Citizen Science to track weather and climate change

Many scientists rely on “small data” from  volunteers to understand local and global weather patterns and climate change. Collectively, the data are used to calibrate weather instruments on NASA satellites, or by the National Weather Service to refine forecasts or flood warnings.  Below, we highlight five projects turning small data into big impacts.  You can … Read more “Citizen Science to track weather and climate change”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Newsletter

Citizen Science in the City

Do you live or work in a city? Well, have we got the projects for YOU! Below, we highlight research projects in need of your help in cities.  Find more projects on SciStarter to do now or bookmark your favorites for later! Cheers! The SciStarter Team

Categories: Citizen Science, Newsletter

Pluto, Planet Nine and Other Backyard Worlds

By: Marc J. Kuchner Eighty-seven years ago, this week, Clyde Tombaugh was poring over a pair of photographic plates, hoping to change the world.  He was staring hard into an arcane device called a blink comparator, which allowed him to rapidly switch from viewing one image to the next. In those days before computers, that was … Read more “Pluto, Planet Nine and Other Backyard Worlds”

Categories: Astronomy & Space, Citizen Science, Guest Contributor, Project Profile

Celebrate World Science Day with Citizen Science and NASA

Today is World Science Day, an internationally celebrated day to increase the public’s ability to participate more meaningfully in science and to take action on environmental issues important to their community. The day also coincides with International Science Center and Science Museum Day. At SciStarter, we see citizen science as the perfect way to celebrate and … Read more “Celebrate World Science Day with Citizen Science and NASA”

Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Events

GAO cites ECAST: “Practices to Engage Citizens and Effectively Implement Federal Initiatives”

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (U.S. GAO) is the investigative arm of Congress charged with examining matters relating to the receipt and payment of public funds. Today, the GAO published a new report to advise how the federal government can better engage citizens. Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology (ECAST) is cited as … Read more “GAO cites ECAST: “Practices to Engage Citizens and Effectively Implement Federal Initiatives””

Categories: Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, Science Policy

YLACES extends SciStarter grant to recruit, train, equip citizen scientists to ground-truth NASA satellite data.

  NASA scientists are on a mission to map global soil moisture, and through SciStarter, they’re teaming up with citizen scientists to gather valuable data from the ground to complement and validate what is seen from space. Known as the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission, the satellite will help scientists understand links among … Read more “YLACES extends SciStarter grant to recruit, train, equip citizen scientists to ground-truth NASA satellite data.”

Categories: Citizen Science, SciStarter News

iSeeChange: documenting the weather around us

From shoveling the third heavy snowfall of winter to spotting the first crocus of spring, each day without fail we experience our environment. Meaning each of us is a potential wealth of information about our local environment. Information that if gathered could inform climate scientists about the local effects and potential indicators of climate change. … Read more “iSeeChange: documenting the weather around us”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors

Project MERCCURI featured on NASA’s weekly update

What do Buzz Aldrin’s shoe, the Liberty Bell & sports arenas all have in common? Watch Space to Ground, your weekly update on what’s happening aboard the International Space Station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFPm4G3jjwc   SciStarter’s Project MERCCURI, a research project to compare microbes on Earth and in space (presented by the Eisen Lab and UC Davis, SciStarter … Read more “Project MERCCURI featured on NASA’s weekly update”

Categories: Citizen Science, In the News

Astronauts Tracking Microbe Growth on the International Space Station This Week

Microbe Growth Documented for Analysis and Interpretation by UC Davis Scientists Davis, CA. (December 10, 2014) – This week on the International Space Station, astronaut Terry Virts is measuring the growth of microbes collected by citizen scientists across the United States. This citizen science research, known as Project MERCCURI, investigates how microbes from different places … Read more “Astronauts Tracking Microbe Growth on the International Space Station This Week”

Categories: Other

Two days left to apply to participate online! Informing NASA’s Asteroid Initiative: A Citizen Forum

In August, we shared information about NASA’s Asteroid Initiative and Cooperative Agreement with ECAST (Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology), to enable everyday citizens to have a say in the future of space exploration. How does the online citizens’ forum work? Two in-person deliberations will take place on 11/8 in Phoenix, AZ at Arizona … Read more “Two days left to apply to participate online! Informing NASA’s Asteroid Initiative: A Citizen Forum”

Categories: Citizen Science, Physics