Learn how climate change affects plant life with AMC Mountain Watch

Track phenology events in Appalachian mountains and contribute to climate change research with Mountain Watch! Want more spring citizen science? We’ve got you covered through April showers and May flowers. There is nothing more rewarding than taking in the view from above tree-line. A challenging hike always seems like a distant memory after gazing upon the landscape … Read more “Learn how climate change affects plant life with AMC Mountain Watch”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors

Getting flashed by the Moon?

Monitor the rates and sizes of meteoroids striking the moon with the Lunar Impact Monitoring project. Citizen science after hours…here are some citizen science projects you can do at night. By now you’ve probably seen Gravity, and maybe you figured real astronauts don’t have to worry about projectiles, flying debris, or explosions. After all, the stars … Read more “Getting flashed by the Moon?”

Categories: Astronomy & Space, Citizen Science, Geology & Earth Sciences

Using the Quake-Catcher Network Citizen Science Project to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards

Citizen Science in the Classroom: Quake-Catcher Network Quake-Catcher Network Citizen Science Project Meeting Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards Grades: K-12 Description: Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) is a citizen science project that uses internet and sensors (subsidized or free for K-12 classrooms) to connect schools and other entities to an earthquake monitoring network. It is hosted … Read more “Using the Quake-Catcher Network Citizen Science Project to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards”

Categories: Computers & Technology, Geology & Earth Sciences, Science Education Standards

12 Days of Christmas-y Citizen Science

Make sure you’re on Santa’s “nice list” this year. Lend your hands, hearts and brains to science during these 12 days leading up to Christmas! On the 1st day of Christmas, the Alliance for Saving Threatened Forests gave to me: A chance to monitor the invasive insects that attack both hemlocks and Fraser firs (the most popular … Read more “12 Days of Christmas-y Citizen Science”

Categories: Birds, Citizen Science, Geology & Earth Sciences, Health, Nature & Outdoors

Winter + Citizen Scientists + Twitter = Snowtweets!

Winter is here! Check out more winter weather themed citizen science projects at Scistarter. You know what the atmosphere is. But have you heard of the cryosphere? No, it’s not a giant frozen ice-cream sphere, if that’s what you’re thinking. (That’s not what you were thinking? Never mind then!) The cryosphere, as Wikipedia most sagely … Read more “Winter + Citizen Scientists + Twitter = Snowtweets!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences

Smithsonian Science, a Thought Experiment, and a Citizen Science Challenge

When you consider the field of citizen science you probably think of it as something you do by collecting data, taking pictures, finding plants or animals, or uploading sightings. There’s a new form of citizen science emerging called a “thought experiment.” You may be familiar with thought experiments like that of “Schrödinger’s Cat” or Einstein’s … Read more “Smithsonian Science, a Thought Experiment, and a Citizen Science Challenge”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences, Guest Contributor

The Secchi Dip-In

Calling all water monitoring groups! It is time for the annual Secchi Dip-In. From now until July 22, volunteer and professional water monitoring groups are being asked to take transparency measurements in a local body of water. A secchi disk is a common tool for measuring water turbidity, or water cloudiness. Turbidity is caused by … Read more “The Secchi Dip-In”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water

It’s Raining, It’s Pouring, But You Won’t Be Snoring: Weather-Related Citizen Science Projects!

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

Teachers: here’s a great citizen science project taking place 4/27 ,1:30 pm ET!

goal: Help seismologists detect and warn of earthquakes. task: Do a 1 minute cheer with your class and measure the shaking of your classroom. Join the Big Cheer for Science and Engineering on April 27, 2012 at 1:30 pm ET, presented by SciStarter, Science Cheerleader, the USGS, the Iris Consortium, Discover Magazine and the USA … Read more “Teachers: here’s a great citizen science project taking place 4/27 ,1:30 pm ET!”

Categories: Geology & Earth Sciences, Science Education Standards