Jennifer Mikhli
09/23/13
Professor Adams
Science and Technology in NYC
Reflection on “Citizen Science: Can Volunteers Do Real Research?”
The article entitled “Citizen Science: Can Volunteers Do Real Research?,” written by Jeffrey P. Cohn, touches on a fundamental concern that is intrinsic to citizen participation in scientific studies. A significant apprehension to citizen engagement in scientific studies lies in the accuracy and reliability of the data that they would be collecting. Admittedly, this a concern that I had when I read about projects such a Project FeederWatch where ordinary citizens were observing and classifying the birds that they would spot. I wondered as to the reliability of these data reports, as these citizens were not experts in the field of ornithology. The article puts this concern to rest as it addresses the issue and offers the methods put in place to ensure the accuracy of these data reports. For instance, training is provided prior to citizen participation in wildlife studies. “Citizen scientists are trained to read instruments and provide actual numbers,” (194) the article notes. In addition trained staff are paired with citizen scientists to ensure accuracy. To illustrate the competence of these citizen scientists, the article presents a remarkable statistic. The article notes how in a study of native crabs along the Atlantic coast, 95 percent of the time, seventh graders were able to correctly identify the various types of crabs and third graders “80 percent of the time.” (195) Essentially the article puts me at ease about the scientific contributions that citizen scientists are making to the field.
Another interesting point that the article makes is the growing number of volunteer scientists participating in studies, as well as the growing amount of studies that utilize citizen scientists. While citizen engagement in scientific studies is not something new, it has expanded greatly over the years. I believe that the balloon of these citizen-study partnerships is due to the growing availability of scientific information about the natural world and other scientific fields. Due to the internet and other forms of media, such as television programming, lay citizens are able to access and engage with an overwhelming amount of scientific information. This availability has produced a race of humans that possesses much more scientific knowledge than would an ordinary individual a few decades ago. These enlightened citizens are thus being used to infuse citizen science participations in scientific studies. Scientists are recognizing the capabilities and know-how that ordinary citizens can bring to the scientific table and are framing more studies around citizen participation. Essentially, due to the information resting at our fingertips, ordinary citizens are ever more capable to participate in scientific studies, leading to a growing increase in the citizen-research field.
