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Research grows through citizen science

(SOUND)

JUNE SIMMS: Thousands of Americans and Canadians volunteered to count birds this past migration season as part of Project FeederWatch. Retired teacher Joan Davies Rapp of Tacoma, Washington, has been a volunteer observer for a long time.

JOAN DAVIES RAPP: "It has been fun to be a part of the whole thing. I've noticed migrations of different birds coming up the last twelve years. Things have changed a bit."

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Another area where citizen science has grown is in testing water. Amanda Bruner coordinates SoundCitizen, a project based at the University of Washington campus in Tacoma. It keeps track of pollutants in Puget Sound.

AMANDA BRUNER: "Maybe a few scientists on a boat can go out and collect twenty samples in a day. But when we involve the public we can talk about thousands of samples, which certainly gives us much more confidence in what we're finding."

This is important because Ms. Bruner says some people, including scientists, still question whether average citizens can collect reliable data. New digital tools can help settle questions about data quality, and make it easier for people to take part in citizen science.

DENNIS WARD: "So I'm scrolling through a list of almost two hundred plants that we track. There it is: Acer glabrum, or just Rocky Mountain maple ... "

JUNE SIMMS: Dennis Ward pulls out his smartphone to demonstrate the app for Project BudBurst as he inspects a maple tree in a public plaza. Mr. Ward takes a close-up picture of the seed pods, confirms the identification with the app, and then uploads the sighting.