopy.
I was looking forward to that. But overall, I give it two thumbs
up. My kudos to all those who put the conference together.
David
Rosignoli
Dear
Shawn,
It
was good to meet you in person.
I've
never seen such a bunch of nerds in my life. I felt right at home.
Where else could I be induced to estimate the speed of light by
watching CNN? Who else would be induced to smile when they see my
contraption made from a loudspeaker, a clock radio, a stepladder
(and a little Duco cement)?
See
you next year,
John
Dooley
Shawn:
Congratulations
to you, Sheldon, Nancy for the successful conference. Thanks for
posting the report and the article from the Inquirer.
I
have been staying at Mauna Loa Observatory for 3 days doing very
neat calibrations and measurements, some of which will lead to papers.
My
newly modified (by the manufacturer) Yankee shadowband radiometer
now has 7 LEDs and NO filters. It is on the deck outside right next
to the USDA standard shadowband, thanks to permission from the USDA
UV Network director, Dr. Jim Slusser. This way too cool.
Must
close for now. Again, congratulations on a great meeting.
Best
regards,
Forrest
Mims
Hey
Shawn!
Philadelphia!
What a trip! John [Lighton] is now in Brazil and won't be back for
a week - but he especially wanted me to tell you - before too much
time passed by, how successful he felt the conference was, to convey
his deeply felt thanks and that he would get in touch soon after
he returns. He also said that the rain forest is like going back
to childhood and that Brazil is like a cross between So. Italy and
So. Africa. He is there setting up a system for soil microbe respirometry.
As for the conference ..what is going to come from all this ?...I
just have the strong sense that something very good happened in
Philadelphia and I think SAS's growth will continue. I'll be happy
to see what form it takes and how we would play a part. To describe
what I took away I could use words like "motivating" and "stimulating"
and be accurate...but never really explain. Because, how would I
explain that what I really took away was humility and joy. Admiration
for what others have accomplished, and as much for who they are.
Aspect (good word I think). These aspects are inseparable--the whole
human being as the lens. How lucky we all were. (And I myself am
lucky too). Especially appreciative of Monty Robson, Sheldon Greaves
and Doug Lindsay's presentations. Happy to kibbutz with the So.
Calif. group. Could see this as a cohesive type of activity... and
many other practical thoughts. Would really like to see the text
of all of the above and Jerry MacDonald's talks on-line if possible.
But I wanted you to know that it was your company and Jerry's that
left the biggest imprint on us. Affinity. I'm glad. And I love your
hat.
Cheers,
Robbin
Turner
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