Report from the Fourth National Citizen Science Conference

The fourth annual National Citizen Science Conference was held in Providence, Rhode Island, on 24-27 August 2006.

At the 2005 meeting, aviation pioneer and engineer Dr. Paul B. MacCready said that he has attended only one professional meeting with topics as diverse as those addressed at the Citizen Science Conference. His observation held true for the 2006 meeting, which featured a wide variety of talks on topics ranging from kite powered ships and homemade diodes to forensics and variable star observations.

On Thursday afternoon, 24 August, early conference attendees participated in a special behind-the-scenes tour of the world-famous Mystic Aquarium.

Thursday evening featured a workshop and Power Point talk by Forrest M. Mims III on "How to Monitor Atmospheric Haze With a Sun Photometer."

Following a well-stocked continental breakfast on Friday morning, the conference lectures began with welcoming remarks by Dr. Shawn Carlson, Founder and Executive Director of the Society for Amateur Scientists. Shawn kept the speakers on time and moderated the questions after each talk. George Hrabovsky loaded the Power Point presentations and provided emergency troubleshooting when necessary.

Figure 1. George Hrabovsky kept the Power Points smoothly running and solved last-glitch emergencies. Photograph by Forrest M. Mims III.

Friday Presentations:

Monty Robson of the John J. McCarthy Observatory began the presentations with "A New Look at the New World 's First Documented Meteorite Fall," a fascinating, fully documented detective story about the details of this significant event.

David Culp of KiteShip spoke on "21st Century Uses for Kites." In 1718 a kite pulled a 12-year old Benjamin Franklin across a small lake. David Culp's goal is that ocean ships will be towed across the world's oceans by huge kites.

Aleta Karstad, popular Canadian naturalist and artist, spoke only as Aleta can about "The Art of Nature Journaling." Her talk was peppered with many fine examples of pages from her notebooks decorated with her beautiful drawings.

Charles Pooley discussed "Microlaunchers: The Case for Very Small Spacecraft." You can learn more about this innovative approach to economical space research at http://www.microlaunchers.com/

George Hrabovsky, President of MAST and well-known amateur physicist, mathematician and storm chaser, gave a fascinating talk on, "So You Think you Know About Tornadoes." The highlight of George's talk was a sequence of videos of tornadoes, one of which formed directly overhead.

Dr. David Wheeler of Boston's Suffolk University presented a timely lecture on "Home Science Projects and Homeland Security."

Joseph DiVerdi of XTR Systems provided an insider's review of "Radio Science at Colorado 's Table Mountain - A Unique Experience."

Reggie Smith spoke about one of his specialties, "Networks Theory: Applications to Scientific Investigations." More Reggie specialties are here and here.

Bill Appleby presented an updated talk on his research entitled, "Airship Hindenburg: Experimental study of the involvement of the outer covering paint (dope) in the disastrous final fire."

Figure 2. Bill Appleby explains combustion phenomena related to the Hindenburg disaster. Photograph by Forrest M. Mims III.

The Arthur Winfree Lecture

On Friday evening, prolific author and paranormal investigator Joe Nickell delighted the audience with a lively talk and slide show on paranormal claims. "Science," Dr. Nickell explained, "can be seen as a series of solved mysteries." He then explained the facts behind such widely accepted phenomena as crop circles, crying statues, ancient astronauts, lake monsters and many others.

Often believers in such phenomena are ridiculed by those who expose them. Dr. Nickell has a kinder approach. While diplomatically and thoroughly debunking their claims, Dr. Nickell is sympathetic to true believers who are not intentional frauds but are deceived by what they believe to be true.

Dr. Nickell is widely considered the world's leading investigator of claims of the the paranormal. His resume includes stints as a professional magician and private investigator. He has appeared in hundreds of radio and television programs and has written more than twenty books, including Psychic Sleuths, Real Life X Files, Secrets of the Supernatural, Entities, Secrets of the Sideshows and UFO Invasion. Dr. Nickell currently serves as a senior research fellow for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP).

Figure 3. Dr. Joe Nickell (left) visits with Shawn Carlson prior to the Arthur Winfree Lecture. Photograph by Forrest M. Mims III.

Saturday Presentations

Dr. Shawn Carlson, Founder and Executive Director of the Society for Amateur Scientists, began the proceedings with an overview and status report on the Labrats Program.

Figure 4. Dr. Shawn Carlson provided an update on the Labrats Program. Photograph by Forrest M. Mims III.

Forrest M. Mims III , Editor of The Citizen Scientist, spoke about "Mims Family Science," a report on many of the award winning science fair projects and discoveries of his three children, Eric, Vicki and Sarah.

Dr. Matthew Templeton stressed the vital role of dedicated amateur astronomers in a fine presentation on "Amateur Contributions to Variable Star Astronomy."

Dr. Sheldon Greaves, Managing Editor of The Citizen Scientist, spoke about his goal of developing "An Observatory Registry: A Proposed Exercise in Paying Attention."

Dr. Lance Osadchey, a medical doctor, discussed his ongoing research in "An Experiment to Measure the Earth's Velocity Using a Velador."

Ed Nisley discussed how to make "Homemade Diodes" using everyday materials and simple methods.  

Captain Sheryl McCollum, of the Fulton County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Department and at; Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Bauder College, gave a fast-moving, humorous talk on "Teaching Science Through Mock Crime Scenes." She also spoke about her hope for Labrats. She asked the audience how to handcuff a one-armed man--and later explained that the man's belt or an ankle will work.

Rich Marvin of Onset Computer described and demonstrated his company's line of data logging products, including the waterproof Hobo Pendant and the U12 4-channel logger in "HOBO Data Logger: Learn how simple it now is to take all kinds of data electronically and analyze it on your computer." Rich concluded his talk with a drawing in which free HOBO data logger systems were won by Greg Crawford, Dr. Ronald Leemhuis and Dave Culp.

Dr. Garry Mahon, a research geneticist with the European Union in Luxemburg, impressed the physicians in the audience with his talk about "A Multivariate Analysis of Human Promoter Sequences."

Dave Curren wrapped up the lecture session with an optimistic presentation on "Meeting the needs of Amateur Scientists through a project-oriented approach."

On Saturday evening the conference attendees gathered for a the conference banquet. Following the meal, Dr. Shawn Carlson presented John Powell, president and founder of JP Aerospace , with the Benjamin Franklin Citizen Scientist Award. (What follows is from the news story about the award in The Citizen Scientist so that this report on the conference will be complete.)

Since he was a child, John has had a vision for devising innovative methods for entering space. In a memorable interview by Rob Wilson in Out of the Cradle : Chronicles of the New Space Age, John recalled , "My mom has a picture I drew when I was four years old. It was a picture of my spaceship factory. Not a picture of me flying in space, but a row of little ships under construction. I've never wanted to do anything else or be anything other than what I am right now. I can't remember when it started; it's always been there."

John is best known among the amateur science and education communities for his PongSat program. A PongSat is a ping pong ball containing a payload that is carried to the edge of space by a high altitude balloon platform or rocket. PongSat payloads can be as simple as seeds or a marshmallow, which expands and becomes freeze dried during its flight. Or they can be complex digital data loggers.

So far JP Aerospace has launched nearly 2,000. Participants pay nothing for this service, which is financed by sponsors, some of which might also fly larger payloads on a PongSat flight.

Figure 5. Dr. Shawn Carlson (left) presents John Powell with the Benjamin Franklin Citizen Scientist Award. Photograph by Forrest M. Mims III.

During his Benjamin Franklin lecture, John showed videos of how PongSats are lofted into the upper atmosphere. During one recent flight, the PongSats were stowed in fabric bags mounted within a platform loaded with instrument and cameras (see JP Aerospace for photographs).

Balloon flown PongSats can reach an altitude of from 24.4 to 39.6 km (80,000 to 130,000 feet). Rocket launched PongSat balloon platforms can travel even higher.

PongSat missions fly through most of the ozone layer before they begin their descent. John's ultimate vision for reaching space reaches much higher, for his dream is to develop a low-cost means for sending space craft into Earth orbit through his ambitious Airship to Orbit (ATO) project. The ATO approach is to fly an inflatable craft to around 43 km (140,000 feet), where a permanent station will eventually be placed. The orbital vehicle will combine aircraft and rocket technology to achieve Earth orbit following launch from the permanent station high in the stratosphere.

Sound impossible? Then check out the JP Aerospace web site to learn about and see photographs of some of the huge airships John's company has already constructed. You'll also learn why John Powell so richly deserves the 2006 Benjamin Franklin Citizen Scientist Award.

A variety of interesting presentations and demonstrations were on display during the Sunday morning poster session. The presentations included stunning photography of dragonflies, demonstration of a homemade diode, a rocket air sampler and more. A photographic summary of the poster session will be featured in a future news story in The Citizen Scientist. More photographs from the conference will also be carried in a future story.  

Special Hands-On Workshop: Naturalist's Guide to Drawing Nature-An Essential Skills Workshop

In a fitting conclusion to the conference, Aleta Karstad, a gifted artist and experienced naturalist, shared her secrets with professional and amateur practitioners of medicine, physics, mathematics, photography, statistics, insect studies, electronics, rocketry, and others who are kindred spirits in the world of amateur science. After Aleta placed various leaves before each participant, the room became totally silent as the participants followed her instructions on how to sketch the objects before them.

Figure 6. Aleta Karstad makes a point about artistry during her workshop on Naturalist's Guide to Drawing Nature. Photograph by Forrest M. Mims III.

Shawn Carlson, Lynn Costa and Sheldon Greaves spent long hours organizing the 2006 meeting. They were assisted during the meeting by Brent Beckett and George Hrabovsky, who kept the Power Point presentations smoothly running. Thanks to long hours of careful planning and the quality of the presentations, the 2006 National Citizen Science Conference will be remembered by all.

Forrest M. Mims III