Malka Niknamfard

Pretty much everyone who comes across a scientific breakthrough or achievement (including myself) automatically assumes that the theory or idea has been experimented on or tested by a group of trained scientists who are proficient and qualified to do the job- whether it be testing the effects of a new medicine or discovering something new in nature. In this sense, most people trust that the research conducted, whatever it may be, is valid and certified by a trained professional. However, the article Citizen Science: Can Volunteers Do Real Research? by Jeffrey P. Cohn gives insight into something that has never really been considered by most people- the idea that ordinary volunteers contribute to the collection of scientific data.

When I first read this article, I could not help but ask myself how it is possible that amateurs who are not trained in a certain scientific field are capable of producing reliable results of data when it comes to scientific experimentation. After all, are we really expected to trust someone who has no knowledge in the science field to accurately relay data?

However, after further reading the article and learning that scientists prepare certain protocols specifically for citizen scientists and even often accompany these volunteers during their research, I came to appreciate the importance and the practicality of engaging ordinary people in experiments that can potentially spark interests in science. David Ucko, deputy director of the NSF’s division for research in learning even said that “Our objective is to increase public awareness of and participation in science… we are more interested in the educational values than the research results.” By being involved in the scientific world through hands-on exploration and research projects, more people get out into the world and learn to appreciate science and nature. Moreover, people who volunteer take pride in the work they are doing and feel as though they too are capable of contributing to the scientific community.

The idea of promoting ‘Citizen Scientists’ is truly a great way to get volunteers involved in what is going on in the scientific world, and it does a great job of engaging people and garnering people’s interests in things that they would otherwise solely be exposed to via an academic lecture or humdrum textbook.

Malka Niknamfard

Henry David Thoreau was quoted as saying, “A man’s interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town”. This quote is directly related to this week’s reading portion of Surrounded by Science: Learning Science in Informal Environments by Marilyn Fenichel and Heidi A. Schweingruber in that it stresses the idea that the key to successful learning is nurturing an individual’s interests and hobbies in an informal setting as opposed to merely forcing one to memorize irrelevant facts in an academic setting.

This idea was proven in the Project FeederWatch experiment conducted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, in which participants fed birds and recorded the different bird species that visit each bird feeder. What was interesting about the experiment was that most of the participants bombarded the scientists and other staff members with scientific and experimental questions regarding the experiment, and were really engaged and seemed to express a lot of interest in what they were doing. This experiment proved that when people are provided with a hands-on approach when it comes to learning and conducting research, not only do they express more interest in the subject, but they also learn the topics more thoroughly because they are experiencing them in an informal manner instead of in a solely academic setting.

Before reading both “The 95% Solution” and Surrounded by Science, I must admit that I was quite skeptical about the idea that it is possible to learn more about science outside of the classroom. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there is much truth to this idea. Informal science opportunities are crucial in today’s society because they are responsible for igniting interest in scientific topics that most people would otherwise be exposed to via memorization and the study of mere facts that have no application to a person’s daily life. Formal science learning cannot engage individuals by forcing them to memorize facts and simply does not cater to an individual’s interests. The bird watch experiment proved to be important because not only did participants express interest in the topic at hand, but it also allowed the participants to feel as though they are a part of the scientific community and that they too are capable of making an impact on the scientific world.

John Falk and Lynn Dierking’s article titled “The 95% Solution” seeks to provide insight into the idea that science is not a concept that can solely be learned in the classroom. In fact, according to the article, “Average Americans spend less than 5 percent of their life in classrooms, and an ever-growing body of evidence demonstrates that most science is learned outside of school” (1). I have to admit that when I first read this article, I was surprised to learn that Americans gain most of their scientific knowledge outside of an academic setting. After all, most parents consider it a priority to send their kids to school so that they can be properly educated and prepared for graduate school.

 However, after pondering the idea of a “free choice learning experience”, I came to realize the truth behind this phrase. I have known that I wanted to become a doctor my whole life, but that decision was never based on anything I had learned in school. I decided to choose a career in the medical field because science and the world around us is something that has always interested me. I still remember watching documentaries on the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet with my dad when I was younger, and I recall bombarding him with scientific questions that even he could not answer. It was then that I decided to do research on my own and learn about the science behind what makes us who we are.

While I believe that school is a crucial and necessary component of every person’s life, I agree whole-heartedly with the idea that kids learn more when they are given the chance to conduct research on their own and have a hands-on approach in doing whatever interests them. When kids are introduced to certain subjects in a way that makes them fun and appealing, they are more likely to find interest in that subject and pursue it further on in their lives. The passion and zeal that comes from learning something new in a fun and interesting manner is something that can never be compared to how students approach certain subjects in school. When kids are younger, they pursue certain topics that are interesting and enjoyable to them, and most kids often tend to make a career out of whatever interests them. However, when kids get older, they begin learning and studying certain topics only to do well on tests and forget the material later on. Education that is rooted in interest and enjoyment stays with a person even after he or she does not necessarily have to remember the material.