The potential of citizen science as a follow up program of student project assignment for biodiversity studies to be meaningful

Assam was the first state in India to have undertaken the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a long-term guiding strategy for development. At the end of five years, before the state election, evaluating the work on SDGs in Assam is essential to follow up on the commitment of the government. But before we start evaluating the SDGs it is important to understand the development road Assam has taken over the last 100-150 years and why we must make a new turn. This study has tried to understand certain loopholes which have hampered the progress of SDGs in Assam along with how much Assam has been able to address its sustainability issues and how we can progress. We have reviewed the performance of the state based upon the official performance index released by NITI Aayog, Government of India. Our review of the index reflects that Assam has performed relatively poorer than the other states of the country. However, the ethnic culture of the region was deeply rooted in nature which the state can now adopt and harness to achieve its SDGs. KEYWORDS: Sustainable Development Goals; Assam Election; Indigenous Knowledge; Citizen Science; Polycentric Governance

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The SmartSleep Experiment: Evaluation of changes in night-time smartphone behavior following a mass media citizen science campaign

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0253783 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. e0253783

Author(s):

Thea Otte Andersen ◽

Agnete Skovlund Dissing ◽

Tibor V. Varga ◽

Naja Hulvej Rod

Keyword(s):

Public Health ◽

Mass Media ◽

Citizen Science ◽

Large Scale ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Health Concern ◽

Night Time ◽

Sleep Behavior ◽

Smartphone Use

The increasing 24-hour smartphone use is of public health concern. This study aims to evaluate whether a massive public focus on sleep and smartphone use generated through a large-scale citizen science project, the SmartSleep Experiment, influence participants’ night-time smartphone behavior. A total of 8,894 Danish adults aged 16 and above participated in the SmartSleep Experiment, a web-based survey on smartphones and sleep behavior. The survey was carried out for one week in 2018, combined with an extensive national mass media campaign focusing on smartphone behaviors and sleep. A follow-up survey aimed at evaluating whether survey-participants had changed their night-time smartphone behavior was carried out two weeks after the campaign. A total of 15% of the participants who used their smartphone during sleep hours at baseline had changed their night-time smartphone behavior, and 83% of those indicated that they used their smartphone less at follow-up. The participants who had changed their smartphone behavior had primarily taken active precautions to avoid night-time smartphone use, e.g., activating silent mode (36%) or reduced their smartphone use before (50%) and during sleep hours (52%). The reduction in sleep problems (54%), recognition of poor smartphone behavior (48%), and the increased focus on night-time smartphone use (42%) were motivational factors for these behavior changes. Using citizen science and mass media appeared to be associated with changes in night-time smartphone behavior. Public health projects may benefit from combining citizen science with other interventional approaches.

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Follow-up Imaging of Disk Candidates from the Disk Detective Citizen Science Project: New Discoveries and False Positives in WISE Circumstellar Disk Surveys

The Astrophysical Journal ◽

10.3847/1538-4357/aae3e3 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 868 (1) ◽

pp. 43 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Steven M. Silverberg ◽

Marc J. Kuchner ◽

John P. Wisniewski ◽

Alissa S. Bans ◽

John H. Debes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

False Positives ◽

Circumstellar Disk ◽

Science Project ◽

Citizen Science Project

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Environmental Awareness Gained During a Citizen Science Project in Touristic Resorts Is Maintained After 3 Years Since Participation

Frontiers in Marine Science ◽

10.3389/fmars.2021.584644 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Marta Meschini ◽

Francesca Prati ◽

Ginevra A. Simoncini ◽

Valentina Airi ◽

Erik Caroselli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Education ◽

Sample Size ◽

Citizen Science ◽

Environmental Behavior ◽

Long Term Effects ◽

Short Term ◽

Economic Sectors ◽

Psychological Variables

Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in the world. It has a positive effect on the economy of many countries, but it can also lead to negative impacts on local ecosystems. Informal environmental education through Citizen Science (CS) projects can be effective in increasing citizen environmental knowledge and awareness in the short-term. A change of awareness could bring to a behavioral change in the long-term, making tourism more sustainable. However, the long-term effects of participating in CS projects are still unknown. This is the first follow-up study concerning the effects of participating in a CS project on cognitive and psychological aspects at the basis of pro-environmental behavior. An environmental education program was developed, between 2012 and 2013, in a resort in Marsa Alam, Egypt. The study directly evaluated, through paper questionnaires, the short-term (after 1 week or 10 days) retention of knowledge and awareness of volunteers that had participated in the activities proposed by the program. After three years, participants were re-contacted via email to fill in the same questionnaire as in the short-term study, plus a new section with psychological variables. 40.5% of the re-contacted participants completed the follow-up questionnaires with a final sample size of fifty-five people for this study. Notwithstanding the limited sample size, positive trends in volunteer awareness, personal satisfaction regarding the CS project, and motivation to engage in pro-environmental behavior in the long-term were observed.

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Data parties engage 4-H volunteers in data interpretation, strengthening camp programs and evaluation process

California Agriculture ◽

10.3733/ca.2021a0005 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 75 (1) ◽

pp. 14-19

Author(s):

Marianne Bird ◽

Kendra M. Lewis

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Research Team ◽

Evaluation Process ◽

Data Interpretation ◽

Participatory Evaluation ◽

Impact Study ◽

Nonacademic Staff ◽

The Impact

Participatory evaluation is a form of citizen science that brings program stakeholders into partnership with researchers to increase the understanding and value that evaluation provides. For the last four years, 4-H volunteers and staff have joined academics to assess the impact of the California 4-H camping program on youth and teen leaders in areas such as responsibility, confidence and leadership. Volunteers and nonacademic staff in the field informed the design of this multiyear impact study, collected data and engaged in data interpretation through “data parties.” In a follow-up evaluation of the data parties, we found that those who participated reported deeper understanding of and buy-in to the data. Participants also provided the research team insights into findings. By detailing the California 4-H Camp Evaluation case study, this paper describes the mutual benefits that accrue to researchers and volunteers when, through data parties, they investigate findings together.

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Exploring the participation of young citizen scientists in scientific research: The case of iNaturalist

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0245682 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. e0245682

Author(s):

Maria Aristeidou ◽

Christothea Herodotou ◽

Heidi L. Ballard ◽

Alison N. Young ◽

Annie E. Miller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Scientific Research ◽

Science Projects ◽

Long Duration ◽

Young Citizen ◽

Active Contribution ◽

Quantitative Approaches

Online citizen science projects have broadened options for accessing science and enabled different forms of participation in scientific research for adult and young volunteers. Yet, little is known regarding participation patterns among youth participants. Quantitative approaches were used to investigate the contribution of 183 young volunteers to citizen science on the iNaturalist platform and the participation behaviour that relates to their contribution. The participants accessed and used iNaturalist as part of one-day field-based events (bioblitzes) facilitated by museums. Compared to the observation behaviour of all iNaturalist users, as documented on the platform, the young volunteers observe fewer plants and birds, and more molluscs, arachnids and insects. The average daily contributions of young volunteers were found to be positively associated with a large proportion of active days on iNaturalist and a systematic contribution behaviour, yet negatively related to a long duration on the platform. This study enhances our understanding of young volunteers’ contributions to citizen science and provides insights for research on participation in online citizen science. Our findings have implications on how museums design the field-based events to encourage follow-up systematic participation and maintain active contribution.

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Addressing Collaboration Challenges in Project-Based Learning: The Student’s Perspective

Education Sciences ◽

10.3390/educsci11080434 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 434

Author(s):

Bassam Hussein

Keyword(s):

Project Management ◽

Qualitative Analysis ◽

Engineering Education ◽

Project Based Learning ◽

Project Teams ◽

Management Approach ◽

Implementation Challenges ◽

Collaboration Environment ◽

Project Assignment

Project-based learning has been explored in a variety of contexts and different phases of education. Several implementation challenges are associated with project-based learning. Among these challenges is ensuring collaboration between students enrolled in a project assignment. The purpose of this study was to present several practical insights on how to tackle collaboration challenges in project-based learning. The study is based on the qualitative analysis of 67 reflections reports submitted by students who were enrolled in a project-based learning assignment in engineering education. The results suggest that collaboration challenges can be traced to priority conflicts between students as well as to the uncertainty in the project assignment. The results further suggest that these challenges can be successfully addressed by applying a structured project-management approach to planning, communication, and follow up. In addition, the findings suggest this structured approached should be supported by a mindset that recognizes the importance of adaptations and flexibility as the project develops. Moreover, the findings suggest that a collaboration environment based on inclusion, openness, and support enables students to respond to emerging problems and disagreements. The paper outlines several recommendations on how to improve students’ collaboration ability within project teams in the context of project-based assignments.

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Spitzer Follow-up of Extremely Cold Brown Dwarfs Discovered by the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project

The Astrophysical Journal ◽

10.3847/1538-4357/aba633 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 899 (2) ◽

pp. 123 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Aaron M. Meisner ◽

Jacqueline K. Faherty ◽

J. Davy Kirkpatrick ◽

Adam C. Schneider ◽

Dan Caselden ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Brown Dwarfs ◽

Science Project ◽

Citizen Science Project

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A Wide Planetary Mass Companion Discovered through the Citizen Science Project Backyard Worlds: Planet 9

The Astrophysical Journal ◽

10.3847/1538-4357/ac2499 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 923 (1) ◽

pp. 48

Author(s):

Jacqueline K. Faherty ◽

Jonathan Gagné ◽

Mark Popinchalk ◽

Johanna M. Vos ◽

Adam J. Burgasser ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Citizen Science ◽

Binary Stars ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Late Type ◽

Science Project ◽

Formation Pathway ◽

Planetary Mass ◽

Moving Groups ◽

Citizen Science Project

Abstract Through the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project we discovered a late-type L dwarf co-moving with the young K0 star BD+60 1417 at a projected separation of 37″ or 1662 au. The secondary—CWISER J124332.12+600126.2 (W1243)—is detected in both the CatWISE2020 and 2MASS reject tables. The photometric distance and CatWISE proper motion both match that of the primary within ∼1σ and our estimates for a chance alignment yield a zero probability. Follow-up near-infrared spectroscopy reveals W1243 to be a very red 2MASS (J–K s = 2.72), low surface gravity source that we classify as L6–L8γ. Its spectral morphology strongly resembles that of confirmed late-type L dwarfs in 10–150 Myr moving groups as well as that of planetary mass companions. The position on near- and mid-infrared color–magnitude diagrams indicates the source is redder and fainter than the field sequence, a telltale sign of an object with thick clouds and a complex atmosphere. For the primary we obtained new optical spectroscopy and analyzed all available literature information for youth indicators. We conclude that the Li i abundance, its loci on color–magnitude and color–color diagrams, and the rotation rate revealed in multiple TESS sectors are all consistent with an age of 50–150 Myr. Using our re-evaluated age of the primary and the Gaia parallax, along with the photometry and spectrum for W1243, we find T eff = 1303 ± 31 K, log g = 4.3 ± 0.17 cm s−2, and a mass of 15 ± 5 M Jup. We find a physical separation of ∼1662 au and a mass ratio of ∼0.01 for this system. Placing it in the context of the diverse collection of binary stars, brown dwarfs, and planetary companions, the BD+60 1417 system falls in a sparsely sampled area where the formation pathway is difficult to assess.

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Volunteers Recruitment, Retention, and Performance during the CSMON-LIFE (Citizen Science MONitoring) Project and 3 Years of Follow-Up

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131911110 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 11110

Author(s):

Stefano Martellos ◽

Elena Pittao ◽

Donatella Cesaroni ◽

Alessio Mereu ◽

Damiano Petruzzella ◽

...

Keyword(s):

European Commission ◽

Citizen Science ◽

21St Century ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Constant Increase ◽

Awareness Raising ◽

And Performance

Volunteers’ contribution to research is growing, especially since the beginning of the 21st century. Given the constant increase of Citizen Science initiatives, recruiting strategies have to be planned properly. Retention is pivotal as well, especially when time is invested in volunteers’ training. However, practically no follow-up data are available on retention after major Citizen Science initiatives. CSMON-LIFE (Citizen Science MONitoring) was a 42-month project (2014–2017) funded by the European Commission in the framework of the LIFE+ programme (LIFE13 ENV/IT/842). It aimed at increasing awareness on Citizen Science among citizens, researchers, and decision makers in Italy. During CSMON-LIFE, recruitment was based on extensive awareness raising actions on different media. In total, 5558 volunteers were engaged in different field activities during the project and its follow-up. They gathered a total of 30062 geo-referenced observations, each with an image of the reported organism. Their activities were organized in campaigns, each devoted to a different topic. This study aims at investigating volunteers’ performance and retention in the funded period of CSMON-LIFE (December 2014–November 2017) and in its after-LIFE follow-up period (December 2017–November 2020), for a total of 72 months.

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