Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Carolyn Graybeal, Mar 28, 2013
Public Lab has launched Spectral Challenge, a two-part crowd funded project to improve the use of open source spectrometers. A spectrometer is a common research tool which uses light to identify an unknown substance’s chemical composition. Last year, members of the PLOTS community successfully developed a versatile and user friendly $40 spectrometer. While more accessible, … Read more “Spectral Challenge: Public Lab launches a new project to improve open source technology”
Categories: Computers & Technology, Do-It-Yourself
By Darlene Cavalier, Mar 24, 2013
From the AAAS website: Have a research project that requires large data collection and analysis? Working on a tight budget and an even tighter timeline? Ever thought about outsourcing some of this work to the public? Using the power of the crowd, via the Internet and social media, citizens scientists can help get the job … Read more “AAAS Webinar on April 5: “How to recruit citizen scientists for discovery.””
Categories: Events
By Darlene Cavalier, Mar 15, 2013
Recently, someone asked us why we require a log-in before we send people off to other websites where they can get involved in a citizen science project. Although we haven’t heard this question from our community members, we thought we’d share our perspective with you. Perhaps you’ve wondered but never asked. When we started SciStarter, … Read more “Why do we require a log in?”
Categories: Citizen Science
By Lily Bui, Mar 05, 2013
Imagine something more mysterious than the trenches of the deep sea, more convoluted than the intricacies of the human genetic code, possibly even more infinite than the vastness of outer space. Meet the human brain. Memories, mental disorders, language capability, motor skills, and so much more are encoded in this singular organ. Yet, neuroscientists don’t … Read more “The Brain Mapping Games: May the Odds Be Ever in Our Favor”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Gaming
By Darlene Cavalier, Feb 28, 2013
Here’s a link to a television news segment that aired this week on Minneapolis/St.Paul NBC affiliate Kare11’s. http://www.kare11.com/news/article/1013296/16/Scientists-call-for-your-good-germs-to-send-to-space Nice shout out to the SciStarter, Science Cheerleader, UCDavis citizen science project we are launching. It’s called Project MERCCURI! Sign up to get involved and send us microbes from your touchscreen device so we can compare patterns … Read more “Scientists call for your good germs to send to space!”
Categories: In the News
By Darlene Cavalier, Feb 26, 2013
By Carolyn Graybeal Hummingbirds are mesmerizing. Their iridescent feathers. How they hover in the air. But these tiny birds are not just eye candy. Hummingbirds play a critical role in the ecosystem. They help keep insect populations in check. They pollinate flowers as they roam for nectar. Unfortunately scientists are observing that migration patterns are … Read more “Track hummingbird migration changes starting March 15.”
Categories: Citizen Science
By Darlene Cavalier, Feb 18, 2013
When I first became involved in online professional development (PD) courses about 10 years ago, the casual approach to participation in terms of time and attire were often noted as desirable features. An often-touted advantage to online PD was that individuals could participate at 3 a.m. wearing pajamas and bunny slippers. Over the years, … Read more “Citizen Science Academy: Bunny Slippers Optional”
Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Workshops
By Lily Bui, Feb 13, 2013
You’re familiar with this scene: a dog and its owner walk side by side down the street, and you can’t help but smirk that the dog is dressed up just like its owner. It’s undeniable–people often view their dogs as extensions of themselves. The marked bond between people and their dogs is one that often … Read more “Citizen science to assess your dog’s personality!”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science
By Darlene Cavalier, Feb 07, 2013
From Carnegie Mellon University Research could ensure that crowd work becomes a career option, not a dead end Carnegie Mellon scientists and other crowd work researchers issue call to action. PITTSBURGH—Crowdsourcing is an effective way to mobilize people to accomplish tasks on a global scale, but some researchers fear that crowd work for pay could … Read more “Can crowd work (or citizen science) become a career option?”
Categories: Citizen Science
By Nick Fordes, Feb 04, 2013
Scientific research aims to answer questions, progress disciplinary knowledge, and ultimately better society by providing new applications of technology and ideas toward common problems. But, over time, the products of our countless research projects, while potentially still useful, go unutilized, and can be forgotten in the basements of University libraries or the dusty archives of … Read more “What would you do with this technology?”
Categories: Citizen Science, Contest, Do-It-Yourself, Gaming
