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Project Descriptions

Cornell Nestbox Network

August 10, 1996 - January 31, 2002 | Public Programs
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.

Funders

NSF
Funding Program: ISE/AISL
Award Number: 9627280
Funding Amount: 1305765

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Andre Dhondt
    Principal Investigator
    Cornell University
  • 2014 04 25 Bonney Rick
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Cornell Lab of Ornithology
  • John Fitzpatrick
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Cornell University
  • David Winkler
    Co-Principal Investigator
    Cornell University
  • Discipline: Life science | Nature of science
    Audience: Families | General Public | Museum/ISE Professionals | Scientists
    Environment Type: Public Programs | Citizen Science Programs

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