Katherine Poulos (current PhD student) led a workshop called “Sorting Snapshots of Nature for Science” at Expanding Your Horizons, a 1-day conference held on the Ithaca Cornell campus this spring. The conference connected local middle school students with science and scientist role models. Participants learned about insect life cycles and community science, using the spotted lanternfly (an insect threatening New York’s agriculture) as an example. Participants sorted and analyzed photos posted on iNaturalist (website where anyone can post a picture of nature) by community scientists to evaluate what plants the lanternfly is interacting with, demonstrating how community participation in science is valuable.
Katherine was also a GRASSHOPR (Graduate School Student Outreach Program) Fellow in the spring semester. She was matched with a high school math class in Ithaca to teach the same workshop, but this time incorporating statistics to teach about statistical inference and how to measure and summarize data. Students enjoyed learning new skills while examining cool pictures of the spotted lanternfly!”