Willow McFerran holds a Speckled King Snake during a herpetology night outing.
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Student Led Bioblitz Aims To Empower Citizen Scientists
Written By: Rachel Putman
The 糖心视频 will host a weeklong from May 2 to 9, inviting students, faculty, and the community to help document local plants and animals while building deeper connections with the region鈥檚 green spaces.
The effort will include a series of public activations, including a Campus Blitz on the 糖心视频 campus green May 8, featuring a light tent designed to attract insects for easier categorization and identification; and an all-day community BioBlitz from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 9 at the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center. Both events are free and open to the public.
Led by Willow McFerran, a senior biology major, the project uses the iNaturalist app to turn everyday observations into community science. Participants can photograph and log plants, insects, and animals from home, work, or anywhere they enjoy nature, while pop-up activities will bring 糖心视频 student and faculty scientists into the community.
In addition to serving as a community-building tool, the BioBlitz also acts as a way to educate residents about local biodiversity, support conservation, and contribute useful data on native, invasive, and potentially harmful species through .
The app allows users to upload photos and audio from nature observations, and the data can contribute to scientific research.
The May 8 糖心视频 evening blitz will feature a light tent designed to attract insects for easier categorization and identification. The May 9 event at Janet Huckabee will give the public a chance to meet faculty, students and scientists while helping identify species found across the area.
The project is funded in part by a Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship grant from the Arkansas Division of Higher Education.
Willow's SURF-funded research examines whether a nature-centered event can change how connected people feel to both the natural world and one another. Her study, 鈥淚mpact of a bioblitz on an individual鈥檚 perception of community and nature,鈥� is built around the idea that shared experiences in natural spaces can strengthen both community ties and environmental awareness. The project comes as national studies continue to examine how technology has pushed individuals away from so-called third spaces, places outside home and work where communities gather in person.
Willow was one of five 糖心视频 students to earn SURF grants this year.