Diary of a Citizen Scientist

In the exploding world of citizen science, hundreds of thousands of volunteers are monitoring climate change, tracking bird migration and stardust for NASA, or excavating mastodons. The sheer number of citizen scientists, combined with new technology, is beginning to shape how research gets done. Russell takes over a year to study a little-known species of tiger beetle, often used as a marker of biodiversity. With an admitted degree of misplaced confidence, she patrols the New Mexico’s Gila River, net in hand, negotiating the realities of climate change and celebrating the landscape’s beauty. Concurrently, she explores other citizen science projects in archaeology, astronomy, meteorology, and phenology.