Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Caroline Nickerson, May 20, 2024
You might have heard that our world is out of balance. Ecosystems that need native plants and animals to flourish are plagued by human development and invasive species. Many of our local green spaces like yards, parks, and porches are home to mostly introduced, non-native plants that do little to maintain a healthy regional biodiversity. … Read more “Become a guardian of nature! Learn to rewild with native plants”
Categories: Education, Environment, Nature & Outdoors
By Kat Hart, Sep 28, 2021
Erin Canter found her way to the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, in eastern Tennessee, from what she describes as a very “stereotypical science” background: white coat, gloves, sequencing DNA in a lab. But “that didn’t quite do it for me,” she says. After six months spent mostly outdoors living in a tent while … Read more “Exploring Biodiversity in Great Smoky Mountains National Park”
Categories: Biology, Environment
By Brielle Fischman, Bradley Cosentino, and James Gibbs, Feb 09, 2021
In 1902, an international trade deal was brokered between the U.S. and Canada. Frank Baker, superintendent of the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., had been working on the deal for some time. In a letter from 1900 sent to several addresses in Ontario, Canada, Baker explains he is “very desirous of obtaining” a particular … Read more “City Squirrels Look Different. Is Evolution Driving a Color Change?”
Categories: Animals
By Eric Betz, Oct 31, 2020
For many of us, the sound of fall is defined by honking geese overhead and the calls of familiar songbirds in our yards. Every year, billions of birds, bats and insects take to the air in an ancient migration that leads them from the northern reaches of our continent to more temperate climates in the … Read more “Radar is Revolutionizing the Study of Migrations, but Researchers Need Birdwatchers’ Help”
Categories: Animals
By Julia Byrd and Allie Iberle, Oct 20, 2020
Rusty Hudson grew up on the salt-laden docks of Daytona Beach, Florida. As a third-generation fisherman, he naturally took to the industry. When he was just 9 years old, Hudson started his first job as a bait boy aboard the Mako, a charter boat owned by his grandfather, Captain Jake Stone. By the late 1960s, … Read more “How Old Family Fishing Photos Unlock the History of Atlantic Fisheries”
Categories: Biology
By Lea Shell, Jul 06, 2020
Around the world, in thousands of museums, there are millions of specimens representing the known biological diversity of our world. Each one of those specimens is a physical snapshot of time, prepared and preserved by a collector in a carefully curated collection. They’re often pressed in the pages of books, sketched into drawings and notes, … Read more “Museums are Full of Forgotten Treasures. You Can Help Find Them”
Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment
By Eric Betz, Jun 19, 2020
Deja Perkins loved animals growing up. And by the time she left her native Chicago to attend Tuskegee University in Alabama, she wanted to become a veterinarian, often the only animal-related career introduced to people of color, she says. But it didn’t take long before Perkins realized she’d rather study animals in the natural world. … Read more “#BlackInNature: How Young Scientists are Pushing for Equality”
Categories: Birds, Citizen Science, Nature & Outdoors, Other
By Eric Betz, Apr 22, 2020
Today marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a time of year when many people by get outside to take part in community clean ups and environmental celebrations. But this year is different. Schools and parks have closed, and we’re left to celebrate while social distancing. This list of citizen science activities and projects can … Read more “Earth Day Activities: These Science Projects Get You Outside Virtually”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Ecology & Environment
By Caroline Nickerson, Jul 20, 2018
Tomorrow, on Saturday, July 21, Moth Week will commence! Running until Sunday, July 29, Moth Week is a way for people of all ages all around the world to come together to celebrate the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths. These self-described “Moth-ers” are in fact citizen scientists, as one of the key missions … Read more “Join a National Moth Week Event Near You!”
Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, Education, Events
By Guest Contributor, Dec 02, 2017
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is sharing more details than ever before about its 15,000 collected plants. The best part—you can help make it happen! … Read more
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Health, Project Profile
