Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Bob Hirshon, Dec 19, 2024
In 2024, volunteers like you made more than 2.5 MILLION data contributions to SciStarter Affiliate projects alone! Science thanks you! And while we appreciate each and every one of you, in this year-end edition of the newsletter, we highlight the top 10 participants based on data contributions. You’ll also find our Top Ten Projects based on participation … Read more “SciStarter’s Best of 2024!”
Categories: Other
By Bob Hirshon, Nov 22, 2024
Our master chefs in the SciStarter kitchen have been working overtime to bring you this delectable Thanksgiving menu, featuring citizen science projects guaranteed to satisfy even the most insatiable curiosity. Hors d’oeuvres: Nature’s Notebook At Nature’s Notebook, nature is always in season; currently, the program features the spicy flavors of autumn! Deepen your connection with … Read more “A Six-Course Citizen Science Feast for the Holidays!”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Health, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter, Other
By Bob Hirshon, Nov 07, 2024
To paraphrase Joyce Kilmer, you’ll never see a newsletter as lovely as a tree, but this newsletter should inspire you to go out and not only appreciate trees, but help scientists working to understand and protect them. You’ll track down endangered trees for TreeSnap; monitor urban trees for iSeaTree; learn about trees with the Girl Scout … Read more “Be a Tree Champion!”
Categories: Other
By Bob Hirshon, Oct 30, 2024
Bats, spiders, cemeteries, unseen creatures living in our homes– even roadkill– have stories to tell and important lessons to teach us. Go a little batty! You don’t need your own belfry to watch fascinating bats; you can join Bats Count! Bat Cam Emergence Count and watch them leave their Connecticut barn every evening through the project’s live … Read more “Bats, Spiders and Cemeteries”
Categories: Other
By Sarah Tribelhorn, Oct 14, 2024
In my role as the Sciences and Sustainability Librarian at San Diego State University (SDSU), I have been looking for ways to forge partnerships and collaborations in my community to support engagement and resilience. This community includes our students, faculty, and staff, as well as the broader community. As the liaison librarian to several STEM … Read more “Making a Difference: Citizen Science Programming in an Academic Library”
Categories: Other
By Bob Hirshon, Sep 17, 2024
Billions of birds are flying south for the annual fall migration, including 4.7 billion leaving the U.S. alone, bound for Mexico, Central and South America. Sadly, over the past 50 years, North American bird populations dropped by nearly 3 billion, due to habitat loss, climate change, and massive development along their flight paths. An estimated … Read more “The Journey of 10 Billion Birds!”
Categories: Other
By Emma Giles,
Half a million volunteers from 126 countries contributed more than One Million Acts of Science through nearly 1,000 scientific research projects and events in April. On behalf of SciStarter, all of our partners, and the sponsors of Citizen Science Month, we thank each and every participant. Citizen Science Month 2024 was coordinated by SciStarter and … Read more ““One Million Acts of Science” – What We Learned During Citizen Science Month April 2024”
Categories: Other
By Bob Hirshon, Aug 16, 2024
From the first time a curious wolf approached fearful humans and managed to befriend them, dogs have been a big part of the human experience. For over 15,000 years, they’ve been our co-workers and companions. Since then, we’ve learned a lot about dogs and our relationship to them (as you’ll learn if you watch Inside the … Read more “What Goes On Inside the Mind of a Dog?”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Featured Projects, Other
By Bob Hirshon, Aug 03, 2024
Citizen science can be a time machine, with projects that transport you to the past through fragile photographs, ancient artifacts, and hand-written records. In some cases, these items tell stories, filling in missing pieces of our history. Sometimes they hold secrets that may prove to be vital to our future. Why not make some history … Read more “Make History With Citizen Science!”
Categories: Archeology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Other
By Emma Giles, Jul 18, 2024
Moths aren’t just butterflies’ homely cousins. They’re amazing, not only for their beauty, but for their incredible diversity (160,000 species!) and ingenious adaptations. With National Moth Week coming up, it’s the perfect time to get to know these extraordinary creatures. Also in this blog: upcoming events, activities for garden lovers, citizen science kits you can … Read more “Much Ado About Mothing”
Categories: Events, Featured Projects, libraries, Library, Newsletter, Other