In preparation for this weekend’s USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo, we’re featuring short Q&As with our collaborating partners, so you’ll know exactly what to expect at the Science for Citizens exhibit.
Today, I’d like to introduce you to Mary from Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. She’ll be your go-to expert on all things birds. Stop by Section PA-13, Booth Numbers 1229 and 1231, on Pennsylvania Ave NW, to chat with Mary and learn all the ways you can participate in scientific research on birds.
Take it away, Mary…
Mary, tell us a little about yourself.
Hi, I’m Mary Guthrie, and I do communications and marketing for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
What can people expect to learn about Cornell’s work at the Science for Citizens booth?
I’m going to the USA Science and Engineering Festival to talk about Celebrate Urban Birds, a project about noticing birds in the city and learning what you can do to help birds–even in tiny city spaces. The Cornell Lab takes bird sighting information from all over the world and uses it for scientific research on topics like climate change, or how non-native birds are spreading around the country.
For the festival, we’re going to show people how easy it is to be a citizen scientist–and give people a chance to see things from a bird’s perspective. You’ll have to stop by to find out exactly what I mean!
What do you love most about citizen science?
My favorite part of citizen science is that anyone can make a difference–anyone can do this and help scientists work towards figuring out big problems like climate change.