Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Bob Hirshon, Jan 22, 2023
Whenever you’re out frolicking in a winter wonderland, why not take a frolicking break every now and then to measure snow depth for your friends at the Community Snow Observations project? Your observations will help them verify data obtained from satellites and other remote sensing tools, and also fill in both spatial and temporal gaps … Read more “Science in the Snow Audio and Video Podcast”
Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Featured Projects, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, videos
By Bob Hirshon, Dec 06, 2022
Looking for a special gift for the citizen science lover in your life? You’ve come to the right place! In this podcast, we share expert picks for over a dozen unique gifts your friends and family will enjoy while they help scientists conduct important research. Listen: https://citscipod.podbean.com/e/scistarter-holiday-gift-guide-live/ Projects and websites featured in this episode include: … Read more “Citizen Science Holiday Gift Guide”
Categories: Astronomy & Space, Biology, book, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Field Guide to Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other, podcast
By Bob Hirshon, Nov 18, 2022
Listen to the podcast: https://citscipod.podbean.com/e/the-great-north-american-fungiquest/ Thousands of mycophiles took to the forest in October to document as many mushrooms as they could, as part of the first annual Great North American FungiQuest. In this podcast, we spoke with Robert Courteau, project creator and also founder of the non-profit group Think Fungi. Projects and other links … Read more “The Great North American FungiQuest (podcast transcript and links)”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, CitSci Research, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors
By Bob Hirshon, Oct 09, 2022
With forests being wiped out worldwide by climate change, deforestation, pests and plagues, trees need all the help they can get. In this episode of the SciStarter podcast, we learn about three citizen science projects that monitor and protect trees. Also, with gift-giving season right around the corner, Bob also shares a few of his … Read more “Join Citizen Science Efforts to Preserve Our Forests”
Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Girl Scouts, Nature & Outdoors, Other
By Bob Hirshon, Sep 11, 2022
In this month’s SciStarter podcast, we’re heading back to school to see how teachers and even college professors are making citizen science a part of their classroom instruction. Participating in real science conducted by actual researchers can make science lessons come alive for students at all grade levels. Education leaders in Florida, North Carolina and … Read more “Citizen Science Goes to School”
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, Education, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Other, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Education Standards, Using mathematics and computational thinking
By Bob Hirshon, Aug 11, 2022
In the latest episode of the SciStarter podcast, we celebrate National Dog Day (August 26th) with some canine citizen science. Scientists would like to learn about dog personalities and genetics; what traits help them perform well as service animals; and how environmental factors could affect their health. If you have a canine companion, you have … Read more “Dog Days of Science”
Categories: Other
By Bob Hirshon, Jul 26, 2022
Sharks get a lot more attention than, say, sea cucumbers, possibly because sharks tend to have much bigger teeth. They even get their own week! (note to Discovery Channel: please find room for Sea Cucumber Week). And yet, as marine scientist and shark expert David Shiffman points out, scientists are still discovering new things about … Read more “Tracking Sharks and Listening to Rays”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Bob Hirshon, Feb 17, 2022
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 talks with researchers reaching out to citizen scientists to help track infectious disease, create a national bank of biosamples and better understand neuromuscular mobility issues. Listen here: Citizen Science: Stories … Read more “Citizen Scientists Help Researchers Track Disease”
Categories: Citizen Science, Health, NNLM, podcast
By Bob Hirshon, Feb 03, 2022
This post is based on the latest episode of our podcast, Citizen Science: Stories of Science We Can Do Together! In it, co-host Bob Hirshon and Caroline Nickerson discuss some of the inspiring citizen science work conducted under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Listen here: Citizen Science: Stories of Science … Read more “Exploring Earth with NOAA Citizen Science”
Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Education, Environment, Featured Projects, Geology & Earth Sciences, Ocean & Water, Other, podcast
By Bob Hirshon, Aug 18, 2021
Gluttonous space tourists from another dimension are creating portals into our world, with the aim of turning Earth into a popular alien theme park, and the InterDimensional Council, or IDC, needs Earth-based citizen scientists to stop them! Is this the latest conspiracy theory? Nope (at least not yet). It’s the premise behind a new augmented reality (AR) … Read more “A New Augmented Reality Citizen Science Game Is Coming to the National Parks”
Categories: Apps, Gaming