Projects

Project Description

The objective of the project is to improve citizen science by comparing human and machine observations on phenology – the timing of life cycle events in living organisms. The three Research and Teaching Preserves including Griffy Woods, Kent Farm, MMSF AmeriFlux Tower, and Yellowwood Forest will be used as our phenology observation sites. The student will walk in the forests and observe over 20 tree species and 400 individuals about their phenophases such as the timing of bud break and flowering in spring, as well as the timing of color changes and leaf fall in fall. These data will be uploaded through Natural’s notebook, which is used to track the patterns and trends in phenology by professional scientists and citizen scientists across the United States. Meanwhile, students will have the opportunity to know how cameras and satellites observe these phenophases differently.

Technology or Computational Component

The students will use R studio to manage the data they collected from the four sites and do some analysis such as descriptive statistics and analysis of variance to answer research questions. The students also have the chance to utilize R Studio to process data captured by cameras and satellites. Specifically: The students will learn 1) identifying the tree species and their phenology in the forests, 2) using R studio to manage collected data, 3) using R studio and data to answer scientific questions, and 3) the differences between human and machine observations and how these differences will affect the way we answer scientific questions, 4) collaboration skills as the project is a collaborative endeavor involving a group of around ten individuals.