What Lies in the Soil?

Drag your bones toward even more Halloween-themed citizen science! We know from basic ecology that organisms are adapted to their environment, and where certain organisms live should fall along a gradient of critical environmental factors such as moisture, temperature, nutrient availability, or substrate. How these factors impact diversity and distribution are questions that we could … Read more “What Lies in the Soil?”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors

SciStarter and WHYY (NPR affiliate) to report on citizen science projects and participants.

Lend us your ears! Citizen science is coming to the radio. “The Pulse,” WHYY’s weekly one-hour radio program focused on health, science and innovation in the Philadelphia region, will launch on Friday, Dec. 6. The show will explore the personal stories of illness and recovery, discovery, health and science trends and much more. Working with … Read more “SciStarter and WHYY (NPR affiliate) to report on citizen science projects and participants.”

Categories: Citizen Science, In the News

Photosynq: Plugging into Photosynthesis

Recently researchers at Michigan State University have been turning their attention to how we study plant photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the biological process by which plants and algae convert light into storable energy for growth and survival. Quantifying photosynthesis levels can reveal a lot about plant health. For example how efficient is the plant in capturing … Read more “Photosynq: Plugging into Photosynthesis”

Categories: Apps, Biology, Citizen Science, CitSci Research, Computers & Technology

The Attack of the “ZomBees”

Drag your bones toward more Halloween-themed citizen science! SciStarter has been paying attention to the zombee apocalypse from ZomBee Watch’s early days. Here are some important updates on the project and details on how you can get involved. Have you noticed bees behaving in a strange ‘zombie’-like dazed manner near lights, especially at night? Then, … Read more “The Attack of the “ZomBees””

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

The Snapper, the Groper and the Emperor – Donate Your Skeletons

Drag your bones toward more Halloween-themed citizen science.  The snapper, the groper and the emperor—these are not synonyms for that nasty blind date you landed last month, nor do they form the lineup for a cast of Halloween characters. These are fish. In particular they are demersal species, which refers to a type of fish … Read more “The Snapper, the Groper and the Emperor – Donate Your Skeletons”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water

Spidey Sense Alert: Tracking Spider Populations With Where’s My Spider?

If you ever asked me how many kinds of spiders were there in the world, I would say there are two that I know of. The one with thin long legs that inhabit the walls of my house and keep me up at night, and the enormous one with hairy legs that inhabit theater screens … Read more “Spidey Sense Alert: Tracking Spider Populations With Where’s My Spider?”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects

Songs From the Citizen Science Frontier

Citizen science has its own song! Monty Harper, the musician behind “Citizen Scientist,” needs help from you to compile a slideshow for the piece. If you have photos of you or others participating in citizen science, you can submit them to be included in a slideshow music video for his song! The deadline is November … Read more “Songs From the Citizen Science Frontier”

Categories: Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Science Education Standards

Bats, Bones, Zombees! Five macabre citizen science projects for Halloween.

Drag your bones on over to our favorite, spooky research projects just in time for Halloween. Where is my Spider? Share your photos of spiders. When we understand where spiders are living today, we will be better able to predict what may happen to spiders and agriculture in the future. Get started!   Zombee Watch … Read more “Bats, Bones, Zombees! Five macabre citizen science projects for Halloween.”

Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

Mind Control, Concentration, and Color – Understanding the Stroop Effect

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 … Read more “Mind Control, Concentration, and Color – Understanding the Stroop Effect”

Categories: Citizen Science, Gaming

Gamifying Citizen Science with Floracaching

Gamifying citizen science has the potential to engage existing volunteers in new ways, and to attract a new segment of the gaming-set: millennials. Millennials who were born after 1980 are known to be notorious technology enthusiasts. But what would draw, lets say, the average business student or technology major into playing a game that contributes … Read more “Gamifying Citizen Science with Floracaching”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors