I've been thinking about building websites and creating online content for quite some time. For instance, one can see when this blog was started. The difficulty was trying to come up with an idea of what I could do that is unique and beneficial. However, every idea I came up with seemed to have been already thought of and done by someone else. Then I realized that even something as complex the theory of evolution by natural selection, independently developed in the minds of two different people in the mid 1800's. So, it would be quite conceited for me to assume that I could come up with a completely new idea that no one else had even considered. I also recently learned that Google is delivering another means for streaming TV over the internet despite Apple, Hulu and Netflix already being in this space. So, the world is full of ideas and there is much overlap between them.
I've been listening to NPR's Science Friday for 6 or 7 years now and one of the themes of this show is citizen science. In addition to my bachelors and master's degree work, volunteering at the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge has included several opportunities to participate in scientific research. This an area that many people could contribute to in a big way. Furthermore, with the connected way in which we live today there are many projects that could only be accomplished if it had 1,000s of participants doing something on the same day. Like the Christmas Bird Count.
There are already several sites dedicated to listed and informing the public about citizen science projects like SciStarter and Citizen Science Central, but I decided to add one more. It'll give me the opportunity to develop my skills and a starting point from which I can learn about these projects. More importantly, the website I'm building will hopefully give those projects another venue where they are mentioned to help improve their presence in the public domain.
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