Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
National Dog Day is August 26. In honor of your furry friend, participate in these simple at-home projects to help researchers learn more about your pup! And use the Project Finder to search for exciting citizen science projects on any topic you can think of (yes, that includes cats). Cheers, The SciStarter Team
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science
Every day, researchers who need your help add their projects to SciStarter, with topics spanning everything from canine cognition to space agriculture. We’re highlighting six of our favorite newly added projects — but don’t stop here! Use the Project Finder to search for the latest citizen science opportunities to save to your Dashboard. Cheers, The SciStarter Team
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Featured Projects
Summer is still here in the Northern Hemisphere and many people are maximizing time spent outdoors as they enjoy the season’s sunshine and temperate weather. In this piece, we share citizen science summer opportunities tailored for our friends to the north, the Great North: Canada! Canada is home to numerous citizen science organizations and opportunities … Read more “A Canadian Summer of Science”
Categories: Animals, Bats, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Nature & Outdoors
SciStarter is partnering with National Moth Week (available in 50+ countries)! July 17 through 25, people of all ages are gathering to explore and learn about the wonderful world of moths. There are over 1,000(!) registered mothing events to choose from. Find one near you or sign up to host an event of your own! Finding moths is … Read more “Celebrate National Moth Week July 17-25”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects
In the past 40 years, butterfly populations have declined dramatically across the American West, both in cities and in the wilderness. Overall, butterflies are now declining at a rate of 1.6 percent each year. That’s what researchers using butterfly observations from citizen scientists and professional researchers found in a recent study. Their work, drawing from … Read more “Western Butterfly Populations are Plummeting, Citizen Science Data Shows”
Categories: Animals
In 1902, an international trade deal was brokered between the U.S. and Canada. Frank Baker, superintendent of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., had been working on the deal for some time. In a letter from 1900 sent to several addresses in Ontario, Canada, Baker explains he is “very desirous of obtaining” a particular … Read more “City Squirrels Look Different. Is Evolution Driving a Color Change?”
Categories: Animals
Every year around Christmas time, tens of thousands of volunteer birdwatchers gather in familiar locations across the Western Hemisphere for a tradition that dates back more than a century. On select days between December 14 and January 5, volunteers with the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count take a census of every bird they see … Read more “How a Christmas Tradition has Helped Track Billions of Vanishing Birds”
For many of us, the sound of fall is defined by honking geese overhead and the calls of familiar songbirds in our yards. Every year, billions of birds, bats and insects take to the air in an ancient migration that leads them from the northern reaches of our continent to more temperate climates in the … Read more “Radar is Revolutionizing the Study of Migrations, but Researchers Need Birdwatchers’ Help”
Categories: Animals
This post was originally published as a SciStarter newsletter. Sign up to receive bi-weekly citizen science in your inbox! Citizen science projects featuring insects, spiders and their relatives You can call them “insects, spiders and their relatives” or you can call them “bugs” (and incur the wrath of those who point out that the only true … Read more “SciStarter Goes Buggy!”
Categories: Insects, Newsletter
This is a guest blog post from the Spot-a-Bee project. In these challenging times, when we are spending more time in our homes and neighbourhoods than many of us may have imagined possible, we at Spot-a-Bee have worked to develop a family learning approach, centred around the Spot-a-Bee citizen science project. The Spot-a-Bee project was … Read more “Spot-a-Bee: Mapping the Urban Bee Garden”
Categories: Education, Guest Contributor, Insects, Nature & Outdoors
