Browsing by Author "Oberhauser, Karen"
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Citizen Science Sparks Independent Scientific Investigations(University of Minnesota Extension, 2012-10) Strauss, Andrea; Oberhauser, Karen; Nippolt, Pamela; Blair, Robert; Meyer, NathanCitizen Science programs across the country invite the public to participate in scientific research. Through these experiences, participants learn scientific data collection protocols and have opportunities to observe nature, which naturally leads to asking questions about the natural world. A new project in Minnesota is training leaders of youth groups to use citizen science experiences to stimulate curiosity and inspire motivation to design and carry out scientific research projects. The poster will describe the experimental program model and methods used to foster authentic inquiry in youth age 10-14 outside the traditional school setting, such as 4-H clubs, scout groups, or community youth programs. Formative evaluation results show that the program model leads to changes in skills, attitudes and behaviors of both youth and adult participants.Item Conservation Volunteers’ Connection to Nature(St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Service, 2009-10) Guiney, Peggy; Blair, Rob; Lorek Strauss, Andrea; Meyer, Nate; Oberhauser, Karen; Ragar, AmyA better understanding of conservation volunteers’ motivation can provide insight into the relationship between humans and nature and help conservation programs increase their 9 effectiveness. We used surveys and interviews of Minnesota Master Naturalist volunteers to explore conservation volunteers’ psychological connection to nature. Almost all volunteers felt a connection to nature, and for most of them this connection began in childhood. Their desire to learn about, benefit, and teach others about nature were important motivators in their decision to take part in conservation volunteer programs, and volunteering helped them to stay connected to nature. Their volunteer activities addressed these motivations, and also provided other personal benefits, including stress reduction, relaxation and exercise. It is important that conservation volunteer programs share information about the environmental benefits that result from volunteers’ work, helping them understand the results of their collective action, and thus increasing their motivation to volunteer.Item Data for divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies, 2016-2017(2022-12-12) Leone, Julia B; Pennarola, Nora P; Larson, Jennifer L; Oberhauser, Karen; Larson, Diane L; leone050@umn.edu; Leone, Julia BWe studied the impacts of fire and grazing management on butterfly and bee abundance and species richness in tallgrass prairies. This dataset consists of data collected at 10 burned and 10 grazed Minnesota remnant prairies during the summers of 2016 and 2017. We measured insect data (butterfly and bee species richness and abundance), vegetation data (plant species richness, forb frequency, native and invasive graminoid frequency), site characteristics (proportion of sand in the soils, percent of prairie within 1.5 km of each site, site area), and management characteristics (management type (burned or grazed), cattle stocking rate, time since last fire, number of years each site was managed) at sites owned and managed by the Minnesota DNR, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, and private landowners. These data are associated with Leone et al. (2022). Divergent responses of butterflies and bees to burning and grazing management in tallgrass prairies. Ecology and Evolution. 12(12) e9532. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9532. In association with this paper, we hope these data will assist land managers and conservationists in protecting and managing native grasslands and contribute to our understanding of bee and butterfly responses to fire and grazing management practices.Item Grounding a Program Theory to Enable Authentic Inquiry Through Citizen Science(University of Minnesota Extension, 2013-10) Meyer, Nathan; Nippolt, Pamela; Strauss, Andrea; Oberhauser, Karen; Blair, RobertExtension programs are well-suited to provide youth and adults with exposure to science. However, designing programs to fully engage participants in deeper experience with science practice is a complicated challenge. Grounded theory is one research approach that Extension staff can use to explicate these program models. The Driven to Discover: Enabling Student Inquiry through Citizen Science project (D2D), funded by the National Science Foundation, demonstrates potential for using grounded theory to identify factors that provoke authentic inquiry by youth-adult research teams using citizen science experiences. Through a deductive coding approach, researchers are analyzing data from project participants to build understanding of elements that worked well and challenged the citizen science research teams. Preliminary analysis has identified 14 themes that describe important design elements across categories of the setting and situation for the program, program design and structure, and team characteristics. Relationships among these themes also highlight interconnections among setting, program, and participants.