Total Points: 100,166
Run Time: 56 days, 14 hours, 46 minutes, 23 seconds.
Not bad for only three members!
As always, feel free to start your participation in WCG and join the CSW team.
Friday, September 16, 2011
CSW Breaks 100,000 Points on World Community Grid!
Today Citizen Science Works passed the 100K mark in points generated for the World Community Grid projects. Here are some basic stats:
Friday, September 2, 2011
World Community Grid: Drug Search for Leishmaniasis
WCG has a new project available, the goal being a search for potential molecule candidates for Leishmaniasis treatments.
According to the WCG website, Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected tropical diseases in the world, infecting more than 2 million people in 97 countries.
Quoting directly from the the WCG website:
"Screening for the best potential drug compounds is an early step in the process of developing effective treatments for the disease. With enough computing power, this screening can be done much more quickly than using conventional laboratory experiments. However, existing computer facilities available to the researchers would require approximately 120 years to perform the screening. The power of World Community Grid can reduce the time required to less than one year."
120 years vs. 1 year. As you can see, even just a little bit of your computing time will make a big difference to this program.
Take a look at Berkeley's BOINC website to download the software to participate in several distributive computing projects. To participate in the Leishmaniasis project (or several others listed in the WCG) sign up at the World Community Grid website. And as always, if you so wish, feel free to join the Citizen Science Works computing team. Most important, please do sign up at BOINC and put your idle processors to work for a good cause.
According to the WCG website, Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected tropical diseases in the world, infecting more than 2 million people in 97 countries.
Quoting directly from the the WCG website:
"Screening for the best potential drug compounds is an early step in the process of developing effective treatments for the disease. With enough computing power, this screening can be done much more quickly than using conventional laboratory experiments. However, existing computer facilities available to the researchers would require approximately 120 years to perform the screening. The power of World Community Grid can reduce the time required to less than one year."
120 years vs. 1 year. As you can see, even just a little bit of your computing time will make a big difference to this program.
Take a look at Berkeley's BOINC website to download the software to participate in several distributive computing projects. To participate in the Leishmaniasis project (or several others listed in the WCG) sign up at the World Community Grid website. And as always, if you so wish, feel free to join the Citizen Science Works computing team. Most important, please do sign up at BOINC and put your idle processors to work for a good cause.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
All Shook Up: Quake Catcher Network
The Virginia earthquake a couple days ago must have rattled a thought into my head: what citizen science projects exist for seismology. And lookit what we have from California, no less!
Presenting the Quake-Catcher Network from Stanford University, "a collaborative initiative for developing the world's largest, low-cost, strong-motion seismic network by utilizing sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers." Whew!
Let me sum it up real quick. Many laptops have Sudden Motion Sensors, designed to protect the hard drive in the event of a fall (yeah, I didn't know that either). Using this little accelerometer which mostly sits idle, the QCN software can keep an eye out for high-energy signals (significant seismic activity), transfer the data to QCN headquarters, and compare it to data packets sent in from other QCN participants. If no one else is registering activity, it's probably just a truck rumbling down your street. However, if many other participants are indicating energy bursts, then there is a good chance there's a quake.
Can you participate even if you do not have a laptop with motion sensors? Why yes. For about 50 bucks you can order a USB motion sensor to plug right into your computer. In fact, you would have to take this route to add a desktop to the network.
Speaking of desktops and USB motion sensors, QCN has a sensor program for K-12 teachers. For a modest fee ($5 per sensor) you can obtain up to three USB seismometers for use in schools. Teachers can also borrow up to 15 sensors for three weeks at no charge, besides $10.35 return postage.
Presenting the Quake-Catcher Network from Stanford University, "a collaborative initiative for developing the world's largest, low-cost, strong-motion seismic network by utilizing sensors in and attached to internet-connected computers." Whew!
Let me sum it up real quick. Many laptops have Sudden Motion Sensors, designed to protect the hard drive in the event of a fall (yeah, I didn't know that either). Using this little accelerometer which mostly sits idle, the QCN software can keep an eye out for high-energy signals (significant seismic activity), transfer the data to QCN headquarters, and compare it to data packets sent in from other QCN participants. If no one else is registering activity, it's probably just a truck rumbling down your street. However, if many other participants are indicating energy bursts, then there is a good chance there's a quake.
Can you participate even if you do not have a laptop with motion sensors? Why yes. For about 50 bucks you can order a USB motion sensor to plug right into your computer. In fact, you would have to take this route to add a desktop to the network.
Speaking of desktops and USB motion sensors, QCN has a sensor program for K-12 teachers. For a modest fee ($5 per sensor) you can obtain up to three USB seismometers for use in schools. Teachers can also borrow up to 15 sensors for three weeks at no charge, besides $10.35 return postage.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Field Expedition: Mongolia
Citizen Scientists can play a little bit of Indiana Jones right from the comfort of their living room. Okay, it might not be nearly as cool as being there yourself, but at least you won't deal with snakes, bandits, maniacal adversaries. Plus, your efforts will help professional archaeologists in their quest to find the Tomb of Genghis Khan.
National Geographic is the sponsor behind Field Expedition: Mongolia, a project in which participants pour over satellite photos to identify potential sites of further archaeological investigation. The goals of this project are succinctly identified in the projects's mission statement:
"This study aims to utilize modern non-invasive tools in the search for the tomb of Genghis Khan, thus shedding light on Mongolia's rich historical heritage and enabling conservation and education of this rapidly changing landscape."
You may ask how rapidly can Mongolia's landscape be changing? As this blurb in Scientific American points out, the regions suffers a growing trend of illegal mining. My guess is these operations pay no heed to any potential archaeological finds that may be hidden beneath the earth.
There are a couple things I really like about this project. First, having been trained in geography and GIS, I know a bit about the art of aerial photo interpretation. It's an interesting subject that takes a bit of practice. Once you have some of the basics down, however, you'll never look at Google Maps imagery quite the same way.
Second, the project really does emphasize the importance of archaeological conservation. Any prospective sites found in the imagery will be carefully evaluated with a slew of techniques way before any shovels are poked into the ground. Careful surveying, ground penetrating radar, diligent cataloging...all are very important steps used by modern archaeologists to preserve as much of the area of interest as possible.
Third, as I stated early on in this post, it's a chance to...okay maybe not be, but definitely help Indiana Jones with some very important work. And I know, I know, invoking the spectacular myth of Indiana Jones seems such a cliche. But in my defense I was 8 years old when this movie came out. I saw it probably half a dozen times in the movie theater.
Even though I did not go on to do archaeology, and even though I understand that normal archaeologists do not strut around with a bull whip and six shooter, I have never lost that fascination of digging into the past. And I believe there are quite a few liked-minded people out there in the webosphere. To them I say, "Here's your chance."
National Geographic is the sponsor behind Field Expedition: Mongolia, a project in which participants pour over satellite photos to identify potential sites of further archaeological investigation. The goals of this project are succinctly identified in the projects's mission statement:
"This study aims to utilize modern non-invasive tools in the search for the tomb of Genghis Khan, thus shedding light on Mongolia's rich historical heritage and enabling conservation and education of this rapidly changing landscape."
You may ask how rapidly can Mongolia's landscape be changing? As this blurb in Scientific American points out, the regions suffers a growing trend of illegal mining. My guess is these operations pay no heed to any potential archaeological finds that may be hidden beneath the earth.
There are a couple things I really like about this project. First, having been trained in geography and GIS, I know a bit about the art of aerial photo interpretation. It's an interesting subject that takes a bit of practice. Once you have some of the basics down, however, you'll never look at Google Maps imagery quite the same way.
Second, the project really does emphasize the importance of archaeological conservation. Any prospective sites found in the imagery will be carefully evaluated with a slew of techniques way before any shovels are poked into the ground. Careful surveying, ground penetrating radar, diligent cataloging...all are very important steps used by modern archaeologists to preserve as much of the area of interest as possible.
Third, as I stated early on in this post, it's a chance to...okay maybe not be, but definitely help Indiana Jones with some very important work. And I know, I know, invoking the spectacular myth of Indiana Jones seems such a cliche. But in my defense I was 8 years old when this movie came out. I saw it probably half a dozen times in the movie theater.
Even though I did not go on to do archaeology, and even though I understand that normal archaeologists do not strut around with a bull whip and six shooter, I have never lost that fascination of digging into the past. And I believe there are quite a few liked-minded people out there in the webosphere. To them I say, "Here's your chance."
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thanks ATA Donors
Like a lot of SETI@Home participants I was dismayed earlier this year that the Allen Telescope Array had lost funding and was shut down. A story on Space.com lifted our hearts: ATA is back online!
I'm sure lots of people pitched in to raise the $200,000 needed to operate the array through the end of this year. The story gives an extra-special shout out to Jodie Foster, who you recall played SETI scientist Dr. Ellie Arroway in the 1997 film "Contact".
On that note, I'd like to encourage anyone passing through this blog to sign up to analyzed parcels of radio data for signs of ET at SETI@Home. If you so wish, you are welcome to join the team for Citizen Science Works.
I'm sure lots of people pitched in to raise the $200,000 needed to operate the array through the end of this year. The story gives an extra-special shout out to Jodie Foster, who you recall played SETI scientist Dr. Ellie Arroway in the 1997 film "Contact".
On that note, I'd like to encourage anyone passing through this blog to sign up to analyzed parcels of radio data for signs of ET at SETI@Home. If you so wish, you are welcome to join the team for Citizen Science Works.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Whale Shark Tracking
Here's something for the scuba enthusiasts out there from ECOCEAN: the Whale Shark Photo-identification Library. Through the clever of a pattern-differentiation algorithm used by astronomers, ocean scientists can identify individuals of whale shark populations. Divers lucky enough to swim with these fishies snap a picture on the left flank of the shark, just above the pectoral fin. Make sure you are level and perpendicular to the shark. Send your photo off to ECOCEAN, where a scientist will crop the image, run it through some software, and compare it to other patterns already in the library. From their website: "The information you submit will be used in mark-recapture studies to help with the global conservation of this threatened species."
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Wisconsin Nature Mapping
In grad school a few years back I got into the phenomenon of Participatory Mapping, also known as Community Mapping.
For our friends in Wisconsin, you'd be especially interested in Wisconsin Nature Mapping. Spot a bobcat? Log it. Is that a Northern River Otter? Mark its location. House cat? Yep, there's a tick box for that.
The purpose of this project is to help state biologists make better-informed decisions on wildlife action plans. They can't be everywhere at once, but everyone is somewhere right now. And as every scientists knows, data is priceless.
So, Wisconsinites or anyone passing through the state, next time you see a cool animal, or even a not-cool one, log on, put in your thumbtack and log your sighting. Your contribution will not go unappreciated.
And by the way, if you want to check out my contribution, click on the Critters Map link on the home page. When the map pops up, find Bayfield County in the north along Lake Superior. Zoom into the Apostle Islands. In the mammals box on the right, check Deer, White-tailed. See the entry on York Island? That's me. I'm quite surprised that after four years I'm the only person to report a deer sighting on any of the islands.
For our friends in Wisconsin, you'd be especially interested in Wisconsin Nature Mapping. Spot a bobcat? Log it. Is that a Northern River Otter? Mark its location. House cat? Yep, there's a tick box for that.
The purpose of this project is to help state biologists make better-informed decisions on wildlife action plans. They can't be everywhere at once, but everyone is somewhere right now. And as every scientists knows, data is priceless.
So, Wisconsinites or anyone passing through the state, next time you see a cool animal, or even a not-cool one, log on, put in your thumbtack and log your sighting. Your contribution will not go unappreciated.
And by the way, if you want to check out my contribution, click on the Critters Map link on the home page. When the map pops up, find Bayfield County in the north along Lake Superior. Zoom into the Apostle Islands. In the mammals box on the right, check Deer, White-tailed. See the entry on York Island? That's me. I'm quite surprised that after four years I'm the only person to report a deer sighting on any of the islands.
Stream Monitoring in Northern Virginia
Learning through doing, making a contribution, volunteering your time with other enthusiasts...that's an important aspect of citizen science. For those interested in ecology and water quality, the Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program in Fairfax County,Virginia is definitely worth a look. Even if you don't reside in the NOVA area, browsing this site will show you the important role volunteers play in environmental evaluation and management. Check your local areas for similar programs.
Here's the program in a nutshell (clamshell may be more appropriate). One way to measure a stream's water quality is by the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates living in the soil. The process is to set up a net in a shallow stream, disturb the sediment upstream, and capture the tiny creatures as they flow away. You net a variety of these benthic macroinvertebrates, mostly clams, aquatic worms and insect larvae.
On shore, you count the samples collected. You want to shoot for at least a couple hundred, but keep in mind more is not necessarily better. What also counts is proportion. In general, from what I've learned in my brief stint thus far, is too high a percentage of clams is bad. These hardy creatures have a high tolerance for questionable environments. Too many means a lack of other more finicky species, such as damselflies whose larvae require a much more specific (and higher quality) aquatic environment.
There's so much more to this endeavor, and I encourage you to browse their website and sign up. One hard part of doing any science is actually gathering data. Ecological monitoring requires constant, accurate sampling over time and area. Lots of work, and there's definitely a place for volunteers. The volunteers in this program come from all age groups, and there's a fair share of teenagers. One kid I met was a student at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Yippee for brains!
Here's the program in a nutshell (clamshell may be more appropriate). One way to measure a stream's water quality is by the abundance of benthic macroinvertebrates living in the soil. The process is to set up a net in a shallow stream, disturb the sediment upstream, and capture the tiny creatures as they flow away. You net a variety of these benthic macroinvertebrates, mostly clams, aquatic worms and insect larvae.
On shore, you count the samples collected. You want to shoot for at least a couple hundred, but keep in mind more is not necessarily better. What also counts is proportion. In general, from what I've learned in my brief stint thus far, is too high a percentage of clams is bad. These hardy creatures have a high tolerance for questionable environments. Too many means a lack of other more finicky species, such as damselflies whose larvae require a much more specific (and higher quality) aquatic environment.
There's so much more to this endeavor, and I encourage you to browse their website and sign up. One hard part of doing any science is actually gathering data. Ecological monitoring requires constant, accurate sampling over time and area. Lots of work, and there's definitely a place for volunteers. The volunteers in this program come from all age groups, and there's a fair share of teenagers. One kid I met was a student at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. Yippee for brains!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
MasterMines by Filament Games
I frequently browse the web for "Citizen Science", but decided to tag a specific discipline to my usual query. Tonight, it happened to be "Limnology". The first return was a link to Filament Games. What a treasure trove of teaching tools! In fact, as per their About Us page, the company is "a game production studio that exclusively creates learning games."
The specific link Google brought me to was their game Citizen Science, described as "an adventure game that teaches science and limnology." Now, you'd think this story ends with me exploring lake and river environments. Turns out that the game is still in development, so I didn't get very far. In fact, I didn't get beyond choosing a character.
Not dismayed, I went to their Projects page for a browse-around. This site is pretty amazing, especially for school-aged kids. With about 30 projects to choose from, including Landform Detectives, Eco Defenders, and Oncology, there's something for the little budding citizen scientist in your life. What's more, the games are not limited to scientific endeavors. Want to learn about congressional representation? Try Law Craft, or Represent Me!
There are so many games for a youngster, or, I admit, adults as well. I'll call out just one though, and that's MasterMines. You are a juvenile researcher in a geology lab. Your mission: travel around the planet, collect mineral samples, and bring them back to the lab for analysis. Once in the lab you use a variety of tools to identify the sample. As you progress through the game you are given more tools for mineral identification (a microscope for analyzing crystal structure is next).
At the start there are four tests (streak, luster, hardness, color). Each station allows you to discover a specific quality of the rock. Afterwards, you take the mineral to the lab specialist who guides you through a series of questions based on your findings. What is the hardness? Is its luster vitreous? At the end, you have identified the material.
I could go on and on about how cool it is to see kids being taught the fundamentals of geology just as any classically trained geologist would. It's also cool to finally see a game that is educational and not simple-minded (simple to play, but definitely not a such a breeze that you can play it on mental autopilot). Most of all, this game is interesting, as I imagine the other games to be. Thank you people at Filament Games for these engaging, well-conceived games.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll continue my geologic education with Landform Detectives...
The specific link Google brought me to was their game Citizen Science, described as "an adventure game that teaches science and limnology." Now, you'd think this story ends with me exploring lake and river environments. Turns out that the game is still in development, so I didn't get very far. In fact, I didn't get beyond choosing a character.
Not dismayed, I went to their Projects page for a browse-around. This site is pretty amazing, especially for school-aged kids. With about 30 projects to choose from, including Landform Detectives, Eco Defenders, and Oncology, there's something for the little budding citizen scientist in your life. What's more, the games are not limited to scientific endeavors. Want to learn about congressional representation? Try Law Craft, or Represent Me!
There are so many games for a youngster, or, I admit, adults as well. I'll call out just one though, and that's MasterMines. You are a juvenile researcher in a geology lab. Your mission: travel around the planet, collect mineral samples, and bring them back to the lab for analysis. Once in the lab you use a variety of tools to identify the sample. As you progress through the game you are given more tools for mineral identification (a microscope for analyzing crystal structure is next).
At the start there are four tests (streak, luster, hardness, color). Each station allows you to discover a specific quality of the rock. Afterwards, you take the mineral to the lab specialist who guides you through a series of questions based on your findings. What is the hardness? Is its luster vitreous? At the end, you have identified the material.
I could go on and on about how cool it is to see kids being taught the fundamentals of geology just as any classically trained geologist would. It's also cool to finally see a game that is educational and not simple-minded (simple to play, but definitely not a such a breeze that you can play it on mental autopilot). Most of all, this game is interesting, as I imagine the other games to be. Thank you people at Filament Games for these engaging, well-conceived games.
Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll continue my geologic education with Landform Detectives...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Astronomy On A Budget: Meade Extreme Universe Telescope
Yes, it would be nice to spend a few grand on a telescope. Robotic equatorial mount, precision worm gears for smooth tracking, GO TO computer and of course coma-free optics are a few requirements for my hypothetical instrument. But alas, I don't have that kind of cash to spare, so what's an amateur to do?
We might scoff at the idea of a $100 telescope, but the amount of fun a frugal amateur can squeeze from this telescope is actually pretty cool. Take for example the Meade Extreme Universe 60mm, or any line of Meade Model 285. Mechanical driver? That's you. GO TO functionality? That's you. Dip into your savings to buy it? Nope, not at all.
I use one of the Model 285s that my wife gave me for Christmas seven years ago. She bought it for around $50 (on sale from $100). It came with a couple eyepieces, which I'll refer to with these decided un-technical names: normal, wide, and pinpoint views. And then there's the 5 X 24 viewfinder (sighting scope) on the side which proves quite handy when hunting celestial creatures.
So, let's get to the point: how does it perform? Not bad, with a few minor aggravations. First, the aggravations. The telescope can be a bit wobbly at times. If you bump it, or if there's a decent breeze, the object you are viewing will wobble. Bump it hard enough, the object will completely track out of view. And that's honestly about it. You could say that Saturn in the scope looks nothing like it does on the box, or Jupiter is a white dot, not red at all. But come on, are you really that surprised that the packaging lied to you?
Now the good stuff. Okay, so Jupiter in this telescope looks nothing like the iconic Voyager images. But if you look, you can see a few cloud bands. And depending on how the planet is rotated, you might even be able to see the Great Red Eye (though it will probably be gray). Reader Beware: I have yet to see the GRE, so I'm guessing in this possibility.
Moving on through the solar system to Saturn. Ah, now there's something amazing. You will have no trouble seeing its rings. Even though you know Saturn's there and it has rings, seeing them for yourself is quite impressive. Now look a bit more carefully. You see the few small dots around the glowing yellow orb? Those probably aren't background stars. You got it...those are a few of Saturn's moons. No go back and look at Jupiter again. Yep, more moons.
Speaking of moons, cheap, good quality telescopes are great instruments for viewing our own celestial companion. You can peek in on it any time it's out, but here are two common pieces of advice. First, get a moon filter. These are usually around 15 bucks. Screw it into the eyepiece and have a look. This accessory helps dim light and brings out stronger contrasts for your viewing pleasure. Seriously, if you haven't looked at the moon using one of these, you're missing out on some stunning features.
The second point of advice: look at the moon in its crescent states: waxing or waning, it doesn't matter. Whereas a full moon has light shining directly on it from a nadir, the off-angle source of light during these times creates shadows across the moon's surface to really pop out it's topography. In short, these shadows let you see better detail of craters and mountains.
And let's now leave our solar system and look at a couple deep sky objects. While it would be cool to look at whirling pinwheel galaxies and count stars in clusters, keep in mind that this is not usually possible with smaller telescopes (or some bigger ones, for that matter). That's not a reason for you not to get interested in affordable backyard astronomy. I'm just trying to prevent a huge let down. The good news is you can see quite a few Messier objects with remarkable detail. Two come to mind, both of them classics: The Orion Nebula, and the Pleiades. And here's something interesting to try. Remember the moon filter? The dark one that brought out features on the moon? These filters come in a variety of colors which may help pop out the color in celestial bodies.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Biopunk Manifesto: Science For the People
After watching this mini-lecture from our friends at FORA.tv I have a deeper appreciation for the potential of citizen science. You see, I had always viewed the subject as a hobby more or less, something to keep my mind active as well as a medium for teaching my daughter about the universe. If in the course of my tinkerings I happened to meet up with like-minded enthusiasts, then all the better. We could get together in a garage and talk shop, solve problems, build something. Maybe even we would make a contribution to our collective understanding of the world around us.
But citizen science is an entire movement, a body with its own momentum powered by the steam of the people pursuing their interests. Yeah, that’s worded a bit corny, but check out this video to a Citizen Science in Biology think-session. Sure, tinkering with your friends is still important, but on a deeper level citizen science is about scientific literacy and empowerment. Pay special attention to Meredith Patterson’s Biopunk Manifesto.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Citizen Science Works Is Here!
This started out as an idea to have a team page for BOINC projects. Check it out here. Briefly, BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing) is a program through the University of California Berkeley that lets your computer participate in a range of scientific projects. Data are parsed out in small packets called Work Units. These WUs are sent out to participants. Your computer processes these data over the course of several hours. Results are then sent back to the researcher where they are rejoined with their data brethren.
To sum up, you donate some of your unused CPU to solving scientific questions from cures for cancer, best materials for photovoltaic solar cells, or even hearing a call from ET.
Citizen Science Works is currently active on two projects. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and World Community Grid.
Joining is simple. Just follow the links in this post or in the Links Tab on the right. Create an account, download the BOINC Manager, and then let your computer process data for researchers.
Participants are also encouraged to join teams or create their own! Of course there is a Citizen Science Works team for SETI and the World Community Grid. Feel free to join. It's open to all!
To sum up, you donate some of your unused CPU to solving scientific questions from cures for cancer, best materials for photovoltaic solar cells, or even hearing a call from ET.
Citizen Science Works is currently active on two projects. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) and World Community Grid.
Joining is simple. Just follow the links in this post or in the Links Tab on the right. Create an account, download the BOINC Manager, and then let your computer process data for researchers.
Participants are also encouraged to join teams or create their own! Of course there is a Citizen Science Works team for SETI and the World Community Grid. Feel free to join. It's open to all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)