Month: March 2014

8 Great Reasons Why You Should Use Citizen Science in Your Class

By Karen McDonald, Mar 24, 2014

Why Classrooms Should Integrate Citizen Science After writing quite a few entries in the series “Citizen Science in the Classroom” I thought it would be helpful to explain a bit more about the benefits of citizen science science in the classroom, and to provide a useful resource to teachers and administrators that may help in … Read more “8 Great Reasons Why You Should Use Citizen Science in Your Class”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Education Standards, Science Practices, Using mathematics and computational thinking

Citizen Science in the Classroom: Project NestWatch

By Karen McDonald,

  Using Cornell Ornithology Lab’s Project NestWatch to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards Grades: K-12th Description: Project NestWatch is hosted through Cornell University’s Ornithology lab located in Sapsucker Woods, Ithaca, New York. When you look for it on the SciStarter website or online remember that the project’s name is one word not … Read more “Citizen Science in the Classroom: Project NestWatch”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Birds, Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Education Standards, Science Practices, Using mathematics and computational thinking

Citizen Science on the Radio: WHYY Features Spring Projects!

By Lily Bui, Mar 20, 2014

This week on The Pulse and SciStarter’s segment about citizen science, producer Kimberly Haas highlights some spring projects that you can get involved in this season. Spring is in the air, and so it citizen science! As SciStarter founder Darlene Cavalier told WHYY, “Springtime is the time for citizen science […] So you can find, in … Read more “Citizen Science on the Radio: WHYY Features Spring Projects!”

Categories: Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, In the News, Nature & Outdoors

Spring is Here!

By Jenna Lang,

The equinox is upon us. Budding trees and baby birds will soon greet us. As the weather gets warmer, be ready to Spring into action with these five springtime citizen science projects! Project BudBurst Help scientists understand the impacts of global climate change! Report data on the timing of leafing, flowering, and fruiting of plants … Read more “Spring is Here!”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter

Citizen Science, Mobile Technology, and the Next Generation Science Standards [GUEST POST]

By Lily Bui,

How one science educator used SciStarter to inform pre-service teachers how to use citizen science in the classroom and in curricula. See the Citizen Science App Matrix, which aligns citizen science projects found on SciStarter to teaching standards! This is my first attempt to enter the blogosphere, so please bear with me. As part of my … Read more “Citizen Science, Mobile Technology, and the Next Generation Science Standards [GUEST POST]”

Categories: Guest Contributor, Science Education Standards

Feeling Clumpy?

By Ian Vorster,

Citizen scientists can help ID the progression of bacterial infection in plant cells by determining how “clumpy” plant cell images are. Explore the microbiome around and inside you with these citizen science projects! The language on the Clumpy homepage might be considered a challenge for the average citizen scientist: “The model plant-pathogen system comprising the … Read more “Feeling Clumpy?”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment

Me, Myself, and My Microbes

By Sheetal R. Modi, Mar 19, 2014

Participate in American Gut to find out what bacteria live in your body and help scientists gather data on the diversity of microorganisms that affect our health. Explore the microbiome around and inside you with these citizen science projects! Bacteria usually get a pretty bad rap. Perpetrators of strep throat, food poisoning, hospital infections, the … Read more “Me, Myself, and My Microbes”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Health

Measuring Environmental Stewardship

By Lily Bui,

Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Environmental Behaviors Project seeks help in sorting and ranking environmental stewardship. Many citizen science projects have been very successful in collecting high-quality scientific data through the participation of citizen scientists. However, less emphasis has been placed on documenting changes to citizen scientists themselves. In particular, many projects hope participants will increase their environmental … Read more “Measuring Environmental Stewardship”

Categories: Ecology & Environment, Guest Contributor

Citizen Science in The Classroom: Monarch Migration

By Karen McDonald, Mar 16, 2014

Using Journey North’s Monarch Project to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards Citizen Science and Monarch Migration as a Teaching Tool Grades: K-12th Description: Journey North (JN) is a citizen science project for the observation and tracking of seasonal weather changes and phenology or life cycle changes in animals and plants. This website … Read more “Citizen Science in The Classroom: Monarch Migration”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, EarthSchool, Engaging in argument from evidence, Insects, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Practices, Using mathematics and computational thinking

Visionlearning: An innovative online resource for STEM education

By Carolyn Graybeal, Mar 13, 2014

In recent years there has been a growing emphasis on improving STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.  A correlate of this is has been the increase in digital resources available to students and educators. An excellent example of this is Visionlearning. Visionlearning is the brainchild of Dr. Anthony Carpi, professor of toxicology at John … Read more “Visionlearning: An innovative online resource for STEM education”

Categories: Citizen Science