Howdy Biologists!
Yesterday I announced that the Learn Adventurously Library had finally launched! In this blog post, I want to highlight some of my favorite resources there and give a bit more information as to how to library fits into the larger goals of Learn Adventurously.
Why a library?
Technically speaking, the Learn Adventurously Library has existed in one state or another since the very start! Originally a simple blog , it quickly evolved as LEAD grew in scope. We needed a central repository to house event updates, ebooks, webinar recaps, helpful tools, original research reports, and Science Communication videos. In essence, while the most recent common ancestor was a simple blog, an adaptive radiation of needs and use cases quickly formed!
However, the biggest change is the separation of the blog and the library. Posts like the one you are reading now are not really needed in a resource library and only serve to clutter it up. More or less, if you want to follow updates on what Learn Adventurously is doing, the blog is your home. If you’re trying to access any type of resource, the library is your spot! With time, I imagine the library will continue to evolve and change to meet our needs.
Let me showcase 6 of my favorite resources currently available in the library.
1. Open Access Database of Open Access Data
Open Access data is incredibly important to me. My entire Masters Thesis utilized free open access data, and I firmly believe that all data produced should meet these standards.
The Open Access Database of Open Access Data was a quick project I put together over a weekend. In short, it is a shiny app linked to a google sheet that makes it easy to find open access data relevant for biology.
It includes filters, tags, and search functionality. The hope is to continue building it out and adding more resources.
2. Fundamentals of R for Biologists Ebook
Since the start of Learn Adventurously I have authored 2, completely free EBooks on the Fundamentals of R for Biologists and Fundamental Biostatistics. These books are directly linked to the online courses of the same name.
It should come as no surprise that these are placed in the library. The hope is that I can produce more of these guides as well as some shorter content such as handouts, exercises, and infographics that explain a variety of content. If you have any suggestions for content, feel free to reach out!
3. BioBlitz recaps
One of the earliest components of Learn Adventurously was our community events. These are designed to get people out into nature so they can learn by doing!
In 2021 and 2022, we hosted international BioBlitzes using iNaturalist and a gamified point system. In 2022, we partnered with a college level introductory biology class to provide the students with extra credit for their participation.
In only a couple short weeks, over 200 participants made 10,000 observations of nearly 2800 species! We paused the BioBlitz in 2023, but expect another competition for 2024!
4. Is the United States Protecting its Amphibian Diversity?
Biology research is a big part of what Learn Adventurously revolves around. In 2021, I did a side analysis to better learn how to analyze and manipulate spatial data. This led to the research question “Is the United States Protecting its Amphibian Biodiversity?“
Here I investigated how much of the USA’s protected areas (using the USGS protected Areas Database) overlapped with the amphibian ranges from the IUCN. The post breaks this analysis down including what exactly the results mean and how we manipulated the data. Also a good time to mention that both of those data sources are open access and found in the open access database!
This is a project I want to develop further. Just need some funding and support! Feel free to reach out
5. Science Communication Videos
On Youtube, I produce a wide range of videos that break down cool concepts, biology news, and other topics related to wildlife conservation. We cover a variety of topics including how wind turbines affect birds, break down why scientists believe there may still be an Ivory Billed Woodpecker, and investigate biological topics like Island Gigantism.
To make these videos accessible in more than 1 location, I embed them with a full text summary and any additional links. Im slowly porting over more videos from Youtube, so expect more videos in the near future!
6. Webinar Recaps
Paired with the ebooks and online courses, I host live webinars that break down concepts related to statistics, R programming, and other biological concepts. These are typically around 1 hour in length and allow for interaction with users.
The recaps for these webinars, as well as any links to download datasets and other materials can all now be found in the library!
What’s next?
This library is an important step for Learn Adventurously’s continued evolution. Having this repository makes it much easier to point people towards a single, easily navigable location. All of this content is completely free and plays into the larger missions of Learn Adventurously; helping people understand, analyze, and appreciate the natural world around them.
If you want to directly support Learn Adventurously and the creation of all this content, consider supporting me on Patreon. You can sign up now for only $5 a month and feel free to adjust your pledge amount at any time!