Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
This picture was taken through my screened back door. That’s a gray squirrel going to town on a pumpkin. This wasn’t the first time gray squirrels have overturned small pumpkins in my backyard and feasted on them in preparation for when their chubby little bodies will stay put in their winter nests to conserve body … Read more “Squirrel’s gone wild (over a pumpkin)”
There’s only one more day until this weekend’s USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo in Washington, DC! The Science for Citizens team has been hard at work putting together an engaging, interesting, and fun exhibit featuring some terrific citizen science projects. Remember, we’ll be at Section PA-13, Booth Numbers 1229 and 1231, on Pennsylvania Ave … Read more “Meet Our Festival Collaborators: Steve from JellyWatch”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Computers & Technology, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Science Education Standards, USA Science and Engineering Festival
The USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo is just two days away, and Science for Citizens is excited to be partnering with several fantastic citizen science organizations for our exhibit. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Lindsay from Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, an estuarine site in the state of Maryland about 20 miles east of … Read more “Meet Our Festival Collaborators: Lindsay from Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Science Education Standards, USA Science and Engineering Festival
In preparation for this weekend’s USA Science and Engineering Festival Expo, we’re featuring short Q&As with our collaborating partners, so you’ll know exactly what to expect at the Science for Citizens exhibit. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Mary from Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. She’ll be your go-to expert on all things birds. Stop … Read more “Meet Our Festival Collaborators: Mary from Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, USA Science and Engineering Festival
The USA Science & Engineering Festival culminates this weekend, October 23-24, with a ginormous Expo featuring over 1,500 fun activities on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The Science for Citizens team will be there to host our very own exhibit, which will feature several partner citizen science organizations and opportunities to participate in real, … Read more “Meet Our Festival Collaborators: Anne from Earthwatch”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards, USA Science and Engineering Festival
The mysterious widespread deaths of honey bees over the last four years has been a great worry, both to backyard gardeners and large agricultural companies. That’s why it was such welcome news last week when Army scientists in Maryland and bee experts in Montana reported they had discovered a likely cause: a fatal combination of … Read more “After a clue on colony collapse, what’s status of honey bees?”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors
Deep in the heart of Wisconsin is a nature lover’s dream destination – the Beaver Creek Reserve. With a citizen science center, butterfly house, nature center, observatory, field research station, summer camp, and miles of trails to explore, there’s something for everyone to get excited about. We recently spoke with Sarah Braun, Citizen Science Director … Read more “Citizen scientists in the Wisconsin wilds”
Categories: Birds, Citizen Science
Ruth Brooks, a gardener with a soft spot for snails, has just won the BBC’s “So You Want to Be a Scientist?” contest. You may recall that she was our favorite when we reported in April on the four finalists for the contest. Brooks’s ground-breaking (if slow) project showed that, contrary to what many scientists … Read more “Snail sleuth wins BBC amateur scientist contest”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Contest, In the News, Nature & Outdoors
Love ’em or not, squirrels play an important role in local ecology. Mapping changes in their population can help researchers better understand–and predict–a range of corollary environmental changes. As described on the Project Squirrel website, “Squirrels can be important indicators of local ecology because they are resident in small territories and active year round, they … Read more “Squirrels: spot, jot, share your sightings”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment
Looking for a convenient way to identify birds during your next citizen science excursion? Consider the WildLab Bird iPhone app, which uses photographs, audio, and maps to help you determine which bird you’ve spotted and makes it easy to share the observation with researchers at Cornell University’s Lab of Ornithology. Here’s how it works: Visit … Read more “Don’t know a chickadee from a warbler? There’s an app for that!”
Categories: Animals, Apps, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
