Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Caren Cooper, Dec 21, 2016
Citizen science is a range of activities and projects through which people from all walks of life help advance scientific discovery. Citizen scientists bring science into the mainstream and make science relevant to their lives. As a scientist, I rely on citizen scientists as research collaborators. As a blogger, I’ve become a citizen science advocate … Read more “Quality and quantity with citizen science”
Categories: Citizen Science, Other
By Caren Cooper, Aug 01, 2016
Fables are fun ways to accept insights into our own lives. Fairy tales are enjoyable ways to inspire hope. Augmented reality games that overlay fantasy directly onto reality are a blast, plus they create a powerful lens to understand ourselves and the world. Citizen science is a lens on the world too. The intersection of … Read more “Augmented Reality in Citizen Science to Connect with Reality”
Categories: Citizen Science, Gaming, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile
By Caren Cooper, Dec 24, 2015
Looking back on citizen science in 2015, what discoveries stand out to you? Share them in the comment section below. The following Citizen Science Quiz test your knowledge about 10 of the scientific achievements reported in the peer-reviewed literature that were made possible by citizen science. The papers span a wide range of disciplines and … Read more “Coop’s Scoop: 2015 citizen science year in review quiz”
Categories: Citizen Science, Other
By Caren Cooper, Aug 25, 2015
Thank you, Lassie for saving my life! And thank you Rover, Spot, Fido, Benji, and Snoopy. We can all shout this refrain, not just those pulled from a burning building or comforted by slobbery kisses. Dogs may have saved the entire human race. Not recently, but back when our species was just starting out on … Read more “Coop’s Scoop: Citizen science to study your dog, because your dog studies you”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science
By Caren Cooper, Aug 04, 2015
There are millions of people taking part in citizen science across the world, and thousands of practitioners – scientists, educators, computer scientists, and activists – organizing citizen science projects. Citizen science has emerged as a new discipline, with novel ways of enabling scientific research, informing policy and conservation, and motivating learning. New organizations, such as … Read more “Coop’s Scoop: Amphibian and Reptile Citizen Science on the next #CitSciChat”
Categories: Amphibians, Citizen Science
By Caren Cooper, Feb 24, 2015
The next time you get into an argument with your laptop or shake a fist at your computer, try to refrain from calling it “a stupid machine.” That would be gloating. We really are more intelligent than our computers. Case in point, the human mind can solve some puzzles better than computers. On this principle, … Read more “Coop’s Scoop: Mind over Mainframe – next #CitSciChat discusses citizen science games”
Categories: Citizen Science
By Caren Cooper, Jan 31, 2015
A few days ago was the first #CitSciChat, sponsored by SciStarter and my lab (The Counter Culture). The #CitSciChat was a fast-paced and exhilarating hour of citizen science discussion. Guest panelist and many others carried out a lively conversation structured around questions that I posed over the hour. Twitter chats have a hilarious side because … Read more “Coop’s Citizen Sci Scoop: Recap of Jan 28 #CitSciChat”
Categories: Citizen Science
By Caren Cooper, Jan 19, 2015
#CitSciChat Starting this month, you can tune in and take part in monthly discussion sessions about citizen science. The discussions take place on Twitter and anyone is welcome to join with questions, answers, comments, and ideas. You can follow the discussion at the hashtag #CitSciChat. The monthly #CitSciChat are sponsored by SciStarter and The Counter … Read more “Hash Out Citizen Science in Twitter Chat Sessions”
Categories: Citizen Science, CitSci Research
By Caren Cooper, Jul 27, 2014
Discover Magazine’s September print edition featured an infographic called “20 Things You Didn’t Know About Cats.” Felines seem to lead elusive, mysterious lives. Fortunately, the citizen science project Cat Tracker allows you to track your cat beyond what we can directly observe. Cats are moody. In the blink of an eye, a cat can change … Read more “The Nine Simultaneous Lives of Cats: Cat Tracker”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science
By Caren Cooper, Jul 20, 2014
Editor’s Note: Flight MH17 was a horrible tragedy, with many lives lost, including HIV/AIDS researchers en route to a conference. In Caren Cooper’s latest Coop’s Citizen Sci Scoop, she explains how citizen science assisted with AIDS research, and how AIDS activists were able to become participatory members of the medical and scientific process. Here, in full, … Read more “Coop’s Citizen Sci Scoop: Patients Who Were Research Subjects and the Doctors Who Listened – the Citizen Science of HIV/AIDS Research”
Categories: Citizen Science, Health