Covering the people, projects and phenomena of citizen science
Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
Like your citizen science with a side of fun? Check out these gaming projects!
By Arvind Suresh, Feb 23, 2015
Citizen science makes serious contributions to our understanding of the world, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun doing it!
Here are five projects that combine science and gameplay to create an exciting experience for everyone.
Cheers!
The SciStarter Team
Photo: Channel Four
Reverse the Odds
Want to fight cancer? This game lets youdo just that, and all you‘ll need is a mobile device! Each time you play you‘ll be contributing data and helping develop better cancer treatments.Get Started!
Photo: Center for Community Driven Research
Quantum Moves
When scientists at Aarhus University decided to build a quantum computer, they realized that the human brain might be better suited for solving quantum physics problems than a computer. When you play Quantum Move, you contribute to quantum physics with each swipe of the mouse. Get Started!
Photo: NOVA
NOVA Labs – Cybersercurity Lab
Cybersecurity is a hot topic these days, and this game will teach you to protect your identity and prevent cyber attacks. It’s great for both kids and adults and offers a guide for educators.Get Started!
Photo: Citizen Sort
Citizen Sort
With three different games, this project lets you match photos, classify images, or roleplay as an adventurer on an unexplored island. As you play, you‘ll be identifying real plants and animal images as part of scientific research. Get Started!
Photo: Age Guess
Age Guess
Everyone ages, but some people seem to age faster than others. Youcan add to our understanding of age and aging by uploading pictures of yourself and guessing how old others are. Get Started!
Don’t miss our #CitSciChat series! These Twitter chat sessions involve people across the globe in discussion about citizen science and take place the last Wednesday of every month at 7-8pm GMT, which is 2-3pm ET in USA and Thursday 6-7am ET in Australia. The chats are moderated by Caren Cooper, @CoopSciScoop. Follower her on twitter for more updates.The next #CitSciChat is Wednesday February 25th, and the topic is gamification in citizen science to support research on diseases. We encourage you to participate and to pass along the invitation to your participants – the energy and enthusiasm for citizen science in the #CitSciChat will help sustain interest among your participants!If you‘d like your citizen science project featured on SciStarter, email Jenna@scistarter.com.
Arvind Suresh is science communicator and a former laboratory biologist, he has a Master’s degree in Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh. He enjoys reading, teaching, talking and writing science. Connect with him on Twitter @suresh_arvind.
