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citizen science is a an effort to
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basically get the public engaged in
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doing science into helping generate new
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research questions and to apply the
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knowledge that comes out of science to
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solve real problems so citizen science
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is everything from helping scientists
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understand the migratory patterns of
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birds and how those are changing due to
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climate change to understanding here in
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this area of the world understanding how
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climate change is impacting the
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different kinds of plants that grow in
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our watersheds um and the impact that
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those plant communities are having on on
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clean water um citizen science is
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basically the process in which people
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from all walks of life work alongside
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scientists and researchers to answer a
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question about the world so how it works
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on the ground is you might have um
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members of the public actually helping
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collect data for researchers to answer a
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question you might have uh citizens or
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um members of the public actually
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helping analyze data sets or you might
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have um the public helping to
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disseminate research findings but what's
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key about citizen science and technology
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is that technology is allowing us to
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really democratize who can be involved
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so it's not just people who can happen
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to get themselves over to their local
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Museum where there's a citizen science
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project in fact technology is letting us
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involve people from around the region
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around the state from around the world
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in research questions and research
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projects um from afar so you if you have
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a um smartphone um or a mobile device of
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pretty much any kind there are so many
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citizen science um applications online
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that you can actually do in your
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neighborhood so you can be in Pittsburg
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tracking bird migrations at the same
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time somebody in the Philippines is and
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all that data can actually go into a
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massive you know data set that's
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informing our understanding of climate
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change and impact on migration or you
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can can be a scientist who lives in New
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Zealand and you can answer a question by
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a fifth grader who lives in San
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Francisco about this certain nud Brank
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species that they found in a tidle pool
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here um on our Coast so it's basically
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allowing everyone anywhere anytime to
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participate in the scientific process
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citizen scientists can get involved in
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many ways using digital technology they
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can actually um record data and record
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instances or occurrences or sightings of
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of different kinds of species whether
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those are plants or animals in their
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backyard or when they're hiking or when
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they're on a road trip and that can go
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into um big databases of information
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about where we find different species um
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they can also participate in uh
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analyzing data sets so there's there's
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projects like Galaxy Zoo um in which uh
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people can go online and and help
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astronomers actually categorize Galaxy
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shapes um there are ways for people to
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assist each other other using digital
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media to answer questions that citizen
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science have scientists have so um
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identification of new species or plants
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or animals um or ecosystems if you're an
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expert in a certain area you can
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actually go online and help answer
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questions and serve as an expert curator
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of data or information and then finally
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you can also help share um and
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disseminate the the outcomes and the
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findings of research that is done
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collaboratively between the public and
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researchers so you can um using social
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media helps spread the you know spread
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the word about something new that was
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discovered um or bring that to the
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attention of a local Land Management
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agency that might not have been aware
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that there's been this research that's
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relevant to their land management
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practices there's lots of ways to use
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technology to get involved in citizen
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science

What is the core idea of your topic?

What is it about?

Give two examples of the problems / questions your topic is being used to solve / answer.

3 answers

Core Idea of Citizen Science:

The core idea of citizen science is to engage the general public in scientific research, allowing them to contribute to data collection, analysis, and dissemination of findings. It creates an opportunity for people from all walks of life to collaborate with scientists and researchers, thereby democratizing the scientific process.


What is it About?

Citizen science is about harnessing the enthusiasm and skills of the public to assist in scientific investigations and research projects. With the advancement of technology, particularly digital tools and mobile applications, individuals can participate in various scientific efforts regardless of their physical location. This involvement ranges from collecting and recording data to analyzing datasets and communicating research results.


Examples of Problems/Questions Addressed by Citizen Science:

  1. Bird Migration Patterns and Climate Change: Citizen science projects might involve tracking the migratory patterns of birds to assess how these patterns are changing due to climate change. Data collected by participants from different locations can inform research on the effects of environmental changes on avian species.

  2. Impact of Climate Change on Local Plant Communities: In certain regions, citizen scientists can contribute to understanding how climate change is affecting the types of plants that grow in specific watersheds. This can help researchers investigate the broader implications for local ecosystems and clean water systems.

Rephrase the sentences in 10th grade sentences.

Core Idea of Citizen Science:

The main idea of citizen science is to get regular people involved in scientific research, allowing them to help collect data, analyze information, and share discoveries. This approach makes science more accessible, letting anyone participate alongside scientists.


What is it About?

Citizen science is about using the enthusiasm and skills of everyday people to assist in scientific studies and projects. Thanks to technology, especially digital tools and mobile apps, people can join scientific efforts from anywhere. Their involvement can include collecting data, analyzing information, and sharing research findings.


Examples of Problems/Questions Addressed by Citizen Science:

  1. Bird Migration Patterns and Climate Change: One example of citizen science is tracking bird migration patterns to see how they are changing because of climate change. Participants from different areas can gather data that helps scientists understand how environmental changes affect birds.

  2. Impact of Climate Change on Local Plant Communities: In some regions, citizen scientists can help researchers study how climate change impacts the types of plants that grow in certain watersheds. This information can provide insight into how these changes affect local ecosystems and water quality.