What’s the Campus Phenology Network (CPN)?
The Campus Phenology Network (CPN) is a group of college and university students, along with their faculty, from all across India, coming together to track how trees are changing with the seasons. And no, this isn’t just some boring, old science project. We’re talking real-time action on understanding climate change and its impact on our environment.
CPN is part of SeasonWatch, a citizen science initiative where you’ll actually get to see the science you study in classrooms and libraries come alive!
Why Should You Join?
Campus = Lush Green + Fun Vibes
Campuses are often full of tall trees, fresh air, and—of course—curious minds (like yours!). By joining CPN, you’ll learn how to observe trees, collect data, and contribute to research that’s helping scientists understand how climate change is impacting trees. But that’s not all:
- Practical Skills: You’ll learn how to observe and record tree phenology (tree behavior over seasons), upload your findings to a real database, and dive into data exploration.
- Hands-On Learning: It’s the perfect way to bring textbook concepts to life, deepen your understanding and bring it back into the classroom through projects or assignments.
- Understand Data: Data makes more sense when it’s your own! Learn from the data webinars we organize and also participate in data challenges. See past videos here.
- Outdoor Fun: Who said science has to be indoors? CPN gives you a reason to step out, connect with nature (and your friends!), and feel good about contributing to important research.
- Be Part of a Community: Join our WhatsApp group and interact with students from other campuses. Participate in quizzes, challenges, webinars, and workshops.
How Can You Get Involved?
It’s super easy to join CPN and start contributing to science. Follow the following 5 steps to join the network and get started on your journey:
Step 1: Register your campus with SeasonWatch: First, ‘Register’ your campus and create an account on SeasonWatch. When doing so, be sure to create a username in the format: CPN-Your Campus Name and choose “College” as your category. Share the login details with all the other members of your group. Tree observing is always better with friends and batchmates!
Watch this video tutorial (link) on how to register your campus with CPN.
Step 2: Fill this registration form and join our Whatsapp community: FIll the form and tell us you have joined. This way we know you are part of our community and we will send you a link to join the Whatsapp group.
Step 3: Pick Your Trees: Choose at least 10 trees from your campus that you can easily observe and track over the course of a year. Don’t worry, they don’t have to be from the same species! You can pick a mix—like 5 mango trees, 3 tamarind, and 2 neem trees. Just make sure you’re tracking at least 10 trees.
Choose your trees from the SeasonWatch list (link).
Watch this video tutorial to learn how to add trees and observations (link).
Step 4: Track and Observe: Check in on your trees every week for 26 weeks (that’s about half a year!). Record their changes and upload the data. You’re contributing to real-world research—pretty awesome, right?
Step 5: Get Recognized: If you stick with it and observe 10 trees for 26 weeks, you’ll earn a certificate! 🎉 And, the best part: we also award prizes to the most consistent and active campuses. If you’re really into it, you can even join Tree Festivals, where you earn digital certificates for observing 10 trees over a month.
Some Highlights from CPN So Far…
- Year 1: 36 campuses, 11,300 observations.
- Year 2: 48 campuses, 22,900 observations!
- Data Challenge: 5 campuses took up a data challenge and shared their findings—check out their presentations on our YouTube channel!
- Consistency Award: Nalanda University was the first campus to observe 30+ trees every week for 53 weeks without skipping a single one!
- Top Contributors: MS University, Baroda and CMA Ankleshwar made major contributions—over 4000 and 3000 observations, respectively!
Want More Info?
- Watch our Welcome Video to get the lowdown on CPN.
- Learn how to Register in this step-by-step tutorial.
- Find out how to Add Trees & Record Observations with this quick guide.
Got Questions?
If you’re curious or need help, don’t hesitate to drop us an email at sw@seasonwatch.in