Category: Citizen Science

Changing Planet is a series of three, televised Town Hall meetings, hosted by Tom Brokaw and Anne Thompson of NBC News, on what climate change means. The first event was held at Yale on January 25th and the just-broadcast video of that program is posted above. It first aired this past weekend on the Weather […]

Today is Earth Day, a perfect excuse to get out and help the planet! Researchers need YOUR help tracking the presence of American robins, so they can compare your observations with other environmental data, including climate and weather changes.  American robins are arriving in the Colorado Rockies 14 days earlier than they did 30 years ago […]

Energy is a strange thing.  It floats around you, fills you up until you’re about ready to burst, and then it skips off, leaving you to keep up as best you can.  Last Thursday and Friday were two full days of such energy, when 60 professionals from such exotic places as Alaska, Colombia and New […]

As spring revs up to full gear, I enjoy taking runs around my neighborhood to enjoy the colorful bursts of flower and bits of cheerful birdsong. If you too have a soft-spot for feathered creatures, consider becoming a citizen science observer for one of these three great projects! If you live in a city or […]

Could you come up with a new way to track submarines? Could you outsmart a submarine commander? If  you think you’re up to challenge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) could use your help! DARPA is inviting citizens to get in the virtual driver seat of a new video game: the Continuous Trail Unmanned […]

A few weeks back, I had an opportunity to speak with faculty at Bard College about the school’s new Citizen Science program. This week, I’ve got the inside scoop from the freshmen who took part in the intensive three-week course. Four students in Dr. Kate Seip’s section of the course were kind enough to share some […]

What does it mean to think scientifically? If you asked me this question when I first moved back to New York three years ago, I’m quite positive I would have said something like, “What do I know? I’m not a scientist,” and pointed the questioner in the direction of the nearest pocket-protecting nerd in the […]

So, apparently, it rains in Arizona…Just kidding. Of course, it does! Despite being one of the driest states in the U.S., Arizona still has its share of rain. In fact, there is a network of over 1000 citizen scientists who are monitoring that rain to help track drought status and support resource management decisions in Arizona […]

Whoooohoo!!!

iPhones, Androids phones, and other mobile devices are making it incredibly easy for citizen scientists to make observations and share their findings with researchers. Mobile apps are already aiding the study of wildlife, invasive plant species, and even acoustics, just to name a few. You could say that apps are the hottest thing in citizen science! […]