Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
In-depth posts on one or more projects
“People protect what they love.” ~ Jacques Yves Cousteau When I was a kid, my family and I used to love watching “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” Every week we’d set out the TV tables and share our dinner with the French marine explorer as he led us on underwater adventures and taught us … Read more “Reef Check Underwater Science”
Categories: Citizen Science, Ocean & Water, Project Profile
When smog is so thick that it clouds our vision, we can see and acknowledge that air pollution is a problem. In December of last year, China issued its second ever red alert, their highest rating for air pollution, and last month, London broke modern air pollution records. But on days when the haze has … Read more “Out of Sight, Out Of Mind: Visualizing the Invisible”
Categories: Citizen Science, Health, Project Profile
By: Marc J. Kuchner Eighty-seven years ago, this week, Clyde Tombaugh was poring over a pair of photographic plates, hoping to change the world. He was staring hard into an arcane device called a blink comparator, which allowed him to rapidly switch from viewing one image to the next. In those days before computers, that was … Read more “Pluto, Planet Nine and Other Backyard Worlds”
Categories: Astronomy & Space, Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Project Profile
By: Ayla Fudala If you’ve ever seen bees flying around at night, there’s a good chance they’re so-called “ZomBees”—honey bees whose brains are under the control of tiny fly larvae growing inside their bodies. Yes, you read that correctly.
Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Insects, Project Profile
By Adam Reyer, Project Director for Global Fishing Watch Hundreds of millions of people depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, and almost 3 billion rely on it as a protein source. But countless threats — overfishing, destructive fishing practices, bycatch, dishonest catch reporting, habitat destruction — threaten our oceans and the people who depend … Read more “Help fight illegal fishing with Global Fishing Watch”
Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Project Profile
Nearly 50 million Americans live with one or more of 80 recognized autoimmune disorders, conditions in which the body’s immune system attacks healthy cells or tissues. Though widespread, the search for treatments for these conditions can be convoluted and frustrating. Autoimmune Citizen Science founder Vivek Mandan experienced this frustration first-hand as he struggled to deal … Read more “New Hope for Autoimmune Disease Treatment with Citizen Science”
Categories: Citizen Science, Project Profile
By: Lishka Arata Many things distinguish penguins from rocks. There’s color difference (usually), behavior (penguins waddle, rocks don’t), social structure (rocks don’t have one) — the list goes on. But why might someone need to distinguish between rocks and penguins? It’s a skill central to a long-term project that relies on citizen scientists, working from … Read more “How to Tell a Rock from a Penguin: It’s Harder Than It Sounds”
Categories: Birds, Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Project Profile
Why did the turtle cross the road? Change the “why” to a “where,” and conservation biologist Andrew Badje just might be able to tell you. Through his work with the Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program, Badje collects turtle road crossing data to help map populations, especially at precarious road and rail crossings.
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Project Profile
For many new parents, trying to figure out what a baby needs can feel like taking care of a tiny alien. It doesn’t speak your language and yet you have to figure out what it needs to stay alive. And while there is no shortage of advice about how to manage your child’s eating and … Read more “Eat, Sleep, Repeat: Crowdsourcing The Data Of A Baby’s Typical Day”
Categories: Citizen Science, Project Profile
For years, weather-monitoring agencies around the globe have collected data to help determine whether and how tropical cyclones — called hurricanes in the US — change over time. But another thing that changes over time is the technology used to record storm data. This, combined with changes in record keeping standards has created an inconsistent … Read more “Coming to Consensus on Classifying Cyclones”
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Project Profile
