Covering the people, projects and phenomena of citizen science
Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
We’re Going Back to School With Citizen Science!
By Arvind Suresh, Sep 04, 2015
Photo: USFWS
It’s back to school time, and our editors have served up seven super citizen science projects to excite your students throughout the school year. Find more classroom projects here!
Check out the SciStarter blog for updates on your favorite projects and look for our Editor’s Weekly Picks for the classroom on the National Science Teachers Association’s website!
Coming soon! Find the perfect project for your classroom. 400 citizen science projects on SciStarter have been rated, reviewed and aligned to Science and Engineering Practices by the Broward County, FL STEM teachers! Soon, you’ll be able to easily search these peer-to-peer reviewed projects AND add your own reviews and recommendations!
All you need for this project is a bird feeder, which makes it great project for schools! Participants count birds at their feeders from November through April and report their data to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Educational resources are available for classrooms and homeschoolers.
The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network collects precipitation data from across the United States and Canada, and it’s a great way to get students involved in science. Lesson plans and project data are available for classroom use.
With Leaf Pack, citizen scientists learn about the health of their local streams. Participants can engage in the full process of science, including forming a hypothesis, designing and experiment, and sharing their results. The project offers teacher workshops, curriculum support, and student programs. Get Started!
Photo: NASA
Solar Storm Watch
You can help scientists find and track explosions on the sun’s surface. Solar Storm Watch provides lesson plans and teacher support for middle and high school grades (KS3 and KS4), and it great for both classrooms and families. Get Started!
Photo: Royal Society of Chemistry
Measuring the Vitamin C in Food
Students from across the globe can participate in this simple, informative project. With iodine, a vitamin C tablet, and a few basic kitchen items, students can determine how much vitamin C is in their food. Data from all participants are available online for comparison. Get Started!
Photo: Royal Society of Chemistry
Art of Crystallization
This global experiment is trying to determine the best conditions for growing crystals. With affordable materials like sugar and bath salts, the project is a terrific way for all students to become involved in science and compare their results with others.
Hydrogels are manufactured polymers found in many products. In this project, students investigate what effect hydrogels have on the water cycle. Instructions, data, and teacher resources are available.
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.
