So, last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the 4th Annual Citizen Science Conference, which was presented by the Society for Amateur Scientists. It was quite interesting to hear these folks discuss their various envelope-pushing adventures. Now, these are not all guys who are doing experiments in their living rooms, either; some of them are responsible for some large-scale innovation. Much enjoyed were the many tales of proving the naysayers (there are always a few) wrong.

Here are some highlights of the conference:

The Citizen Scientist
TCS is an electronic publication featuring news from the amateur scientist community. It’s edited by Forrest Mims, whose own site describes his explorations in optics, sky photographs, and the like.

Extrasolar Planet Transits
The quest for “alien solar systems” continues… presented in affiliation with the American Association of Variable Star Observers (http://www.aavso.org/).

HOBO
These nifty little data loggers were distributed at the conference. They measure temperature and light intensity, and (certain models) are waterproof to boot.

JP Aerospace
“America’s Other Space Program,” JPA launches high-altitude balloon-platforms, which can then serve as launch pads for even-higher altitude rocks. Be sure to check out their PongSat program — science experiments the size of ping-pong balls, which are flown to the edge of space.

Kiteship
Basically super spinnakers, these awesome kites are offered as a supplementary power source for various sorts of boats — from massive container ships, to pleasure craft.