Show ’em what ya got (Philly).

If you live in or near Philadelphia, here’s a recent piece from the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sandy Bauer, on wildlife citizen science projects for you! We especially like this excerpt: And if you REALLY want to get involved, check out SciStarter, which is considered to be the largest aggregator of citizen science and crowdsourced projects. You … Read more “Show ’em what ya got (Philly).”

Categories: In the News

Don’t miss The Great Backyard Bird Count!

On the morning of Friday, February 17, I will wake up before work, pour myself a cup of coffee, and stare out my window for 15 minutes. As long as I submit my observations to the Great Backyard Bird Count, my 15 minutes of zone-out time before I jump in the shower will qualify as … Read more “Don’t miss The Great Backyard Bird Count!”

Categories: Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors

“Like Kickstarter but for citizen science”

Excuse the shameless self-promotion but we couldn’t resist sharing this Tweet about SciStarter. like Kickstarter but for citizen science: SciStarter! scistarter.com simple, brilliant. — John Pavlus (@johnpavlus) February 8, 2012

Categories: Uncategorized

The landscape and promise of Citizen Science

Some of you expressed interest in viewing the slides I shared during a talk at the Microbe.net workshop at UC Davis. The talk was designed to give an overview of citizen science projects and a peek at the opportunities and challenges ahead for people involved in the production of such projects. It also pointed towards … Read more “The landscape and promise of Citizen Science”

Categories: Citizen Science, Science Policy

An ode to you: a citizen science theme song!

Citizen scientists around the world finally have their own anthem! Monty Harper, an Oklahama-based educator and entertainer, has released his latest song, “Citizen Scientist,” featuring SciStarter! We’ve adopted this as our theme song. Harper drew inspiration from the research of Dr. Janette Steets, a botanist at Oklahoma State University. And the best part is that … Read more “An ode to you: a citizen science theme song!”

Categories: Citizen Science, EarthSchool, In the News

Who’s the boss: Home or human microbiomes?

Most of us are aware of the bacteria on the surfaces we come in contact with. The doorknob for the bathroom, coins and paper currency in our pockets, handrails in subway cars, computer keyboards and mice at the library… the list of built environments on which microbes thrive is nearly endless. In our preoccupation with … Read more “Who’s the boss: Home or human microbiomes?”

Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor

Have you seen this swan?

The Trumpeter Swan is the largest bird in North America, but in the early 20th Century, they were extremely hard to see. Over-hunted for their feathers and skins, these beautiful birds once teetered on extinction. In the early 1900s, fewer than 100 remained in the wild. Despite decades of subsequent protection under the Migratory Bird … Read more “Have you seen this swan?”

Categories: Birds, Citizen Science