the CAMLABZ website is currently unavailable as it gets a revamp, should be ready for business some time in ??? Dang prices and items keep changing – fast as it is changed…sigh…computer savvy i’m not! – am a Southlander, short arms – deep pockets, but looks like I am going to have to hire someone at this rate.
Amateur Scientists are everywhere, most of them don’t realise that is what they are. To them it is just a hobby or they are part of a group. There is a lot of information going to waste out there, the Internet is a wonderful tool that needs to be utilised more.
Networking, people interfacing exchanging ideas and information. This is a scientists holy grail.
Sharing what you learn is important, even or especially the bad things and mistakes as these are helpful to somebody at some time.
You may assume that your own little projects and interests are of little value to anyone else, but to others working along or on similar lines contact and comparison can turn into friendships, businesses and discoveries.
People who are watching and mapping the quality of local waterways can get together and provide a real life and accurate picture of the health of NZ
Simply reporting the sighting of a native bird, amphibian or fish can help show effects of pollution, predation by pets/pests, effects of urbanisation and other factors on the population levels.
Come on people… write in, a bit about yourselves and your projects, send some photos. Let us hear from already established projects wanting more help, and ideas for new projects where interested people can get together.
Cassandra
Great idea, more of us need to get together.
Mike Petera
Damm good idea. I find Make magazine a great source of examples on making and inventing stuff.
At the moment I’m trying to make special effects stuff to film natural history closeups. Example is replicating a toxic hot pool thats made of harmless chemicals but looks real.
Mike
BCAM
lol a Adults excuse to play with gas bubbles and goo, gotta beat a real job any day
seriously tho’ people check out the website of http://www.bushtelly.org.nz
Add http://www.instructables.com” to good sites for Amateurs
psychokinetic
‘Scuse the plug, but a good place I’ve found is http://www.sciencemadness.org
There’s a good, active community of amateur scientists (mainly chemistry) including some amazing minds who converse about most things scientific (but almost always amateur) from theoretical syntheses to legal and societal issues.
There’s a few of us New Zealanders on there, too.