Picnic Blanket and Basket by Amy Liscomb (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Grab your basket and blanket, July is Picnic Month!

This month it’s exceptionally easy to celebrate by simply grabbing your meal and bringing it outside! Lots of creatures will likely join you during your meal en plein air, so this is a good opportunity to say hello and take note as some sing you songs, some attempt to take a nibble of your food… … Read more “Grab your basket and blanket, July is Picnic Month!”

Categories: Animals, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Featured Projects, Insects, Newsletter

A Global Effort to Protect Giraffes with Citizen Science

I read once that if you want to keep a giraffe in captivity you have to capture it when it is young because an adult giraffe will fight to the death to be free. The story was in the book “Zarafa” by Michael Allin, and while I don’t think the statement is scientifically correct, I … Read more “A Global Effort to Protect Giraffes with Citizen Science”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors

Happy National Pollinator Week!

From June 18 to June 24 we celebrate the pollinators that make most of our food possible. This week, take a moment to make and share your observations with scientists. Our editors selected five projects in need of your help. More about pollinators from Penn State’s website:   Pollinators include bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, some birds … Read more “Happy National Pollinator Week!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Featured Projects, Insects, Newsletter

Science Festivals: Report from the Front Lines

Over the past few months, members of the SciStarter team have been working around the country to share new citizen science projects at science festivals. It’s been so much fun to join others excited about science and get a chance to meet some of you! Organizing a science festival is a labor of love, fueled … Read more “Science Festivals: Report from the Front Lines”

Categories: Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, Events, Other, Science Cheerleaders, SciFests, SciStarter News, USA Science and Engineering Festival

SciStarter logo

Here’s your chance to earn a SciStarter Citizen Science Certificate!

Have you accepted Your Research Mission yet? SciStarter is challenging you to a special mission to join and participate (at least once) in any three of these SciStarter Affiliate projects. Complete your mission and you’ll earn a SciStarter certificate. Keep on participating and you’ll be eligible to become one of the top three mission contributors to win some swag and be connected with of … Read more “Here’s your chance to earn a SciStarter Citizen Science Certificate!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Featured Projects, Newsletter, Science Practices, SciStarter News

Join the Hub of Biomedical Citizen Science Collaboration with CitSciBio

Learn, collaborate, and share your citizen science project tools at CitSciBio.org! Back in 2012 Dr. Jennifer Couch and her colleagues at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) formed a working group to explore the relationship between citizen science and biomedical research. At the inaugural workshop, they discussed how widely dispersed the biomedical citizen science community … Read more “Join the Hub of Biomedical Citizen Science Collaboration with CitSciBio”

Categories: Citizen Science

Perfect your weighing and measuring skills with these projects!

Whether you’re a fan of imperial or metric, this past Sunday was the day to celebrate the way we measure our surroundings. What better way to celebrate a day dedicated to measurement than to participate in a citizen science project where you weigh (or measure) something for science? We’ve pulled together some special projects that … Read more “Perfect your weighing and measuring skills with these projects!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Computers & Technology, Do-It-Yourself, Featured Projects, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter, Ocean & Water

Citizen Science Is Helping Scientists Uncover the Genetics of Taste

Genetics plays an enormous role in our lives, even if we don’t always realize it.  Have you ever wondered why some people love cilantro, but it tastes like soap to others? While it might all be in your head, chances are it’s actually in your genes. A study was posted to arxiv.org in 2012 that … Read more “Citizen Science Is Helping Scientists Uncover the Genetics of Taste”

Categories: Citizen Science