Hi,

Yes, projects are well on their way! We have not had a bottleneck…what is nice is because of the virtual platform, we can draw from a national (and theoretically, international) pool of experts. The site helps to organize and directs ideas, so it often doesn’t take up much time for the experts. I served for one project for which my background in science was well suited. I was surprised at how little time it took!

We recently had an article in Conservation Biology highlighting some of the impacts of volunteer work. One group was able to collect and analyze data and use it to get a 200K grant from the Soil Conservation District to make some changes to riparian zones!

Hi,
Our initial needs assessment indicated a demographic that may respond well to mission impossible. We used professional consultants for this. There were many others that may have even been better, but we couldn’t afford them!:)
We are finding that our demographic is changing, however. I have been working with another group in Baltimore (as part of another project, but individuals are now joining collaborativescience.org…this is their video: https://youtu.be/QxDCA00tRzw). Because we can’t afford recruitment tailored to each demographic, we are also considering working with something like SciStarter to help advertise and make connections.

Hi,
The demographic for this video was older, closer to retirement age and through retirement. Individuals report primarily being white and college educated. As our audience is broadening, we are making substantial changes to the webpage.
Teacher recruitment happens through attendance at national and regional meetings (e.g., NARST, NJ Science Teacher Convention, etc.) and through working with the Biology Teachers of NJ association.
If individuals wish to submit data, they need to sign up for a specific project and then they are given a password. They also attend some virtual meetings. We have not noted any fraudulent posts, but that is something to think about. Thanks!

Well, we are tackling challenges!:) In all seriousness, the programmers and learning scientists on this project are top notch…I am humbled by what we have been able to accomplish! The data are so rich, I could continue with this until retirement!

The extent to which the scientific community uses the data varies by group. In some cases, the group uses the data to advocate for a management action or for further funds to implement a more detailed study. In other cases, the data have been analyzed by scientists. In all cases, the citizens are trained to collect data…there are a series of short online modules that highlight the value of standardizing data collection. They also participate in a virtual conference where data needs are explicitly addressed. Then as appropriate for the project, individuals are trained directly. For example, in the case of water monitoring, for most states, a specific protocol needs to be followed, so individuals undergo that training. In other cases, individuals have sought advice from the experts on how to be trained. For example, one group was close to a university and a professor trained some of them as they trained their undergraduate researchers. It varies. We also address data validation and encourage our groups to provide evidence of this. I think it is the latter that has gained the respect of particular scientists at least.

Thanks for the comment! We will definitely be making a better video!