- Ever think you might want to be a scientist
or that you could work with NASA?
Well, thanks to you citizen science programs, you can.
Find out how next on "Real World."
[music playing]
When you picture a scientist, what comes to mind,
a person in a white coat, someone stuck in a lab?
Actually, scientists are pretty interesting people
doing some really amazing work,
and while some scientists do work in a lab,
others work in the field, under the water, or on the computer,
the one thing scientists all have in common is that
they're looking for answers
to some serious real-world problems.
But sometimes they need help, so they turn to citizen scientists
to assist with their research.
So what is a citizen scientist?
- I think people are aware that NASA has
many different missions.
We have missions to Mars. We have missions to Saturn.
We have many different missions that are observing Earth.
There's all this data coming in, and quite honestly,
scientists don't have time to go through it all themselves.
And we need people to look at this data and tell us
what discoveries might be waiting there for us.
So this is a way for the general public to do serious,
publishable science with us, results that we need.
- One of the longest-running citizen science programs
is GLOBE, or the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit
the Environment Program.
GLOBE students from around the world conduct research
to measure and monitor changes in their environment.
These citizen scientists learn to use specific tools
before they go out in the field
or begin their work on a computer.
And they follow a protocol, which is a special set of steps
to do their research.
Think of a protocol just like following a recipe for a cake.
But why are protocols so important?
- The most powerful thing about science is that it is a tool
to actually discover things about reality.
But we all need to make the same measurements in the same way.
You have to design an experiment so that anybody
anyone in the world could do it the same way
and get similar results.
There's a thing called a scientific protocol,
and this means that wherever you are, we're using the same tools
with the same precision, and that means we can
all compare our results.
For example, let's say that somebody asked you to measure
the temperature of where you are.
Are you measuring in Celsius or Fahrenheit?
What time of day did you take the measurements?
Did you do it at nighttime or during the daytime.
If we simply ask people, "What temperature is it?"
We get all kinds of numbers that don't make sense.
But if we specify, "It needs to be this accurate;
you need to use these units;
you need to measure at this time of day,"
then all of a sudden, we can bring all of this information
together and compare it and find trends
and make real discoveries about what the world's doing.
That's the power of the precision
of the tools of science, and that's what a scientific
protocol really means.
- Citizen science projects may also require you to practice
some of your math skills.
NASA S'COOL, for example, may ask you to estimate the
percentage of cloud cover in the sky.
Another project might ask for the percent of a leaf
that has been damaged by ozone.
When the same scientific protocols or steps are used
to collect data, that data can be analyzed by scientists
to help them better understand the problem
they're trying to solve.
So what are some other opportunities for citizen
scientists to collaborate with NASA?
- So which citizen science project should you choose?
Well, this is your chance to do a little shopping and let your
own curiosity be the guide.
The wonderful thing about citizen science is,
you don't need any special skills to get involved.
You as you stand right now are prepared to do
these projects with us.
To me, you really need some curiosity.
Are you curious about the planets
or about the Earth or the universe?
And if you can get us some precious, do the measurements
as carefully as you possibly can,
that will give us the best results.
But you need no special training.
Start it tomorrow.
- It's pretty easy to get started.
Just go to the NASA Citizen Scientists website,
pick a program that catches your interest,
then be sure to make careful observations,
and follow the protocol exactly.
Get out there and help.
You really can make a difference.
See you next time on "Real World."
[music playing]