Citizen Science
Become a ‘Citizen Scientist’
Are you interested in learning about the birds you see on the way to your office or class? Counting the days until the leaves on the trees in front of your office window spring forth? Now is your chance to get to know and assist us in learning more about the natural environment of our urban campus while contributing to Yale’s sustainability commitment.
The Office of Sustainability and the Peabody Museum of Natural History have partnered to develop the first Citizen Science project at Yale. The goal of the project is to recruit and train Yale community members to become observers and reporters of key environmental indicators within the physical parameters of the Yale campus. At this point in the project we are particularly interested in birds (sightings, habitat and migration) as well as information about trees and other plants. Yale Citizen Scientists will be trained to observe and record bird and plant information throughout the year.
In citizen science, volunteers are trained to collect accurate and reliable data on plants or animals. In this way, citizen scientists can greatly increase the scope of certain types of data collection and help scientists accomplish research objectives that would otherwise be impossible. Many citizen science networks are involved in phenology, the observation of cyclic events of nature, in order to investigate how global changes affect plant and animal life in different geographic areas. The longest running citizen science project is the National Audubon Society’s “Christmas Bird Count”, started in 1900.
The Office of Sustainability together with the experts from the Yale Peabody Museum will offer two one-hour long training sessions in March to brief participants on how to become successful citizen scientists. Interested participants only need to attend one of the training sessions. Topics will include when and where to collect data, how to submit data, and how the information will be used to develop a strong understanding of the urban ecology of the Yale campus. Registered citizen scientists will be encouraged to make observations, record and submit data on a regular basis.
Citizen Science Training sessions will take place in the fall of 2012.
*If you have attended one of these sessions and want to work on your bird identification skills, download this list of commonly found species at Yale and visit the Peabody Museum's Hall of CT Birds to learn more.
Expert-led bird walks
Our first few bird walks took place in early 2012 and generated our first records of bird sightings and preferred habitats. Be on the lookout for more opportunities to observe and record data about birds, plants and other species in a variety of locations across campus throughout the year.
Upcoming Bird Walks
Wednesday, April 25 at 7:30 am (date changed from Tuesday, April 24, due to weather)
Bird Walk on the Yale School of Medicine Campus
Meet in the lobby of the Anlyan Center, 300 Cedar St.
Wednesday, May 16 at 7:30 am
Bird Walk in the Science Hill region
Meet at the front doors of the Peabody Museum
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can become a YALE NatureWatch Citizen Scientist?
Anyone within the Yale community – students, staff and faculty – is eligible to participate.
Do I need to be a biologist or ecologist to participate?
Absolutely no prior training is required to participate. However, you must attend training sessions hosted by the Yale Peabody Museum to participate in the data collection process.
What happens if I have other observations to record at non-dedicated times of the month?
We will have a web page available for entering observations that you make. Observations can also be e-mailed to the survey coordinator responsible for a given area of campus.
What will happen with the data that is collected?
The Office of Sustainability and the Yale Peabody Museum are interested in establishing a more complete understanding of how Yale’s semi urban campus functions in the ecological context. In time, this could shed light on how best to manage our land.
Can I join at any time?
Yes. Please contact sustainability@yale.edu and let us know you are interested in becoming a Citizen Scientist.
Can I attend the bird walks even if I do not want to become a Citizen Scientist?
Yes, bird walks are open to all Yale community members.