Covering the people, projects and phenomena of citizen science
Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
“Rediscovering nature with your family,” from Family Fun Magazine and Parents Magazine
By Darlene Cavalier, Jun 24, 2013
Tickled pink that SciStarter is mentioned in this Family Fun article (also see July 2013 issue on newsstands now). We just love reaching new audiences and broadening the impact of the research projects featured in the SciStarter Project Finder.
Be a citizen naturalist.
The scientists who study nature need our help! These apps and websites will let your child connect with them.
At NWF’s Wildlife Watch (nwf.org; search “Wildlife Watch”), you can print out a nature sightings checklist for your area (with photos of the animals and plants on the list), report your findings, and see what cool critters (and other growing things) folks near you have come across.
SciStarter.com. You’ll find a huge assortment of citizen nature surveys looking for input from families like yours. Depending on where you live and what piques your interest, you can count butterflies, snap photos of spiders and bees, report on the condition of local streams, collect microbes, and much more.
Project Noah. This free app sends you on special missions (such as Mushroom Mapping, Project Squirrel, and Spirals in Nature) in search of animals, plants, and natural phenomena, then lets you upload and share photos with fellow nature detectives around the globe. (free, iOS)
Darlene Cavalier is a professor of practice at Arizona State University's School for the Future of Innovation in Society and a Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU. Professor Cavalier is the founder of SciStarter (a popular citizen science portal and research platform connecting millions of people to real science they can do), founder of Science Cheerleaders (a non profit organization comprised of current and former NFL, NBA and college cheerleaders pursuing STEM careers), cofounder of ECAST: Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology and cofounder of ScienceNearMe.org. She is a founding board member of the Citizen Science Association, an advisor and Fellow at National Geographic, a member of the EPA's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, appointed to the National Academy of Sciences "Designing Citizen Science to Support Science Learning" committee and named cochair of America 250's Innovation, Science, and Entrepreneurism Advisory Council. She is the co-editor of "The Rightful Place of Science: Citizen Science," author of "The Science of Cheerleading," and co-author of the Field Guide to Citizen Science (Timber Press). Recently, ASU President Michael Crow awarded Cavalier and her team the prestigious Medal for Social Embeddedness.
