Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By John Ohab, May 11, 2011
It’s spring — time to get outside and contribute to science! The Cloned Plants Project needs citizen scientists to observe the leafing and flowering of cloned plants, like lilacs and dogwoods, and submit their findings to researchers. These observations will help researchers better understand the interaction between the atmosphere (weather and climate) and the biosphere … Read more “The Cloned Plants Project: contribute to climate change research”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors
By John Ohab, May 09, 2011
Nice shout-out from the Associated Press this weekend: Once restricted mainly to counting birds – most famously, in Audubon’s 111-year-old Christmas Bird Count – citizen science has expanded rapidly in recent years, both in number and variety of projects. Some projects count things – fireflies, ladybugs, frogs, herring. Others record data on water quality, weather, … Read more “Citizen science: Armies of volunteers aid research”
Categories: Citizen Science, In the News
By John Ohab, Apr 26, 2011
Changing Planet is a series of three, televised Town Hall meetings, hosted by Tom Brokaw and Anne Thompson of NBC News, on what climate change means. The first event was held at Yale on January 25th and the just-broadcast video of that program is posted above. It first aired this past weekend on the Weather … Read more “Video: Tom Brokaw hosts Changing Planet townhall at Yale”
Categories: Citizen Science
By John Ohab, Apr 22, 2011
Today is Earth Day, a perfect excuse to get out and help the planet! Researchers need YOUR help tracking the presence of American robins, so they can compare your observations with other environmental data, including climate and weather changes. American robins are arriving in the Colorado Rockies 14 days earlier than they did 30 years ago … Read more “It’s Earth Day! Five ways to help the planet”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
By John Ohab, Apr 14, 2011
You’re invited to join Science for Citizens at the Philadelphia Science Festival Carnival on the Ben Franklin Parkway this Saturday, April 16! The festival promises to be an event like no other, with over 80 exhibitors offering non-stop family-friendly experiments, interactive activities, games, and a packed line-up of live entertainment. Best of all, the event … Read more “Join us at the Philadelphia Science Festival this Saturday”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
By John Ohab, Apr 08, 2011
Could you come up with a new way to track submarines? Could you outsmart a submarine commander? If you think you’re up to challenge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) could use your help! DARPA is inviting citizens to get in the virtual driver seat of a new video game: the Continuous Trail Unmanned … Read more “The Hunt for Red October: Citizen Science Edition”
Categories: Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Gaming, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By John Ohab, Mar 24, 2011
So, apparently, it rains in Arizona…Just kidding. Of course, it does! Despite being one of the driest states in the U.S., Arizona still has its share of rain. In fact, there is a network of over 1000 citizen scientists who are monitoring that rain to help track drought status and support resource management decisions in Arizona … Read more “Citizen science for a rainy day”
Categories: Citizen Science
By John Ohab, Mar 21, 2011
Video games: Do you love them or loathe them? When I was a teenager, I couldn’t get enough of them. Nowadays, I find it difficult to get excited about whiling away an hour with a joypad. Now might be a time for a rethink… Recently, I wrote a post that reviewed a new generation of computer … Read more “Digitalkoot, an online game for indexing Finnish newspapers”
Categories: Computers & Technology, Gaming, Guest Contributor
By John Ohab, Mar 19, 2011
Did you know that you can contribute to science by blowing bubbles? It’s true! The Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) network is asking citizen scientists in England to use bubbles to calculate wind direction and speed. All you need to do is create a “bubble cone” using a piece of paper and some tape. Then, with some … Read more “How to contribute to science by blowing bubbles”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Chemistry, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By John Ohab, Mar 07, 2011
This guest post was contributed by Dr. Stuart Farrimond, a science teacher at Wiltshire College in the United Kingdom. If you’ve ever felt like you could be an undiscovered genius, then today’s blog post is for you! Get ready to use your grey matter to push back the boundaries of science… by playing video games! … Read more “Dr. Stu’s Reviews: citizen science puzzles”
Categories: Astronomy & Space, Chemistry, Computers & Technology
