Addressing Civic Issues in Biology Lab Through Citizen Science

In order to meet a civic engagement requirement at Kingsborough Community College, an elective class on ecology was modified to involve students in actual scientific research through participation in a citizen science investigation of the Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). This local marine invertebrate is of considerable ecological and economic importance, and comes ashore each spring to spawn on the sandy beaches of nearby Jamaica Bay. Through multiple field trips to a federally protected natural ecosystem, students not only participated in ongoing scientific research on a species they found quite fascinating, but were deeply impacted by the opportunity to pick up and handle these harmless organisms and contribute to their long term conservation. The opportunities for students to participate in citizen science allow them to apply classroom learning to real life situations and also give them the chance to interact with scientists who are on the front lines of important ecological research and monitoring.