The best gift is one that keeps on giving, and these nifty tools and resources certainly fit the bill! We’ve got useful gifts for birdwatchers, skygazers and weather-trackers, as well as books that will inspire anyone’s curiosity.
Even better, many of these ideas tie directly in with one or more citizen science projects on SciStarter. You might even find something you want yourself!
Season’s greetings,
The SciStarter Team
Want to get your friends and family hooked on citizen science? The Field Guide to Citizen Science, co-authored by our very own Darlene Cavalier, is an accessible introduction. It contains tips on getting started, finding projects and gathering data. You’ll even find suggestions for great citizen science projects for first-timers.
Best for: Ages 13 and up
Anyone with a bird feeder in squirrel country knows how persistent these hungry critters can be. Keep your bird seed safe from thieves with this specially-designed feeder, perfect for Project Feederwatch — and bird lovers everywhere!
Best for: All ages
How dark is your sky? This handheld meter measures sky brightness. It’s a great tool for astronomers as well as citizen scientists participating in Globe at Night.
This is the light meter that comes in Measuring Light in the Night library kits!
Best for: Middle school and up
A rain gauge is a super simple tool anyone can use to gather important data on changing weather patterns where they live.
Contribute to projects like NASA’s GLOBE program and the CoCoRaHS: Rain, Hail & Snow Network with this gauge made to U.S. Weather Bureau specifications
Best for: Ages 13 and up
AirBeam is a palm-sized air quality instrument that measures hyperlocal concentrations of harmful microscopic particles in the air, known as particulate matter, as well as humidity and temperature. Use in conjunction with the AirCasting app, which maps the data in real-time and sends it to a central crowdsourced database.
This is the same sensor you’ll find in a Monitoring Air Quality library kit!
Best for: Ages 13 and up
The National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count stars in this charming picture book, just right for young citizen scientists, bird watchers and nature aficionados.
Best for: Elementary school
In this podcast episode, we share expert picks for over a dozen unique gifts your friends and family will enjoy while they help scientists conduct important research.
Consider SciStarter in your holiday gift-giving
Consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the SciStarter Fund! Click here to donate
Thank you!
Science Near Me
Visit Science Near Me to find all kinds of science events and programs near you. Bonus: You can use your SciStarter account to log in to Science Near Me!
SciStarter LIVE! Join us online at 2pm ET
Tuesday, December 13th
Stall Catchers: The #1 Project on SciStarter in 2022!
Register for the free event here.
We’re demo-ing the 2022 project that had the most contributors and the most contributions on SciStarter: Stall Catchers! Researchers have found that reduced blood flow in the brain – a symptom of Alzheimer’s – is caused by clogged vessels. In Stall Catchers, players watch videos and categorize vessels as flowing or stalled.
Tuesday, December 20th
How Satellites Track Santa (and Do Science)
Register for this free event here.
Santa Claus is coming to town, and NORAD is tracking him! Join us to learn how satellites are used to track Santa and hear from a NASA scientist who needs our help ground-truthing NASA satellite data (it’s easier than it sounds!).
Discover more citizen science on the SciStarter calendar. Did you know your SciStarter dashboard helps you track your contributions to projects? Complete your profile to access free tools. Want even more citizen science? Check out SciStarter’s Project Finder! With citizen science projects spanning every field of research, task and age group, there’s something for everyone!
