Monarch citizen science with middle schoolers: a graduate student perspective

For the past five years, the presenting author has engaged with a diverse group of middle school students participating in citizen science through both an NSF-funded project, Driven to Discover, and the national Monarch Larva... [ view full abstract ]

For the past five years, the presenting author has engaged with a diverse group of middle school students participating in citizen science through both an NSF-funded project, Driven to Discover, and the national Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (MLMP). As a graduate student, I have found ways to combine my biological research with the interests of these student participants. I will discuss the partnerships that resulted from this work, including microclimate research with a young MLMP volunteer and work with citizen science outreach through the national television show SciGirls.
The first partnership involved a seventh grader who became interested in the microclimate of monarch larvae and how temperature varied on different parts of a milkweed plant. While I had been working with this student through her Driven to Discover group, our overlapping research interests led to a microclimate side project. I will describe the details of our experiment, which formed the basis of a science fair project for her and provided me with valuable data for my research.
My second collaboration involved the PBS show, SciGirls. I became involved as a mentor for three diverse middle school girls. I will discuss the process of working together on the MLMP, as well as my involvement in the girls’ individual science projects. My experience can serve as a model for involvement of graduate students with both youth and citizen science by focusing on these experiences as a compliment to my graduate research, rather than merely an unrelated duty.