Scientists or scientific tools?

Last week in the United States, an inconspicuous, but interesting event for science occurred: the base of observations of the US National Phenological Network reached a million records. The signability of this event is that this base is replenished mainly by ordinary citizens, science enthusiasts. Such enthusiasts, who are called English-scientists in English (Citizen-Scientists) observe nature, help in the processing of existing data and participate in various initiatives of the popularization of science.

Civil science (Citizen Science) and its representatives of citizens-part of the idea of ​​attracting a wide range of volunteers to conduct scientific research. Civil science programs, especially popular in the USA and Great Britain, are developed so that people who do not have scientific education or special scientific training can participate. One of the first projects of civil science is the American project of the National Odubonovsky Society on the Winter Census of Birds, begun in 1900. The census continues to this day, more than a hundred thousand volunteers from the USA, Canada and Australia participate in it.

The successful experience of the bird census was transferred to the Galaxy Zoo, www.galaxyzoo.org, weather forecasting (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network, www.cocorahs.org) and detecting interesting places for uncomfort (Field Expedition: Mongolia, Exploration.nationalgeographic.com). Another area of ​​active activity of citizens-scientists is phenology.

Phenology is observing cyclic phenomena in nature and their influence on the world of animals and plants. According to its name (from the Greek “ Phaino ”-to appear), Phenology studies the emergence or the appearance of something in nature, for example, flowering of plants, arrival of birds from wintering, flying a butterfly from a doll, etc. In a broader sense, the term is used to indicate observations of seasonal changes in any biological phenomena. Phenology has become especially popular recently in connection with global climate changes.

The National Phenological Network of the United States (NFSS SSU) is an example of a wide cooperation between government organizations, university science, and citizens. According to the NFSS School site (http://www.usanpn.org), the organization’s tasks include observing the influence of climate on plants, animals and landscapes. The scientific activity of professional scientists and citizens is financed by the US Government represented by the Geological Service, the Service of National Parks and the National Scientific Fund, as well as the University of Sub. Arizona and a number of non -governmental organizations. Amateur citizens, as already noted, are the main suppliers of data on natural phenomena from different points of the United States.

In order to become an “official” observer of the NFS-SSHA, you need to register and undergo training. Training is a systematic description of what observation is, how to observe it correctly and so on. Enthusiasts of science tells, for example, that choosing a place for observation should be so that it is conveniently located and accessible for frequent visits. The place should be no more than 250 square meters. meters, with fairly monotonous conditions (for example, wooded, field or swampy terrain, but not their combination). You need to choose plants or animals from the existing list. The list is impressive, more than 800 species of plants and animals, so there is something to choose from.

For observations, it is recommended to get binoculars and print from the site of the form in which you need to enter data. For example, for singing birds, the number of active representatives of the species, the presence of nests around, the habit of nutrition, etc. is recorded. After registration, training and acquisitions, citizens can enter their observations into the NFSS-Ssha database called Nature's Notebook.

It was the “Notebook of Nature” that became the database where a resident of the city of Portland Oregon Lucille Tower entered a police record. She recorded her observations about the beginning of the flowering of maple. Jake Weltzin , an employee of the geological service and the executive director of the phenological network, considers a millionth mark of symbolic: “Milion observation is impressive, this is a significant contribution to science. After all, researchers always need more information to understand the changes in the ecology and the possibility of timely response to them. The more information we have, the better scientists will be able to ensure the preservation of our natural habitat and the quality of our life ” [2].

In a press release from NFSS SSHIN, Veltsin noted that data from the notebook of nature are used for such important projects as the prediction of the distribution of allergen plants and the development of allergies, tracking fires, as well as to restore the habitat of certain plants and animals [2]. The collected data can also be used at the global level to manage water, forest and agricultural resources of the Earth. It turns out that the matter is only for the number of volunteers.

At the moment, about 4,000 volunteers are replenishing the phenological database. Their data, according to scientists and administrators of the NFS-SSHA, help not only to monitor local ecosystems, but also to build models of natural and climatic phenomena at the global level. “I dream that with the help of modern technologies and the national phenological network we make six billion people on the planet part of our scientific system of observation of nature ,” says the director of the US Geological Service, Marcia McNatt ), “then we could take giant steps in the popularization of science, we would receive data from many corners of the earth's ball and significantly reduced significantly The cost of data collection, and we would also give ordinary people to feel like a part of the scientific process ” [2] .

It would seem that the perfect symbiosis of society and science. However, civil science also has critics. Some scientists, for example, question the quality of the data collected. As the scientific journalist Karlin Zwarenstein notes in his blog, the reliability and reliability of amateur data is one of the most acute issues for civil science [1]. According to the author, the criticism of the quality of data should not be aimed at fans, but at scientists-developers of such projects. After all, if the project is planned in compliance with the scientific methodology, experts who have a arsenal of funds for detecting and adjusting errors should be carried out.

More serious is the issue of recognizing the contribution and distribution of remuneration. Suppose that the free labor of citizens-scientists is not a problem. In the United States, the work of volunteers in various areas of society is very popular. It is believed that for volunteers, participation in a business that they like or coincides with their ideals and values ​​is already a reward in itself. And to join the high work of science in this sense is a good wage. One title "citizen-scientist" is worth it. In some states, you can even get a certificate with such a title.

But, as you know, in science there is a system of remuneration of a different type, the so -called symbolic capital. Is this a system of obtaining recognition for their activities in the form of public respect, professorship positions, awards of professional societies, citation of publications, etc. Subsequently, according to the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu , symbolic capital can be transferred to other forms of capital-economic, social, etc. How do citizens-scientists fit into this system of symbolic capital? Are there thousands of symbolic capital, and in the future, millions are possible, nameless data collectors for biology, geology, archeology, astronomy and other sciences?

As the popular author of works on the role of the Internet in the society David Weinberger noted in an interview with New York Times, “these people do not perform the work of scientists. They perform the work of scientific tools ” [3]. In such an interpretation, civic science resembles impersonal conveyors of the conveyor, cogs in a huge machine for science, who, according to Marx, are alienated from the results of their labor and are not interested in the final result.

Should I think about it if the citizens themselves are satisfied with their role in such projects? Complex question. As noted by another participant in the NFS-Ssha Gwen Lundburg (Gwen Lundburg), Washington, she is proud to have entered hundreds of records into the phenological database. According to her, participation in the project helps her more attentive to nature and appreciate it: “Noticing the smallest changes in my plants, such as a change in the color of the lilies from purple to greenish, I learned to be very attentive to plants and surrounding nature. I notice something that I have never suspected about the existence of which ” [2].

The author is a candidate of sociological sciences, Ph .d . University of Indiana

Notes

1. Http://blogs.nature.com/carlyn-zwarenstein/2010/07/07/ happen-ccuraate-a-amateur-scentists

2. Http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?id=3195&from=rss_home#.t6pmn6SV310

3. Http : // www . Nytimes . COM /2010/12/28/ science /28 Citizen . html ? _ r = 2 & pagewanted = all