Let me introduce to you Elizabeth Howard, a trained biologist who considers herself both a ‘real scientist’ and a citizen scientist. She can be described as a pioneer for citizen science ventures due to establishing in 1994 the website and program, Journey North. As Journey North’s founder and director, Howard proudly shares that she is “someone who has learned on the job… [I]t’s great that the scientific field can make room for people who take the route …; experience must be at least as valuable as advanced degrees” (Maeckle, 2015).
Journey North is funded by Annenberg Learner, a division of the Annenburg Foundation, and offers “an app, tracking maps, teaching and curriculum tips, and the call to ‘Go outside. Explore your own backyard. Get ready to share what you see’” (Maeckle, 2015). Its focus is on citizen science for both children and the general public. At this time, over 60 000 participants (or registered sites) from Canada, the US, and Mexico help provide data in real-time, tracking migrations of various birds, insects, and mammals, and other seasonal phenomenon.
Elizabeth Howard was an innovator in her time, visualizing the intersection of technology and wildlife migrations at the beginning stages of the Internet. While others were figuring out how to send an email, she was visualizing a screen lighting up with data points tracking migration patterns. Howard’s willingness to brave technology and its continual advancements have afforded much of the longevity of Journey North:
What’s been most impressive is the pace of change. When we began in 1994 e-mail was new and there was no web. Now we have images, voice, video, social media, apps, ever-increasing band-width and immediate access to people across the planet. I love having had a job that incorporates these advancements so closely and directly. Truly, not a week goes by where we don’t see new and creative applications – and we can build them right into our work. (Maeckle, 2015)
Howard is dedicated to her field of work, she is innovative, passionate and committed to her vision. While working from her office in Vermont, coordinating her staff (programmers, science writers, migration coordinators, and educators), writing newsletter updates during the monarch butterfly migration each year, and analyzing migration data, she also works in collaboration with The North American Butterfly Monitoring Network as data producer and user.
Elizabeth Howard’s perseverance, commitment and passion is inspiring. While Journey North is a nonprofit project, its longevity and unwavering focus are a testament of its consistent and continual growth in value.
Elizabeth Howard – Photo taken from: https://learner.org/jnorth/about/elizabeth-howard
Maeckle, M. (2015, October 12). Q&A: Journey North’s Elizabeth Howard talks tech, citizen science, mass butterfly releases [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://texasbutterflyranch.com/2015/10/12/q-a-journey-norths-elizabeth-howard-talks-tech-citizen-science-mass-butterfly-releases/
