I am on Spring Break in Florida this week, so for my Citizen Science Volunteering Program (Project Squirrel), I observed the squirrels in the area.
I did not see any fox or black squirrels in the area I am staying (Southwest Florida). Here are some questions I answered this week:
8) What are you learning in this project?
I am learning the basics of a Citizen Science Volunteering Program. Project Squirrel also opens the doors to other possible programs I could join. I am learning how to record data about squirrels, including the surrounding environment, and how all of that national data comes together.
10) What do you find rewarding about citizen science volunteering?
Citizen science volunteering gives me a chance to participate in programs that help real scientists collect data and better the world through their studies. There are programs for everyone and most can be done from anywhere. Project Squirrel can be performed anywhere in the world, so it was convenient to keep up with it even in Florida.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Semester Project #1 Blog #3
Two weeks ago I cleaned out the back of my car, which had accumulated a bunch of crap over the year. I hauled everything inside (all seven Harry Potter books, three posters, a pile of plastic plates, and trash) and weighed everything. The total weight of extra items in my car was twenty-five pounds! Now that there isn't that extra weight in my car, I will get better gas mileage.
Questions:
4) Why did you choose these four strategies?
I chose my strategies because they not only helped reduce my ecological footprint and better the earth, but also had a direct benefit for me/my family. 1) Turning off lights reduces the electricity bill, 2) cleaning my car increases gas mileage and increases the time between each fill-up, 3) taking care of my possessions means I don't have to buy new items, 4) taking shorter showers reduces bills, and 5) reducing the amount of hazardous waste I produce is better for my long-term health.
5) How are you progressing in your footprint reducing strategies?
I have a steady progress in my footprint reducing strategies. I try to complete one big task a week (cleaning my car, cleaning the art room, reducing waste). The next step is to implement all the strategies full time.
6) What do you find challenging in reducing your footprint?
Laziness is the biggest roadblock I face. My footprint reducing strategies aren't hard by any means- it just takes motivation to do them. Reducing the amount of hazardous waste is the most challenging to implement because there is a lot of extra paint used in my art process and sometimes it is hard to break old habits.
7) What do you find easy in reducing your footprint?
Turning off the lights and taking shorter showers have been the easiest strategies to keep up. It isn't hard to turn off the lights when you leave the room, and taking shorter showers has been easier to do than I thought, since I realized I used to stand in the shower for an extra five minutes (wasting water). It's easier to reduce habits if they have direct benefits.
Questions:
4) Why did you choose these four strategies?
I chose my strategies because they not only helped reduce my ecological footprint and better the earth, but also had a direct benefit for me/my family. 1) Turning off lights reduces the electricity bill, 2) cleaning my car increases gas mileage and increases the time between each fill-up, 3) taking care of my possessions means I don't have to buy new items, 4) taking shorter showers reduces bills, and 5) reducing the amount of hazardous waste I produce is better for my long-term health.
5) How are you progressing in your footprint reducing strategies?
I have a steady progress in my footprint reducing strategies. I try to complete one big task a week (cleaning my car, cleaning the art room, reducing waste). The next step is to implement all the strategies full time.
6) What do you find challenging in reducing your footprint?
Laziness is the biggest roadblock I face. My footprint reducing strategies aren't hard by any means- it just takes motivation to do them. Reducing the amount of hazardous waste is the most challenging to implement because there is a lot of extra paint used in my art process and sometimes it is hard to break old habits.
7) What do you find easy in reducing your footprint?
Turning off the lights and taking shorter showers have been the easiest strategies to keep up. It isn't hard to turn off the lights when you leave the room, and taking shorter showers has been easier to do than I thought, since I realized I used to stand in the shower for an extra five minutes (wasting water). It's easier to reduce habits if they have direct benefits.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Semester Project #2 Blog #2
I just completed my first survey for Project Squirrel. In my observation, I saw one black squirrel and five fox squirrels. Squirrels regularly feed on the bird feeders in my backyard and seldom feed on the trees. In my backyard there are seed-bearing trees such as maple, and down the road there is a cottonwood tree. We also have five pine trees on the side of our house.
Questions:
9. What do you find easy/challenging about citizen science volunteering?
Project Squirrel isn't hard to participate in, because basically all you have to do is look out your window and walk down the street to make observations. There isn't anything that stands out as challenging-the hardest part is probably making the time to actually do it. Other than that, Project Squirrel is a fun citizen science volunteering project and it's made so anyone can participate. In general, citizen science volunteering is challenging because you have to be accurate about your results-real scientists are using the data you collect in their experiments or studies so you want to report the most accurate observations possible. Most citizen science projects encourage a lot of people to participate so they have "easy" elements to draw people in. Overall my project is not challenging, but fun.
11. Would you recommend your project to someone else who wanted to try citizen science volunteering? Why?
Yes, I would recommend Project Squirrel to someone who wants to get their feet wet in citizen science volunteering because it is relatively easy and can be done from anywhere. Project Squirrel doesn't take much time out of your day, but it is still a citizen science program that helps produce real scientific results. It is a good program if it is your first citizen science volunteering program (like me) because it expands on something you do everyday: watch squirrels.
Questions:
9. What do you find easy/challenging about citizen science volunteering?
Project Squirrel isn't hard to participate in, because basically all you have to do is look out your window and walk down the street to make observations. There isn't anything that stands out as challenging-the hardest part is probably making the time to actually do it. Other than that, Project Squirrel is a fun citizen science volunteering project and it's made so anyone can participate. In general, citizen science volunteering is challenging because you have to be accurate about your results-real scientists are using the data you collect in their experiments or studies so you want to report the most accurate observations possible. Most citizen science projects encourage a lot of people to participate so they have "easy" elements to draw people in. Overall my project is not challenging, but fun.
11. Would you recommend your project to someone else who wanted to try citizen science volunteering? Why?
Yes, I would recommend Project Squirrel to someone who wants to get their feet wet in citizen science volunteering because it is relatively easy and can be done from anywhere. Project Squirrel doesn't take much time out of your day, but it is still a citizen science program that helps produce real scientific results. It is a good program if it is your first citizen science volunteering program (like me) because it expands on something you do everyday: watch squirrels.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Hazardous Waste (Semester Project #1 add-on)
After viewing the Chapter 10 lectures on Waste and Waste Solutions, I realize how much hazardous waste I have put in the environment in the past through acrylic paints. Last weekend I was working on a new painting and I put a lot of the excess, watery brown paint in the trash. Reading the lectures, it made me realize that those actions had consequences beyond what I could see. I've decided to add another Ecological Footprint Reduction strategy to my Semester Project 1 on top of the ones I already have:
1) take shorter showers
2) have only what I need in my car
3) take good care of my possessions
4) turn off the lights when I leave a room
and
5) reduce the amount of hazardous waste I produce in my home (in the form of paints).
Adding on this fifth objective is manageable, and I'm excited to practice it in the coming weeks.
1) take shorter showers
2) have only what I need in my car
3) take good care of my possessions
4) turn off the lights when I leave a room
and
5) reduce the amount of hazardous waste I produce in my home (in the form of paints).
Adding on this fifth objective is manageable, and I'm excited to practice it in the coming weeks.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Semester Project #1 Blog #2
I have addressed most of the strategies in my ecological footprint reduction plan, except for #2, having only what I need in my car. For swim I had to shave my head last week so that automatically reduced the number of minutes I stayed in the shower. For the past two weeks, I have been recording the number and length of showers I take and here is a summary of my results:
For the first week, I took 11 showers, ranging from 10-14 minutes each (I have to take a shower after swim to get the chlorine off my skin). If I take the max number of minutes (14) and multiply that by 11, I spent 154 minutes in the shower, or a total of 2.56 hours. I used about 25 gallons of water per shower, or 275 total gallons for the week.
For the second week, when I shaved my head, I took 7 showers, ranging from 5-7 minutes each. At the most, I spent 49 minutes in the shower, or 0.82 hours. Again, I used about 25 gallons of water per shower, so 175 gallons used total. That means (roughly) that by decreasing my shower time by 5-7 minutes, I used 100 less gallons of water, which means a lot of $ saved.
As for the other two points, I have remembered to turn the lights off when I leave the room, and at the end of the night I always turn off the printer or computer if it was left on. I have kept pretty good care of my paintbrushes and other art supplies, but I could save more money by reducing the amount of paint I use.
Questions:
1) What were the results of your footprint analysis?
My footprint analysis said that it would take 4.7 earths to sustain the population if everyone lived the lifestyle I do. By carrying out some of the points in my footprint reduction plan, I hope this number goes down and overall that I leave a smaller footprint on the earth. My school is running a book drive in the spring to raise money to buy trees to plant around the school and give back to the environment. Planting a garden or other plants in the spring/summer might be another good way to reduce my footprint.
2) Do you feel these results reflect your lifestyle accurately? Why?
At first, I didn't think the results reflected my lifestyle accurately, because I couldn't comprehend how it would take 4.7 earths to sustain the way I live. Looking back on it though, this number or the concept of it, does make sense. Through the readings and research for this class I have realized just how many resources I use on a daily basis and how much wasted materials I throw away or go unused. I definitely want to reduce this number and make my lifestyle more environmentally friendly.
For the first week, I took 11 showers, ranging from 10-14 minutes each (I have to take a shower after swim to get the chlorine off my skin). If I take the max number of minutes (14) and multiply that by 11, I spent 154 minutes in the shower, or a total of 2.56 hours. I used about 25 gallons of water per shower, or 275 total gallons for the week.
For the second week, when I shaved my head, I took 7 showers, ranging from 5-7 minutes each. At the most, I spent 49 minutes in the shower, or 0.82 hours. Again, I used about 25 gallons of water per shower, so 175 gallons used total. That means (roughly) that by decreasing my shower time by 5-7 minutes, I used 100 less gallons of water, which means a lot of $ saved.
As for the other two points, I have remembered to turn the lights off when I leave the room, and at the end of the night I always turn off the printer or computer if it was left on. I have kept pretty good care of my paintbrushes and other art supplies, but I could save more money by reducing the amount of paint I use.
Questions:
1) What were the results of your footprint analysis?
My footprint analysis said that it would take 4.7 earths to sustain the population if everyone lived the lifestyle I do. By carrying out some of the points in my footprint reduction plan, I hope this number goes down and overall that I leave a smaller footprint on the earth. My school is running a book drive in the spring to raise money to buy trees to plant around the school and give back to the environment. Planting a garden or other plants in the spring/summer might be another good way to reduce my footprint.
2) Do you feel these results reflect your lifestyle accurately? Why?
At first, I didn't think the results reflected my lifestyle accurately, because I couldn't comprehend how it would take 4.7 earths to sustain the way I live. Looking back on it though, this number or the concept of it, does make sense. Through the readings and research for this class I have realized just how many resources I use on a daily basis and how much wasted materials I throw away or go unused. I definitely want to reduce this number and make my lifestyle more environmentally friendly.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Semester Project #2 Blog #1
For my 2nd Semester project I have chosen to participate in Project Squirrel. As I read through the list, this one caught my eye right away, and I'm excited to start (soon) collecting data for the scientists! I have two dogs, Howie and Rudy, and they always chase the squirrels in my backyard. One time Howie caught a rabbit and put it in my bedroom closet right before school. Rudy has almost caught a couple squirrels, but sometimes it looks like the squirrels enjoy the chase.
Here are my answers to the first six questions, since I haven't started collecting any data yet.
1. Which citizen science project have you chosen? Why?
I have chosen the Project Squirrel citizen science project (http://projectsquirrel.org/participate.shtml). I chose this project because my neighborhood has a lot of squirrels, and the project is very flexible. The name of the project pulled me in right away because I thought it was funny.
2. What are your responsibilities as a volunteer?
As a volunteer my responsibilities are to, at least four times over the semester, record different data on the squirrels in my neighborhood, and submit my findings to Project Squirrel.
3. What data will you collect? How is data submitted?
I will collect data on the number of individual Gray and Fox squirrels I see. I also have to record the different kinds of trees that are in the observation area (there are a number of possible observation sites and data can be collected from almost anywhere). Other necessary data includes the type of food the squirrels gather (if any), the number of squirrels compared to last year, and the absence or presence of dogs. Data is submitted by completing an online form and then turning in to Project Squirrel.
4. What research question is the project attempting to answer?
Squirrels can us about our local environments, so Project Squirrel is gather research data to gain a better and well-rounded idea of neighborhood ecology.
5. How does the project apply the scientific method?
Project Squirrel is largely an observational citizen science volunteering program, so with the scientific method the program is heavily based on Observations and Recording/Reporting Data. The admins or heads of Project Squirrel are the ones in charge of the hypothesis, and as a citizen science volunteer I am helping them collect data to either prove or disprove that hypothesis.
6. Which part of the scientific method does your participation address?
Answered mostly in #5. My participation addresses the observational side of the scientific method and recording/reporting those observations in the form of data in an online survey.
Yeah squirrels!
Here are my answers to the first six questions, since I haven't started collecting any data yet.
1. Which citizen science project have you chosen? Why?
I have chosen the Project Squirrel citizen science project (http://projectsquirrel.org/participate.shtml). I chose this project because my neighborhood has a lot of squirrels, and the project is very flexible. The name of the project pulled me in right away because I thought it was funny.
2. What are your responsibilities as a volunteer?
As a volunteer my responsibilities are to, at least four times over the semester, record different data on the squirrels in my neighborhood, and submit my findings to Project Squirrel.
3. What data will you collect? How is data submitted?
I will collect data on the number of individual Gray and Fox squirrels I see. I also have to record the different kinds of trees that are in the observation area (there are a number of possible observation sites and data can be collected from almost anywhere). Other necessary data includes the type of food the squirrels gather (if any), the number of squirrels compared to last year, and the absence or presence of dogs. Data is submitted by completing an online form and then turning in to Project Squirrel.
4. What research question is the project attempting to answer?
Squirrels can us about our local environments, so Project Squirrel is gather research data to gain a better and well-rounded idea of neighborhood ecology.
5. How does the project apply the scientific method?
Project Squirrel is largely an observational citizen science volunteering program, so with the scientific method the program is heavily based on Observations and Recording/Reporting Data. The admins or heads of Project Squirrel are the ones in charge of the hypothesis, and as a citizen science volunteer I am helping them collect data to either prove or disprove that hypothesis.
6. Which part of the scientific method does your participation address?
Answered mostly in #5. My participation addresses the observational side of the scientific method and recording/reporting those observations in the form of data in an online survey.
Yeah squirrels!
Rudy
Howie & Rudy
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Semester Project #1 Blog #1
Here are my four footprint-reducing strategies for the semester (Question #3):
1) Turn off lights when I leave a room
2) Only have what I need in my vehicle to increase fuel efficiency
3) (Reuse) Take good care of my possessions to make them last as long as possible (specifically my paintbrushes)
4) Take shorter showers
1) Turn off lights when I leave a room
2) Only have what I need in my vehicle to increase fuel efficiency
3) (Reuse) Take good care of my possessions to make them last as long as possible (specifically my paintbrushes)
4) Take shorter showers
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