Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives

5 Citizen Science Projects To Celebrate Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day, Moms! You deserve some time off. So forward this to your kids so they can make their mama proud by joining citizen science projects in your honor! And don’t forget to add projects you love to your Project Dashboard.

Memory Training Study

For many people, our first memories are of our mothers. The UC Riverside Brain Game Center and the UC Irvine Working Memory & Plasticity Lab wants to know if doing memory challenges can improve your memory. Join them by playing along in a working memory training program, completing cognitive tests and filling out questionnaires.

Join now!

Phendo

Help fill gaps in medical knowledge about endometriosis, a painful condition that can cause pain, fertility issues and other symptoms. Yet this disease is still largely considered “invisible.” Phendo is project to crowdsource a catalog of the signs and symptoms of the illness, and anyone over the age of 13 who has had their first period can participate. People with endometriosis are also encouraged to participate.

Join today!

Spidey Senser

Mother spiders can lay hundreds of eggs at a time! These supermoms also give scientists insights into air quality. Metals in the air settle as dust in spider webs. By collecting spider webs in your neighborhood and sending them to the Spidey Senser Lab, scientists can identify the type and amount of metals in your sample. It’s a clever way to detect air quality differences across communities.

Learn more!

Respiratory Health Study

Give back to mothers and grandmothers by helping keep at-risk individuals healthy. The Respiratory Health Study provides near real-time ongoing surveillance on coronavirus-like illness (CLI) and influenza-like illness (ILI). Report on your symptoms on a weekly basis and share your data.

Start gathering data!

Budburst

Celebrate Mother Earth by participating in Budburst. Plant a research garden and observe pollinator visits and plant phenology. The project is helping scientists find out which plants pollinators are most attracted to, among other things.

Explore today!


Save the Date for CitSciCon!

May 21-22, 2021

Explore NASA citizen science projects anyone can do in a first-of-its-kind, two-day online event. Scientists from NASA and special guests will introduce us to their citizen science projects and show volunteers how they can get involved in a range of science initiatives.

RSVP for CitSciCon

Citizen Science Training

With support from the National Library of Medicine, SciStarter and other partners assembled a tutorial and accompanying module to help people from all walks of life engage in science and bring citizen science to new communities. Part one of the training helps you learn the basics of citizen science, participate in projects and make the most of SciStarter. Then, there is an additional training module geared toward librarians and library staff.

Earn your badge today!

How do you and your family choose science experiences?

We need your help! Our team is part of a national grant-funded project to create a resource where you can find a wide range of science events and programs in your area and across the country. Everything from citizen science, to science festivals, to museum events, public forums and more! We want to know how you and your family choose which science experiences you do, so we can create the best resource possible. Please complete this brief survey by May 31st. Thank you!

National Moth Week

People of all ages and abilities are invited to learn about, observe and document moths in their backyards, parks and other habitats. Get started from anywhere July 17 through July 25.

For Practitioners: CitSciVirtual Citizen Science Association Conference

Ongoing, through May 24
Register for the Citizen Science Association’s online conference for keynote talks, workshops, posters and events. Meet and exchange ideas with others advancing work in this field: educators, community leaders, scientists, students, technologists, data managers and more.

GLOBE Observer – Land Cover with the County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries

May 20 at 4 PM ET
Join SciStarter and the County of San Luis Obispo Public Libraries online for an introduction to citizen science – real scientific research anyone can do – and a live demo of the Land Cover protocol of the GLOBE Observer project!

Categories: Newsletter

About the Author

Eric Betz

Eric Betz

Eric Betz is a science and tech writer for Discover Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, and others. He is a lover of #darkskies and pale blue dots.