Shawn Carlson in The Christian Science Monitor

Gregory M. Lamb has an article on citizen science in the 10 April 2008 issue of The Christian Science Monitor. In 'Citizen scientists' watch for signs of climate change, Lamb writes about "People with no formal training [who] are helping scientists track and record birds, fish, stars, and plants in their neighborhoods online."

The article describes how anyone can participate in Project BudBurst and "report when trees, shrubs, flowers, or other plants growing near them bud or put out leaves. 'These observations can be very valuable to scientists,' says Dr. [Sandra] Henderson, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. '[Professional] scientists can't be everywhere, and we're asking volunteers to be these extra eyes on the landscape.'"

The article goes on to describe the NestWatch program, one of various citizen science programs sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Lamb's article includes some choice quotes by Shawn Carlson, founder and executive director of the Society for Amateur Scientists.

"The key to success, [Carlson] says, is that "people have to feel valued and have to see that their effort has gone to something worthwhile. Amateur science is like a pyramid, Dr. Carlson says, with people who participate in wildlife counts at the bottom, learning the basics of collecting scientific data. At the top are a handful of serious amateurs who have managed to get their work published in peer-reviewed scientific journals."

Shawn told Lamb about the vital role played by amateur astronomers. "The universe is a big place," Carlson says. "The total number of questions out there to be asked and answered is far beyond what the professionals have time to answer.... All of this is really ripe ground for amateur scientists."

The text of the full article, which was picked up by various news services, can be found here.

Forrest M. Mims III