Just Add Water: World Water Monitoring Challenge 2013 Results

The World Water Monitoring Challenge results are out! Earlier this year, I found myself hanging over a concrete ledge by the Charles River. But not to worry – it was nothing dire. I was actually trying to collect a water sample for the World Water Monitoring Challenge. Talk about diving headfirst into citizen science. On … Read more “Just Add Water: World Water Monitoring Challenge 2013 Results”

Categories: Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations

Citizen Science Essay Contest – Deadline July 13 at 11:59pm CT!

Do you have a citizen science story? Tell us in this essay contest — your story could end up in Discover Magazine! Science is all around us – and now anyone can be a scientist! Citizen scientists study everything from distant galaxies to firefly populations, helping researchers collect valuable data. We want to hear about … Read more “Citizen Science Essay Contest – Deadline July 13 at 11:59pm CT!”

Categories: Citizen Science

Citizen Science on the Radio: WHYY Features Dan Duran’s Drexel Elaphrus Beetle Hunt

This week on The Pulse and SciStarter’s segment about citizen science, producer Kimberly Haas speaks with Dan Duran, who is running a project that monitors the elusive Elaphrus beetle to monitor stream health. Read WHYY’s related blog post to learn more. Here’s an excerpt: Dan Duran, assistant professor in Drexel University’s Department of Biodiversity, Earth … Read more “Citizen Science on the Radio: WHYY Features Dan Duran’s Drexel Elaphrus Beetle Hunt”

Categories: Citizen Science, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

A Citizen Scientist’s Guide (and Pronunciation Guide) to the Camelopardalids Meteor Shower

How to use the American Meteor Society’s smartphone app (iOS and Android) to create observer reports of fireballs and meteors during the Camelopardalids this weekend. Coming soon to a sky near you: a brand new meteor shower! Barring all cloudy conditions and light-polluted landscapes, you should be able to bear witness to the Camelopardalids this … Read more “A Citizen Scientist’s Guide (and Pronunciation Guide) to the Camelopardalids Meteor Shower”

Categories: Astronomy & Space, In the News

The Great Indoors: Sensing Carbon Monoxide Levels and Indoor Air Quality [GUEST POST]

Per the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 90% of their time indoors. At the same time, when we think of citizen science, our mind’s eye often pictures the great outdoors: wide expanses of open space, jutting mountains, birds in trees, and frogs sitting near meandering streams. In part, that’s due to a perception … Read more “The Great Indoors: Sensing Carbon Monoxide Levels and Indoor Air Quality [GUEST POST]”

Categories: Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, Guest Contributor

3, 2, 1…Project MERCCURI Blasts Off to the ISS Today!!

What happens when you combine professional cheerleaders, microbiologists, and astronauts? The answer is Project MERCCURI and the Microbial Playoffs… in SPAAACE! SPACE FLORIDA, FL — Today, something  amazing is headed toward the ISS—microbial life from earth!This moment is the culmination of a citizen science experiment called Project MERCCURI (Microbial Ecology Research Combining Citizen and University … Read more “3, 2, 1…Project MERCCURI Blasts Off to the ISS Today!!”

Categories: Astronomy & Space, Biology, Citizen Science, In the News

UK Flooding – And What You Can Do About It [GUEST POST]

Thames Valley Sewer System overwhelmed and instrumentation destroyed, how you can contribute to water monitoring with citizen science. Flooding is not just a problem for residents and local businesses; it is also a major issue for the UK’s water companies. Throughout the closing months of 2013 and the start of the current year, England was … Read more “UK Flooding – And What You Can Do About It [GUEST POST]”

Categories: Guest Contributor, Ocean & Water

CitSci.Org “Feature Friday” webinar on 4/4: Plots, Subplots, Transects, and Protocols! [WEBINAR]

Greetings from CitSci.org! Please join us for our next “Feature Friday” webinar. These webinars invite you to offer your ideas and thoughts about improvements to CitSci.org. The first Friday of each month these webinars will focus on a specific topic / feature of CitSci.org. We will demonstrate how to use the website feature and take feedback. The April … Read more “CitSci.Org “Feature Friday” webinar on 4/4: Plots, Subplots, Transects, and Protocols! [WEBINAR]”

Categories: Citizen Science