Over the past few weeks, I have been in search of an online volunteering site that would allow me to actively engage in service outside of the OSC community. After some research, I found a website called, “Zooniverse” which allowed me to participate in any online service projects which focus primarily on helping to accelerate research projects in any subject field. Since I have a stronger interest in the sciences and biology, I decided to devote some of my time to “Chimp&See”. This study is directly guided by the Pan African program, which aims to help classify biodiversity in regions containing chimpanzee populations. This will allow the “PanAf Programme” to “understand the ecological and evolutionary drivers that have contributed to the behavioral and cultural diversity of chimpanzees.” (Zooniverse). Currently, there are 39 temporary and collaborative research sites dedicated to this program. More information can be found here.

Below is a map from the Pan African program website

Map of the research sites from the Pan African Program. (Planck)

To go in-depth into the inner workings of Zooniverse, I will explain the volunteer process and tasks. Personally, as I have signed up for “Chimp&See”, my task is to identify the species and their behaviors using recordings from the studied regions of wildlife. I am provided a list of possible species that are commonly found in the region, as well as the possible behaviors and actions carried out by the organism. The challenge is to find the type (if any) of the organisms in the recording. This has proven to be quite the challenge, as you must be attentive during the video to spot any organisms.

Screenshot of the classification process on Zooniverse

Enaging in Zooniverse has allowed me to touch on CAS learning outcomes. Participating in Chimp&See, I open myself up to a different community that breeds collaboration. There are chats dedicated to helping one another distinguish the organisms in videos, allowing me to recognize the benefits of working with multiple people. I was able to develop my skills in recognizing and spotting different species, which is useful to me, especially for my Biology classes. Additionally, participating in Zooniverse allows me to engage in issues of global significance, as I am able to help progress research for Pan Africa. This will help in understanding biodiversity surrounding Chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are classified as an endangered species, thus the importance of understanding the ecosystems in which they function may allow us to maintain their population. Being a part of a large project allows me to focus on the bigger picture while online learning, as I find it is easy to loose sight of the world around us when always being at home. It also allows me to demonstrate my commitment to CAS experiences, as I plan to continue participating in the Chimp&See research. My current goal is to reach a minimum of 25 classifications of organisms. As I reach this goal, I hope to continue developing on my learning outcomes and use the zooniverse platform to engage in different projects.

Screenshot of the classification process on Zooniverse