Science Café: Using iNaturalist in Nature and Research

Grab a bite from the Daily Planet Café and join host Chris Smith for our monthly Science Café. Gather with other curious minds at this after-hours event for an informal presentation and conversation about current science topics with guest experts.

With a Science Café on June 19, we want to take the special opportunity to highlight diversity in STEM and the future of science and nature research. The Science Café will celebrate Juneteenth with a presentation from Yakira Jackson from the Museum of Natural Sciences on research identifying North American mammal species and observations using machine learning.

Join us in-person or watch the livestream on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/JVVURelRBQY?feature=share

iNaturalist is a widely used app and community where users share and identify wildlife observations. Those observations go into databases available to researchers worldwide. Yakira will discuss why iNaturalist is important, why people use it, its limitations, and how iNaturalist was used in her research in the NCMNS Biodiversity Research Lab.

Yakira Jackson recently graduated from NC State University and conducted research in the Museum’s Biodiversity Research Lab under Dr. Roland Kays studying wildlife conservation and ecology. She trains AI models for wildlife classification and uses statistical analysis and data visualization to identify species and understand their habitats.

The Daily Planet Café is open 5–8pm with a full menu during the Science Café.

You may also like the following events from North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences:

• This Saturday, 21st June, 10:00 am, Blue Whales – Opens June 21 in Raleigh

Also check out other Virtual events in Raleigh.