10 online citizen science projects you can do in 15 minutes or less

Here are ten ways you can help scientists advance fields of research while standing in line, downloading that much-hyped Netflix flick, or waiting for your pumpkin pie to warm up. The Royal Society Laughter Project: The Royal Society has put together a playlist of different laughs that you can listen to. The tricky part is … Read more “10 online citizen science projects you can do in 15 minutes or less”

Categories: Citizen Science

A Citizen Science Project That Will Make You LOL

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” –Victor Borges Aristotle posed that laughter is what sets humans apart from other species. Think about it. We love to laugh—at jokes, movies, at each other. We laugh to ease tension, because others are laughing, or simply just because. All right, Aristotle may not have been completely … Read more “A Citizen Science Project That Will Make You LOL”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science

Become a Bat Detective

We couldn’t have asked for a better citizen science project to start off October, a month often associated with Halloween and all things spooky. Introducing Bat Detective, a project that enlists citizen scientists to screen sound recordings of bats to classify their distinct calls. Bats are nocturnal, making them very difficult to spot with the … Read more “Become a Bat Detective”

Categories: Animals, Bats, Biology, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

SciStarter Unites Citizen Science with DIY Community

A painter cannot paint without brushes. Similarly, a scientist cannot work without tools. PLOTS, the Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science, is dead set on carrying out a mission to equip people with the proper tools for research. SciStarter and PLOTS are working together to help connect PLOTS tools and innovations to the growing … Read more “SciStarter Unites Citizen Science with DIY Community”

Categories: Citizen Science

Are you up to the (water) challenge, today?

When you wake up in the morning and start your daily routine—take a shower, brush your teeth, cook breakfast—do you ever stop to wonder where all that water you’re using comes from? It’s availability (or lack thereof) is certainly not a common worry in the United States, where as of 2005 (the latest assessment of … Read more “Are you up to the (water) challenge, today?”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Contest, Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, Health, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Science Education Standards

Citizen Scientists Go Back to School

It happens every year, and you’re right: it’s just not fair. After nearly three months of uninterrupted fun, gone are the barbeques, ball games and pool parties that dominated the summer schedule just as Labor Day signals the sudden arrival of the shorter, colder, and more structured days of the school year. But before you … Read more “Citizen Scientists Go Back to School”

Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards, Workshops

Help Track That Hurricane

As Hurricane Isaac makes landfall this morning, testing the infrastructure improvements following Hurricane Katrina, our thoughts are with the people of New Orleans for their continued safety. For weeks, scientists around the country have been studying the storm, tracking his progress and predicting his direction. With only a rain gauge, you can help them better … Read more “Help Track That Hurricane”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, In the News, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards

BioBlitz: Explore the National Parks with National Geographic

Attention all backyard explorers and rosebush whackers: this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for. Your days of leading patient parents on perilous neighborhood expeditions are over. Put down that “machete.” Stop mushing the dog. Grab your merit badges. The big leagues are calling, and they want you on their next adventure! This Friday, August … Read more “BioBlitz: Explore the National Parks with National Geographic”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Education, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards, Workshops

Celebrate Shark Week with Some Citizen Science

You might not realize it, but it’s always out there. Planning. Growing. Waiting for the perfect time to strike. You never quite know when it will happen. Maybe July. Maybe August. But you know it’s coming, and you can’t escape it. In an awesome display of speed and power, it bursts from an otherwise calm … Read more “Celebrate Shark Week with Some Citizen Science”

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