Year: 2021

As we close out 2021, SciStarter is looking back on our successes this year and, as always, the biggest thanks goes out to you, the citizen scientists! Our more than 100,000 members made millions of contributions to citizen science projects this year, giving scientists data they never would have had otherwise. This year, citizen scientists […]

Since our founding in 2011, SciStarter has been dedicated to promoting citizen science with free, accessible tools for project leaders, researchers and the public. Adding a project to SciStarter is one of the easiest ways project leaders can boost participation and reach a wider audience. When you list your project on SciStarter.org you’re tapping into […]

This post is based on the latest episode of our podcast, Citizen Science: Stories of Science We Can Do Together! In it, host Bob Hirshon chatted with four citizen scientists about how they got their start in the community and how they share citizen science with others. Listen to our podcast here: Citizen Science: Stories […]

“Our coral reefs are in danger … we need your help.” When new players log on to NASA’s NeMO-Net, they’re greeted with a video message from oceanographer Sylvia Earle. “Your mission is to take command of a research vessel, and travel the world collecting data on the ocean,” she says. Warming temperatures, rising sea levels […]

Excerpt from Times Higher Education Equity challenges loom, but solidifying evidence of value brings academic stature to science of partnering with the public November 19, 2021 Paul Basken Look up! Scholars can learn from amateur enthusiasts, such as birdwatchers on the hunt for a great horned owl in New York After a decade of steady […]

Researchers can accomplish amazing things these days with satellites — they can study clouds and climate, forests and land use change and even bird migrations. But with so much satellite data, it can be hard to match up measurements from the sky above with information about what’s actually on the ground. That’s where citizen scientists […]

When a group of friends met up in the tropical forests of Indonesia, they were expecting to take in the verdant surroundings and hopefully nab a few photos of the colorful butterflies that congregate in the area. That’s what Yi-Kai Tea and his buddies found on the island of Sulawesi, nestled in the midst of […]

Does a dog ever think, in their own way, “That sure looks like a squirrel, but I could be mistaken?”  Throughout history, humans have thought that our ability to reflect on our own thinking — what scientists call metacognition — distinguishes us from other animals. But there’s growing evidence that’s not the case. Researchers have […]

Note: Portions of this article came from a description of Stall Catchers previously written by SciStarter. Across the United States, 5.7 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease, the seventh leading cause of death in America. But there is still no treatment or cure. Alzheimer’s hits close to home for many of us who have […]

Erin Canter found her way to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, in eastern Tennessee, from what she describes as a very “stereotypical science” background: white coat, gloves, sequencing DNA in a lab. But “that didn’t quite do it for me,” she says. After six months spent mostly outdoors living in a tent while […]