The Weird, Wild World of Citizen Science Is Already Here | Opinion | WIRED:
"Up and down the west coast of North America, countless numbers of starfish are dying. The affliction, known as Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, is already being called the biggest die-off of sea stars in recorded history, and we’re still in the dark as to what’s causing it or what it means. It remains an unsolved scientific mystery. The situation is also shaping up as a case study of an unsung scientific opportunity: the rise of citizen science and exploration."
This is a long tradition. I joined the ranks in high school, a member of the AAVSO (Amer Assoc of Variable Star Observers), assigned three stars to keep watch on by Harvard Observatory, and I did my part with great passion, even though it sometimes meant getting up at 3 a.m. on a school night. I wasn't chasing girls (or boys) so I had time ha ha. I did show my typical teen self, however, by quietly listening to rock and roll on the radio as I observed (Little Richard, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, etc.)
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