Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By John Ohab, Apr 05, 2013
This post originally appeared on the PLOS Blog Network. We’re down to the Final Four in this year’s NCAA tournament, and chances are your bracket isn’t looking too good. Welcome to the club. Worry not! We’ve got four citizen science projects that will help you make the most of Final Four weekend. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES fans… … Read more “Final Four citizen science projects!”
Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, CitSci Research, Climate & Weather, Contest, Insects
By Darlene Cavalier, Jan 20, 2013
SciStarter asked Craig Newmark (of Craigslist fame) why he likes squirrels. He told us that it all started with a simple desire to feed birds. But the suet palaces he was using to dispense the raw, fat-based bird food were constantly getting hacked by squirrels. He tried everything; he even upgraded to “squirrel-resistant” models, to … Read more “On this, National Squirrel Day, we feature Craig Newmark and squirrelly citizen science.”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Contest, Ecology & Environment, Guest Contributor, Nature & Outdoors
By Lily Bui, Oct 29, 2012
With Hurricane Sandy looming large, weather’s the nation’s top news story. In case you’re at home sitting out the storm like the bulk of the SciStarter team, we’ve got you covered (no pun intended) with plenty of weather-related citizen science opportunities to help researchers and advance science. Bonus: here’s a weather-appropriate, musical supplement to your … Read more “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, But You Won’t Be Snoring: Weather-Related Citizen Science Projects!”
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Lily Bui, Oct 01, 2012
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
By Peter Madden, Sep 10, 2012
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
By Peter Madden, Aug 29, 2012
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
By Peter Madden, Jul 19, 2012
The U.S. Geological Survey invites citizen scientists to send information about landslides in their neighborhoods to the Landslide Hazards Program for inclusion in their national database. … Read more
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Computers & Technology, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
By Lisa Gardiner, Oct 12, 2011
There should be more animated movies about citizen science, don’t you think? Thankfully, the people at a weather-focused citizen science project called the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow project (known by the funny acronym CoCoRaHS) have made this video! It tells the story of how the project started and explains how people all over the country are getting involved. Watch and find out how you can become a CoCoRaHS volunteer too! … Read more
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather
By John Ohab, Sep 13, 2011
As summer comes to a close, a young person’s fancy may turn to fretting at the thought of being cooped up in a classroom. But for fans of science and nature—and by that we mean kids who like to watch clouds, hunt mushrooms, prowl around graveyards, and check out what gets squashed on the side … Read more “10 back-to-school projects for young citizen scientists”
Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, Chemistry, Climate & Weather, Computers & Technology, Ecology & Environment, Education, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Physics, Science Education Standards
By Darlene Cavalier, Aug 26, 2011
Scientists want you to record and share rain measurements and other on-the-ground observations in part to help pinpoint hurricane Irene’s actions, determine her next steps, and better predict and react to future storms. In addition to your help recording on-the-ground rain precipitation, scientists rely on watershed volunteers to provide important clues about the effects of … Read more “Measure and record earliest signs of hurricane Irene”
Categories: Climate & Weather, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
