Citizen Scientist: Galaxy Zoo: How do galaxies form?
Study Books Used in Class:
Astronomy
A Beginnner’s Guide to the Universe
seventh edition
Author: Chaisson/ McMillan
Description:
Astronomy is all about observation. A lot of significant discoveries were made by “amateurs” who were dedicated to their passion of looking at the night sky. The advent of space-based and large automated telescopes has brought with it a constant stream of data – far too much for professional astronomers to look at and catalog. But, computerized analysis may miss things only a human observer would notice. And so, there is a renewed need for interested citizen scientists who have time and a passion for discovery.
Zooniverse is a website that helps connect scientists with large sets of data to citizen scientists who may be able to help them analyze it. Your assignment is to visit the website (http://www.zooniverse.org/), join a projects that interests you, and report back on your experiences. And the project I choose is: Galaxy Zoo: How do galaxies form?
Keep a log of your work including information about the project you chose, a basic description of the tasks you worked at, the hours you spent, and what you accomplished. Be sure to also document your thoughts as you go along to assist you in writing your final report.
Your report should include the following sections:
Introduction: a description of the project you joined, including background on what is being studied and why.
Methods: this should include information about the source of the data you worked with and a description of the task(s) you performed to analyze it.
Results: a log of your work and description of what you accomplished.
Discussion: here you may critique the work and quality of the site.
The following are some questions to get you thinking:
Did the site provide you with appropriate information to understand the relevance of the work you did?
Did the site provide you with appropriate information to understand the relevance of the work you did?
Do you think the training provided was adequate?
Did you feel motivated to continue once you got started?
What did you learn through your participation in the project?
Would you participate in another project like this?
Did the project design ensure that the data acquired will be valid? How?
Of course, you may include any other relevant thoughts about your experience as a Citizen Scientist in this section.
References: you will likely want to consult other sources besides the project website in preparing your report. Be sure you list them.
