"Where scientists and the community can work together"

- What is Citizen Science? -

Citizen Science is the collection of scientific data by both researchers and non-scientists. Through this collaborative effort, research tasks that would otherwise be too expensive, can be accomplished in a much quicker time frame and allows non-scientists to develop skills and a deeper understanding of scientific work. Essentially, Citizen Science can help to facilitate education and outreach goals as often partnerships are formed between researchers and teachers/students. With recent advances in technology, i.e. smart phones, Citizen Science has become more practicable and mobile and VIMAS' Environmental Learning Outside the Classroom takes advantage of this. Successful citizen science projects encompass one or more of the following:

• Establishing a balance between being a top-down approach or a bottom-up approach. A top-down approach focuses on the researcher indicating what data should be collected whereas a bottom-up approach relies primarily on the non-scientific community stating what data is most important for them to collect.
• Data analyzed from both scientists and non-scientists is made available to the general public.
• Also, all willing participants feel as though they are making a worthy contribution to the field.

- What are we currently mapping? -

• Endangered Nassau grouper sightings 
• Different species of sea grass 
• Deer sightings in the Virgin Islands
• Quality of Virgin Islands beaches
• Coral bleaching / disease

- Contact Us - 

Office Phone: St. Thomas (340) 693-1672 / St. Croix (340) 692-4046
E-mail: St. Thomas (howard.forbes@live.uvi.edu) / St. Croix (mtaylor@uvi.edu) 
Website: http://vimas.uvi.edu
 Check us out on Facebook

Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service 
Center for Marine and Environmental Studies 
University of the Virgin Islands 

St. Thomas                                              St. Croix
#2 John Brewers Bay                             RR #1, 10,000 Kingshill 
St. Thomas, USVI 00802                       St. Croix, USVI 00850-9781