Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project
Citizen science, also known as participatory research, combines the efforts of professional researchers and community volunteers to collect data. We have established one such collaborative project in eastern North Carolina, near the 79,000-acre Hofmann Forest, called the Hofmann Open-Water Laborator...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The University of Alabama
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship |
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| Online Access: | https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/86 |
| _version_ | 1827856520745844736 |
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| author | Meredith Hovis Frederick Cubbage Madhusudan Katti Kathleen McGinley |
| author_facet | Meredith Hovis Frederick Cubbage Madhusudan Katti Kathleen McGinley |
| author_sort | Meredith Hovis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Citizen science, also known as participatory research, combines the efforts of professional researchers and community volunteers to collect data. We have established one such collaborative project in eastern North Carolina, near the 79,000-acre Hofmann Forest, called the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) citizen science project. The White Oak River, New River, and Trent River all flow out of the Hofmann. The Hofmann is an ecological keystone in the region, acting as a natural filtration system for harmful runoff that occurs in the coastal plain of North Carolina. Our purposes for this study were twofold: (a) to evaluate the HOWL project by assessing the perceptions of HOWL participants and determining whether the project achieved its goals of individual development and community engagement and (b) to provide recommendations for the HOWL project as well as suggestions for other participatory research projects in their beginning phases. We interviewed 12 HOWL citizen scientists who participated in the project, and we drew two major conclusions from our research. First, we recognized that community engagement and collaboration drastically increased in rural eastern North Carolina due to the community members’ participation in water monitoring and natural resource management. Second, citizen scientists achieved their personal goals and objectives by participating in the HOWL project: Participants reported that they learned new skills, gained knowledge of scientific and research procedures, developed an attachment to their community and region, and acted as environmental stewards. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:27:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae34b17a67ef4d499d28ca23a6924b1d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1944-1207 2837-8075 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:27:00Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | The University of Alabama |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae34b17a67ef4d499d28ca23a6924b1d2023-08-29T21:07:15ZengThe University of AlabamaJournal of Community Engagement and Scholarship1944-12072837-80752022-07-0113210.54656/VWWS6121Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science ProjectMeredith Hovis0Frederick Cubbage1Madhusudan Katti2Kathleen McGinley3North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityUSDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical ForestryCitizen science, also known as participatory research, combines the efforts of professional researchers and community volunteers to collect data. We have established one such collaborative project in eastern North Carolina, near the 79,000-acre Hofmann Forest, called the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) citizen science project. The White Oak River, New River, and Trent River all flow out of the Hofmann. The Hofmann is an ecological keystone in the region, acting as a natural filtration system for harmful runoff that occurs in the coastal plain of North Carolina. Our purposes for this study were twofold: (a) to evaluate the HOWL project by assessing the perceptions of HOWL participants and determining whether the project achieved its goals of individual development and community engagement and (b) to provide recommendations for the HOWL project as well as suggestions for other participatory research projects in their beginning phases. We interviewed 12 HOWL citizen scientists who participated in the project, and we drew two major conclusions from our research. First, we recognized that community engagement and collaboration drastically increased in rural eastern North Carolina due to the community members’ participation in water monitoring and natural resource management. Second, citizen scientists achieved their personal goals and objectives by participating in the HOWL project: Participants reported that they learned new skills, gained knowledge of scientific and research procedures, developed an attachment to their community and region, and acted as environmental stewards.https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/86citizen scienceparticipatory researchcommunity engagementnatural resource collaborationpublic science |
| spellingShingle | Meredith Hovis Frederick Cubbage Madhusudan Katti Kathleen McGinley Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship citizen science participatory research community engagement natural resource collaboration public science |
| title | Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project |
| title_full | Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project |
| title_fullStr | Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project |
| title_full_unstemmed | Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project |
| title_short | Participant and Socio-Ecological Outcomes of the Hofmann Open-Water Laboratory (HOWL) Citizen Science Project |
| title_sort | participant and socio ecological outcomes of the hofmann open water laboratory howl citizen science project |
| topic | citizen science participatory research community engagement natural resource collaboration public science |
| url | https://account.jces.ua.edu/index.php/s-j-jces/article/view/86 |
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