Shark Week: A feeding frenzy for citizen scientists!

Sink your teeth into these projects! The Discovery Channel kicks off Shark Week in three days, when we’ll will find out if Michael Phelps is faster than a shark! Not quite up for racing a shark yourself? You can still celebrate Shark Week by getting involved in one of the many citizen science projects that study and protect sharks. Below, … Read more “Shark Week: A feeding frenzy for citizen scientists!”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Featured Projects

Network of Bees

There is a lot to learn from bees. The survival of the hive depends on the combined efforts of the entire colony. In Conetoe (pronounced KUH-nee-tah), North Carolina Reverend Richard Joyner and his family of youth beekeepers are tending to bees and building community, one hive at a time. Reverend Joyner is the force behind … Read more “Network of Bees”

Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Insects, Other

Citizen Science with your sun, sand, and surf?

Citizen Science at the Beach While you’re strolling along the beach this summer, consider sharing some of your keen observations with marine ecologists. Below, we’ve highlighted six beach-related citizen science projects to monitor the health of marine habitats. There is even one you can do while couch-surfing (see what we did there?). Find more projects and events … Read more “Citizen Science with your sun, sand, and surf?”

Categories: Animals, Birds, Ecology & Environment, Featured Projects

Celebrate Pollinator Week with buzzing science just for you

Pollinator Week is on its way! Celebrate the bees, bugs, bats, birds, and more that help pollinate our plants. National Pollinator Week is June 19-25. Explore the buzzing science below to find a way to contribute to pollinator science this month.  Find more projects and events on SciStarter, to do now or bookmark for later. … Read more “Celebrate Pollinator Week with buzzing science just for you”

Categories: Citizen Science, Insects, Newsletter

Wildlife Disease Citizen Science

Wild animals get sick from parasites, fungi, and other causes just like people and pets do, but they don’t usually have doctors to help them get better. Instead, you can help them with citizen science! Below, we highlight five projects that study wildlife diseases. Find more projects on SciStarter to do now, or bookmark your … Read more “Wildlife Disease Citizen Science”

Categories: Amphibians, Animals, Citizen Science, Insects, Newsletter

How to Tell a Rock from a Penguin: It’s Harder Than It Sounds

By: Lishka Arata Many things distinguish penguins from rocks. There’s color difference (usually), behavior (penguins waddle, rocks don’t), social structure (rocks don’t have one) — the list goes on. But why might someone need to distinguish between rocks and penguins? It’s a skill central to a long-term project that relies on citizen scientists, working from … Read more “How to Tell a Rock from a Penguin: It’s Harder Than It Sounds”

Categories: Birds, Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Project Profile

Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story

Join Jojo and her family counting bats as citizen scientists in the soon-to-be-released book Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story! You can read — and listen to — a free digital review copy today.  The story, written  by Philadelphia-area author Anna Forrester and illustrated by Susan Detwiler, encourages kids to get involved in citizen science and make it their … Read more “Bat Count: A Citizen Science Story”

Categories: Animals, Bats, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Nature & Outdoors, Other

And the Squirrels Were Merry

I grew up in Fishtown, Philadelphia, an inner city grid of red-brick row homes, corner bars, candy shops, and barely-breathing factories. Fishtown was not known for its wildlife. There were birds. A wide variety, if two counts as a wide variety: big birds (pigeons) and small birds (sparrows). There were cats and an occasional dog … Read more “And the Squirrels Were Merry”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other