This is the first in what we hope will be a new mini-series of posts about our lovely volunteers on Zooniverse. The spotlight pieces will focus on individual volunteers; they will allow us to learn a bit more about what motivates individuals to volunteer to transcribe Davy’s notebooks and what people’s particular interests in Davy might be.

Volunteer in the spotlight: @deehar

@deehar is a retired physicist living in a village outside Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

1. What interests you about the project?

I used to design MRI machines for Philips Medical after graduating from Cambridge. I have been a volunteer with the Archaeology Dept of the Eindhoven city council for many years and gradually got hooked on background archive work for excavations. When that source began to dry up I moved online – first with the Zooniverse Operation War Diaries and now the Davy Diaries.

2. Why are you enjoying it?

I enjoy working with old documents so old scientific documents are doubly interesting! I discovered that learning to read old handwriting is just a question of practice whether it is English or a 17th-century Dutch notary’s jargon!

3. Do you have any particular interest in Davy?

I admire Davy’s detailed notes – I doubt if my lab notebooks could withstand the same scrutiny!

4. Are sciences and arts ‘separate’?

Yes – the sciences are restricted by logic while the arts often encourage the pursuit of creativity which follows no obvious rules.

5. What have you learned about Davy since joining the project?

He really puts in a lot of work into his research. He carries out many, many experiments – sometimes repeating the same one several times. He then allows himself time to mentally absorb the data and form patterns which he presents as theories. An experimentalist at heart.

Thank you, @deehar!

If you’re a Zooniverse volunteer who’d like to be featured, please let us know on Talk, or by e-mail.