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TCS Updated: 6th November 2009



About The Citizen Scientist!

The Citizen Scientist is a tool, a forum, a gallery of uncommon ingenuity. Every week we publish news, ideas, and techniques from the amateur scientist community. Our goal is to educate and empower those who enjoy testing the limits of their genius and experience against the wonders and mysteries of science and technology.


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Water Striders at Play

Sarah A. Mims


Canyon Lake is a large reservoir on the Guadalupe River in Central Texas. Along the river below the dam are quiet areas often populated by two species of water striders, one large and one small.

Editorial: The "Balloon Boy" Hoax and Authentic Amateur Science
by Forrest M. Mims III

Forrest Mims' World of Science
by Forrest M. Mims III

Backscatter Views and responses from TCS readers.

Eye on the Sky: The November Sky
by Paul Curtin

Wanderings with Ralph Coppola

Mind of a Theorist: Introduction to Physics by George E. Hrabovsky

"Incredible Crayon Physics!"

Science Cheerleader Darlene Cavalier sends notice about Crayon Physics, a new 2-D physics game that can be tried free of charge. An advanced version of the game, Crayon Physics Deluxe, is available for a fee.

A Revolution in DIY Engineering

How to Build With Grid Beam. A Fast, Easy, and Affordable System for Constructing Almost Anything by Phil Jergenson, Richard Jergenson and Wilma Keppel. New Society Publishers, 2008. ISBN 978-0-86571-613-1. Available online at www.newsociety.com.

November News

Wanted: Contributions to The Citizen Scientist

Poorman's Space Program

The OnSet Hobo Pendant G Accelerometer (Part 1)

L. Paul Verhage

Follow Paul at Twitter.


Back in 2007, OnSet Computer Corporation, the manufacturers of popular data loggers like the Hobo, sent me a Pendant G, a new accelerometer they had developed. I've added it to many of my near space missions since then and have discovered just how traumatic the experience can be for experiments.

Poorman's Space Program

A BalloonSat Update


Paul Verhage's series on near space experiments using BalloonSats is among the most important collections of amateur science articles to appear in The Citizen Scientist. Paul will eventually publish the series as a book

Sunlight and Tree Growth

Allan Rydberg

The accepted theory on what determines the direction of growth of trees is that they seek out sunlight and move to maximize it. On the campus of Brown University there is a oak tree that grew up close to the west side of a house. On the side away from the house the branches spread out like a normal tree but no branches grew on the side near the house.

My Experiences with Personal Genomics

Ronald Leemhuis, MD

In this article, I describe my experience in downloading, sharing and analyzing personal genomic information from 23andme for five family members and a friend using MySQL, a free and open source database program. I have found that doing this has helped me to become more proficient in using the software, and it has taught me a lot about genetics and medicine

This Week at Hilton Pond

Bill Hilton Jr.
Executive Director
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History
York, South Carolina 29745 USA


Not-So-Confusing Fall Warblers (22-28 September 2009)

We don't know whether bird artist Roger Tory Peterson actually coined the phrase "confusing fall warblers," but the concept shouldn't really apply if one spends a little time learning field marks. To help, we've put together a collection of mug shots and profile images of 11 fall warblers we've captured and posted it as an installment of "This Week at Hilton Pond."

   
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