What's the Buzz? Engaging Citizen Scientists of all Ages in the Mosquito Research

The GLOBE Mission Mosquito field campaign connects citizen scientists of all ages to monitor changes in the frequency, range and distribution of potential disease vector mosquitoes by reporting observations using the GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper data collection tool. Over the past two years, the GLOBE Mission Mosquito campaign has established a strong virtual community of students, teachers, scientists, and citizen scientists working globally to reduce the threat of mosquito-transmitted disease. Health and safety concerns during the summer 2020 pandemic necessitated a shift in focus in campaign activities from field collection to data analysis using cloud-based analysis tools and the GLOBE database. We will share some of the ways we modified our program components to be responsive and accessible during these challenging restrictions placed on many locations around the world due to COVID-19. This presentation will focus on adaptations the campaign made to ensure authentic research experiences for students continue. We will discuss the "Meet up and Do Science" interactive model of virtual engagement piloted during this period, as well as "GO@Home" where elementary and middle school students engage in authentic research experiences through the use of a new guided investigation resource, the Mission Mosquito science notebook, which provides new challenges in monthly installments. The GLOBE program connects students, teachers, scientists, and citizens around the world in authentic scientific research about the Earth system. The GLOBE Observer app for mobile devices is available at no cost for use for any citizen scientist who is interested in monitoring changes in the environment.