Ilanit Zada

9-22-13

          Reading through the article entitled “Citizen Science: Can Volunteers do Real Research” by Jeffrey P. Cohn, I was a bit unsure as to what my stance was on the topic of volunteers doing research and their observations being put to use. Should this be allowed? Or are volunteers being taken advantage of simply because it would be costly otherwise? Furthermore, should the observations that the volunteers make and their data be deemed credible? After all, there are volunteers that do not have a degree in the area.

          After mulling over this idea, I reached an obvious conclusion. These volunteers are not forced to do anything against their will; they enjoy what they are doing and would be doing it regardless, so why not make use of their findings? In addition, many of these volunteers research the topic so much that they may be just as knowledgeable as someone else in the field. Their work should not be untrustworthy simply because they do not have a piece of paper that says they went to school and excelled in that area.

          This idea brought me back to the Bioblitz and reminded me of the volunteer that took part in our journey through the park. The volunteer that was assigned to my group happened to also love nature and be extremely knowledgeable in the area. He told us that he loved dedicating his spare time to walking through the park and identifying the different plant species he saw and writing down the different characteristics that classified is as that specific tree. One day, a friend of his approached him and asked him if he would make a map of the park (being that he knew so much about it). The volunteer immediately agreed and began his project. He showed us the map that he made and I was flabbergasted; it was extremely large and included all the details and topography of the park. Not only that, but he told us that the map that he made was published in the book his friend wrote, earning him some fame. I  believe that this comes to show that although the volunteers may not receive a monetary payment for the work that they do, their job is priceless and enables so many people to further their knowledge because of their investments.