Author: Melinda

Live in Los Angeles county? Photograph butterflies and moths, and help scientists study climate change. Interested in more moth and butterfly citizen science projects?  We’ve got you covered! “Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one…” [2] In the heat of summer monsoons, butterflies accompany the paddling […]

NoiseTube allows citizen scientists to monitor noise pollution with a mobile app. Come to your senses! SciStarter has curated a list of projects for all 5 senses. I was overjoyed the first time I heard the peaceful fountain, twittering bird song, and gentle rustle of wind through the trees oustide my office window. Then, one […]

VerbCorner invites citizen scientists to answer fun questions about words and their meanings to eventually help train computers to understand language. SciStarter is shuffling science into the language department. Explore the science of words with these citizen science projects! Verb. Noun. Pronoun. Adjective. Adverb. Preposition. Conjunction. Interjection… If you’re anything like me, the sight of […]

If you’re looking for more projects for the holiday season, we’ve got 12 Days of Citizen Science for you! “On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…” birds! Partridges, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, golden rings (pheasants), geese and swans inhabit this festival folk classic celebrating food and merriment. Seabirds, […]

Dig into even more Thanksgiving projects with your friends and family! Imagine: After months of treacherous sailing across the open ocean, skirting coral reefs and rocky shores, you alight upon lush tropical islands greeted by enticing aromas, unknown species, and a symphony of bird song… Four years into her circumnavigation of the globe, the HMS […]

In a technologically savvy, hyper-caffeinated, on-the-go society, it can be nearly impossible to ignore distracting information. With flashing lights to deafening sounds, even our smartphones demand attention. How does the mind sort through these conflicting signals, allowing us to concentrate and process only the most important visual cues? Ignore That! was developed by Dr. Joshua […]

This post is part of this week’s featured projects about water quality monitoring. Take a look! Despite over 70% of the Earth’s surface being covered in water, one in nine people do not have access to an improved water source.(1) Contaminated water kills more people than all wars, crimes and terrorism combined yet more people […]

This project is part of our Back to School 2013 round-up of projects. Read more about them! Breast cancer is the single most common cancer in women worldwide with roughly 1 in 8 women developing the disease each year. Chances are, a friend or family member is coping with this diagnosis right now. Following Angelina […]

In the height of summer sunbathing, seaside shark sightings universally evoke childhood memories of Jaws, quickly followed by shouts of “Get out of the water!” Yet, fewer than 5 people a year (worldwide) die in shark attacks. Commercial fishing practices and by-catch look set to drive their extinction. Can scientists help save these vital predators? […]

This is a guest post by Dr. Melinda Hough, PhD in Microbiology from Olympia, WA. Twitter: @theroamingnome SciStarter brings you curated citizen science projects under new themes on a bi-weekly basis. Be sure to check out the  “Building Blocks of Life” featured projects for this cycle! Humans spend more than 3 billion hours playing video […]