Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
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 Andrea Dautant, Oct 05, 2020
Life on Earth needs water to survive. Yet, drinkable water is a rapidly dwindling resource. Out of all the water on our planet, only 2.5 percent is freshwater. And of that 2.5 percent, just 0.3 percent is readily accessible as surface water. According to FreshWaterWatch, by the year 2050, half of the world’s population will … Read more “Is Rainwater Safe to Drink? Runoff Collected by Volunteers Offers Clues”
Categories: Climate & Weather
By Editorial Team, Mar 11, 2017
You may have noticed some strange weather recently where you live. For example, in February, it reached 100o in Mangum, Oklahoma when 56o is the average. For the first time ever, temperatures in Antartica rose to the high 60s. And when was the last time you saw a headline reading Hawaii Has Had More Snow … Read more “It’s Raining Cats and Dogs and CoCoRaHS Wants to Know Where and How Many Fell”
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Project Profile
By Eva Lewandowski, Mar 02, 2017
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
By Eva Lewandowski, Feb 17, 2017
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
By Russ Campbell, Oct 26, 2016
Carl Sandburg Home National Historical Site stretches over 246 rolling acres in Flat Rock, N.C. The writer and poet Sandburg moved to the property in 1945 for the solitude the natural landscape provides. Today, it is a place where nature, science, and creativity intertwine. Five miles of trails meander throughout the site – some leisurely … Read more “The Poetry of Science at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site”
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile
By Arvind Suresh, Dec 08, 2013
Winter is here! Check out more winter weather themed citizen science projects at Scistarter. You know what the atmosphere is. But have you heard of the cryosphere? No, it’s not a giant frozen ice-cream sphere, if that’s what you’re thinking. (That’s not what you were thinking? Never mind then!) The cryosphere, as Wikipedia most sagely … Read more “Winter + Citizen Scientists + Twitter = Snowtweets!”
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences
By Angus Chen,
Winter is here! Check out more winter weather themed citizen science projects at Scistarter. Here in the northern hemisphere, by this time of year, the signs of winter are nearly fully developed. Pea coats to defend us from the cold, denuded forests, grasses in gowns of morning white, and, of course, symptoms of the flu … Read more “FluSurvey: Understanding and Tracking Influenza Trends in the UK”
Categories: Citizen Science, Health
By Lisa Gardiner, Oct 12, 2011
There should be more animated movies about citizen science, don’t you think? Thankfully, the people at a weather-focused citizen science project called the Community Collaborative Rain Hail and Snow project (known by the funny acronym CoCoRaHS) have made this video! It tells the story of how the project started and explains how people all over the country are getting involved. Watch and find out how you can become a CoCoRaHS volunteer too! … Read more
Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather
By John Ohab, Dec 28, 2010
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to plant three trees during a Casey Trees community tree planting event in Washington, D.C. On that freezing cold December morning, I got to thinking: how do trees survive the winter months? Is there anything can we do to make it easier for them? Well, it turns out that caring for trees is … Read more “How to Winterize Your Trees”
Categories: Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors