Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
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, Oct 02, 2011
Here’s your chance to help bring citizen science to the classroom — and win a little recognition in the process! The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is asking people to send in their best experiments for kindergarten through 12th-grade classrooms. After you submit your experiments, a panel of classroom teachers, students, scientists, and NIH … Read more “NIH Lab Challenge: Submit your best citizen science experiments!”
Categories: Science Education Standards, Science Policy
By Lisa Gardiner, Sep 16, 2011
Plants have a lot going on as autumn temperatures cool. Some leaves turn bright yellow or red and fall from trees. Fruits grow large and ripe. Grasses become brittle and brown. Some flowers, like California poppies, bloom in the autumn too.
Project BudBurst is looking for volunteers to take note of what plants are doing as the seasons change. During the “Fall into Phenology” event volunteers around the country will be heading outside between September 17 and 26 to collect data about how plants respond to changes in their environment. … Read more
Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Events, Nature & Outdoors
By Lisa Gardiner, Sep 14, 2011
On September 18, 2011 people around the world will be taking a closer look at their local waterways during World Water Monitoring Day. Join in the project and help figure out whether the freshwater near you is clean. … Read more
Categories: Chemistry, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By John Ohab, Sep 13, 2011
As summer comes to a close, a young person’s fancy may turn to fretting at the thought of being cooped up in a classroom. But for fans of science and nature—and by that we mean kids who like to watch clouds, hunt mushrooms, prowl around graveyards, and check out what gets squashed on the side … Read more “10 back-to-school projects for young citizen scientists”
Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, Chemistry, Climate & Weather, Computers & Technology, Ecology & Environment, Education, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Physics, Science Education Standards
By Darlene Cavalier, Sep 09, 2011
Meet the Science Cheerleaders. This team of more than 100 NFL and NBA cheerleaders-turned-scientists and engineers is ready to cheer for citizen science. ScienceCheerleader.com, our sister-site, aims to inspire the 3 million little cheerleaders in the U.S. to consider careers in science and engineering, while playfully challenge stereotypes and encouraging participation in any of the … Read more “Citizen Science Cheerleaders Head To Vegas”
Categories: Education, Science Cheerleaders, Science Education Standards
By John Ohab, Sep 01, 2011
Sara Fitzsimmons is the Regional Science Coordinator at The American Chestnut Foundation The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to restoring the American chestnut (Castanea dentate) to its original range. Once estimated to be 25% of the Appalachian forests, the species was all but eliminated from the landscape by an imported fungal … Read more “Citizen Science Opportunities with The American Chestnut Foundation”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Education, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
By Darlene Cavalier, Aug 26, 2011
Scientists want you to record and share rain measurements and other on-the-ground observations in part to help pinpoint hurricane Irene’s actions, determine her next steps, and better predict and react to future storms. In addition to your help recording on-the-ground rain precipitation, scientists rely on watershed volunteers to provide important clues about the effects of … Read more “Measure and record earliest signs of hurricane Irene”
Categories: Climate & Weather, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Darlene Cavalier, Aug 23, 2011
Here are three ways you can report earthquake-related information and contribute to a global map of critical earthquake data. Did you feel it? Help researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey learn more about the recent earthquake that shook parts of the east coast. Did you feel it? Share information and contribute to a map of … Read more “Did you feel the earthquake? Three ways to report it”
Categories: Citizen Science, Geology & Earth Sciences
By Lisa Gardiner,
On June 1, 2011 at 11:51 PM, a group of people assembled on the beach in Northpoint, New York. There was no moon shining that night, not even a sliver. The people carried flashlights or wore headlamps. They held clipboards and paper.
Their mission: to report where horseshoe crabs were spotted along the beach.
This was just one of several places along New York’s shoreline where people collect data about horseshoe crabs. Volunteers also amassed on dark beaches in Stony Brook, Staten Island, Brooklyn and Westhampton. In all, volunteers monitored the comings and goings of horseshoe crabs at ten New York beaches that night.
They are a part of the New York Horseshoe Crab Monitoring Network, a group of citizen scientists who are documenting where horseshoe crabs emerge from the water to lay eggs along beaches in New York State. On specific dates through the spring and early summer, participants collect data about the number of horseshoe crabs and identify their size and sex. They attach tags to the horseshoe crabs bulky exoskeleton and look for tags from prior years.
… Read more
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Ocean & Water
