Lesson 6 Better Together
Citizen Science: Be Part of the Solution
A ____ misconception in science is that only highly trained experts can participate in research and data analysis.
However, with the right opportunity, anyone can become a scientist, and yes, that means ____ you!
Dealing with a vast amount of data can take scientists decades, but with the eyes, ears, and perspectives of citizen scientists, this job can be completed in a few years or ____ just a few months.
Citizen scientists collect, classify, or analyze data so that scientists can ____ it for research.
By making observations of their surrounding environments or even by playing a simple mobile game, they can help the professional scientific community expand knowledge and speed up new ____ and innovations.
____ Budburst
Most flowers bloom in ____, and many leaves change color in autumn.
Due to global warming, however, the timing of seasonal cycles is ____.
Scientists have been trying to find out exactly how and where these cycles are changing, as well as how ____ the changes are occurring.
The problem is that it is ____ for them to keep track of every single plant in the country.
This is ____ citizen science comes in.
Project Budburst is a program that engages citizens across the ____ to observe and record details about nearby plants.
____ It Works
Project ____ can be easily accessed anywhere you have an internet connection.
To get involved, you first need to go through a simple tutorial that helps you understand what to look for when you ____ a plant.
Next, you choose a particular plant to observe, such as a ____ in your backyard or a bush in a neighborhood park.
As you ____ your observations, you will fill out a form to record the plant’s location and track its changes throughout the seasons.
You ____ record when it grows leaves, flowers, and fruit, and when its leaves change color and fall off in the autumn.
You can submit these observation ____ on the website or the app.
____ and Outcomes
Project Budburst is beneficial to scientists, educators, and participating ____.
With the information you provide, scientists and researchers can ____ understand how plant species respond to climate change at local, national, and international levels.
They can compare the data you record with ____ they already have in order to forecast future changes in climates and ecosystems.
The information on the project’s website can be used as educational ____ by educators as well.
By collecting and utilizing real-world data, participants can both improve their science literacy and ____ tackle significant environmental questions.
Moreover, the project is a fun and rewarding outdoor activity for participants of all ____.
____
____ of my favorite parts of this project is that I don’t need to be an expert to take part.
I’ve always been fascinated by the ____ range of flowers in the local garden.
Thanks to this project, now I know them ____ by name.
Feature Hunter
NASA has more than three million photos of ____ taken from space.
These photos can be invaluable to researchers in fields ____ as geology, environmental science, and urban planning.
However, many of the photos are difficult to use because they lack ____ for common features like islands, glaciers, volcanoes, and cities.
With such a vast amount of photographic data, it can be challenging for scientists to search for specific ____ and analyze them in detail.
In response to this challenge, a group of students came up with the Feature ____ project for NASA.
Participants of this project examine images and ____ previously uncategorized photos for a more comprehensive and searchable database.
____ It Works
As a ____ Hunter participant, you will be provided with a collection of images and asked to identify specific features.
You begin by selecting the kind of feature you want to search for, such as islands, ____, or cities.
You then examine the ____ image and determine whether the feature you are looking for is visible.
If you can see the feature in the image, ____ the Yes option.
This will bring you to a page where ____ will be asked to identify the feature’s location by moving and resizing the boxes around it.
If you cannot see the feature, or if it is not clear, click the No or Not Sure ____.
Both of these options ____ contribute to the creation of the best data possible.
____ and Outcomes
The data gathered from Feature Hunter plays a crucial role in training and improving machine learning models, which will automatically ____ raw photographs with geographical features.
Machine learning requires large sets of training data to ____ accurate results, and Feature Hunter users can help develop this training data by simply viewing images and identifying features.
The more data the citizen scientists label, the higher the accuracy of the ____ learning models can be.
Ultimately, this project will enhance the ____ and usefulness of the images for both the scientific community and the general public.
____
I didn’t realize it was this ____ to participate in such a big science project.
I made a difference in the world and had fun ____ it!
It’s amazing that people from different ____ can work together when they don’t speak the same language.