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9 Connecting Students to a World of Possibilities in Authentic Science Research

Gifted students have intense interests but do not always have opportunities to pursue them. Technology can provide those opportunities (Housand, B. & Housand, A., 2012) and citizen science can provide authentic, or “real-world” learning, application, and communication. Citizen science is scientific research conducted in collaboration with people. (Hand, 2010; Silverton, 2009). It connects students to authentic science research in which students are the scientists assisting researchers from around the world in gathering and/or analyzing data. Students anywhere in the world are able to find citizen science projects in their interest areas, such as the arts, language, literature, space, climate, nature, physics, history, and medicine.

Scientists recruit volunteers when the data is collected over large time periods, and/or there is too much data to analyze and they cannot pay someone to analyze it. These global research projects are provided by various organizations, such as, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Oxford English Dictionary, London Natural History Society, Smithsonian Institute, South Sudanese Wildlife and Conservation Service, National Geographic, and institutions of higher learning, such as, Cambridge University, University of Aberdeen, and University of Minnesota.

Prior to the 20th century, scientific research was conducted by gentleman scientists, amateurs, or self-funded researchers. By mid-20th Century, universities and government labs dominated research and solicited help from citizens. The first citizen science project that started pre-1900 that continues today is the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count. The first digital citizen science project which started in 1999 is at the University of California, Berkeley’s SETI@home.

Students apply skills to assist scientists in gathering and analyzing data. Before starting on a project, students complete a tutorial to be able to analyze or gather data. These projects are motivating and engaging and actually build the student’s self-confidence in this work. Some projects provide secure areas for students to discuss their results and delve deeper into the research. Students are encouraged to ask questions. Scientists/researchers answer questions and engage the students. Lessons are provided to teachers to enhance the learning and understanding behind the projects.

Today the power of the Internet brings teams of scientists together with everyday citizens from all over the world to collaborate on authentic research projects to find new galaxies or the cure for cancer; to understand the language of manatees or whales; to track migrations of animals; to transcribe ancient texts; and to search data to fight resistance to antibiotics.

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