Cornell Nestbox Network

9627280唐特·康奈尔大学鸟类学实验室将开发“康奈尔鸟巢盒子网络(有线电视新闻网)”。这是一个教育/研究项目，将使外行人能够参与科学研究，它建立在美国国家科学基金会成功资助的“国家科学实验”的基础上。在这个项目中，CNN的参与者将在他们的社区中建造和放置巢箱，并监控这些盒子，收集他们居住者繁殖成功的信息。参与者将汇总和分析他们的数据，然后将其发送到实验室进行更全面的分析。实验室生物学家将分析汇编的数据并在包括科学报告和流行时事通讯在内的各种媒体上报告结果。CNN既包括教育议程，也包括研究议程。参与者将在直接参与科学过程的同时了解鸟类。这些研究问题需要庞大的全大陆数据库，重点将放在酸雨对鸟类种群的影响、鸟类窝窝大小的地理差异、体外寄生虫对筑巢鸟类的影响和种群扩散等方面。该议定书将鼓励集体参与，特别适用于家庭。它将涉及一个训练有素的“大使”团队，他们将帮助维持该项目在当地的水平。该项目的目标之一是将参与者从只需最少知识和技能的项目提升到需要更多知识和技能的项目。它还涉及国家教育标准，这些标准呼吁为学生提供更多参与扩展探究和真实研究活动的机会。在第四个发展年后，这个研究/教育项目将变得自给自足。

9627280 Dhondt Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology will develop the "Cornell Nest Box Network (CNN)". This is an educational/research project that will enable lay people to participate in scientific research and it builds on a successful NSF grant "National Science Experiments". For this project, CNN participants will build and place nest boxes in their communities and monitor the boxes gathering information on the breeding success of their occupants. Participants will summarize and analyze their data and then send it to the Lab for more comprehensive analysis. Lab biologists will analyze the compiled data and report results in a variety of media including scientific reports and popular newsletters. The CNN includes both an educational and research agenda. Participants will learn about birds while participating directly in the scientific process. The research questions, requiring huge, continent-wide databases, will focus on the effects of acid rain on bird populations, geographic variation in avian clutch size, effects of ectoparasites on nesting birds and population dispersal, among others. The protocol will encourage group participation and will be especially suitable for families. It will involve a corps of trained "ambassadors" who will help sustain the project a local levels. One of the goals of the project is to move participants up a ladder of science knowledge from projects involving minimal knowledge and skill to those requiring more. It also addresses national education standards that call for increased opportunities for students to engage in extended inquiry and authentic research activities. After the fourth development year, this research/education project will become self-sustaining.