Month: May 2014

How Many Can You Spot with Celebrate Urban Birds

By Alex Reis, May 29, 2014

In ten minutes, record the number of urban birds you observe in your neighborhood; your observations can improve the bird habitat in your community. Want more birds and bees citizen science projects? We’ve got you covered! Spotting birds in an urban environment not uncommon and these feathered friends have certainly found a place for them … Read more “How Many Can You Spot with Celebrate Urban Birds”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors

A Citizen Scientist’s Guide (and Pronunciation Guide) to the Camelopardalids Meteor Shower

By Lily Bui, May 22, 2014

How to use the American Meteor Society’s smartphone app (iOS and Android) to create observer reports of fireballs and meteors during the Camelopardalids this weekend. Coming soon to a sky near you: a brand new meteor shower! Barring all cloudy conditions and light-polluted landscapes, you should be able to bear witness to the Camelopardalids this … Read more “A Citizen Scientist’s Guide (and Pronunciation Guide) to the Camelopardalids Meteor Shower”

Categories: Astronomy & Space, In the News

Learn how climate change affects plant life with AMC Mountain Watch

By Emily Lewis, May 19, 2014

Track phenology events in Appalachian mountains and contribute to climate change research with Mountain Watch! Want more spring citizen science? We’ve got you covered through April showers and May flowers. There is nothing more rewarding than taking in the view from above tree-line. A challenging hike always seems like a distant memory after gazing upon the landscape … Read more “Learn how climate change affects plant life with AMC Mountain Watch”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Geology & Earth Sciences, Nature & Outdoors

Track Lilacs and Loons with Nature’s Notebook

By Rae Moore - Editor,

Observe and collect data to learn how climate and habitat affect plants and animals with Nature’s Notebook. Track the phenology of plants and animals with these citizen science projects. Most North Americans are relieved that spring has finally arrived, especially after a winter when ice storms, snowstorms, frigid temperatures or droughts were regular occurrences. For … Read more “Track Lilacs and Loons with Nature’s Notebook”

Categories: Animals, Apps, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

Citizen Science for Lovers of Birds and Bees!

By Jenna Lang, May 16, 2014

Let us tell ‘ya about the birds and the bees — for citizen science, that is! Here are just a few buzz-worthy projects to get you started. Also, don’t forget to stop by DISCOVER Magazine and SciStarter’s online Citizen Science Salon; look for our new collaboration in the pages of Discover starting this month; or … Read more “Citizen Science for Lovers of Birds and Bees!”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors

Citizen Science in The Classroom: Urban Birds

By Karen McDonald, May 12, 2014

Using Celebrate Urban Birds (CUB) to Meet Common Core and Next Generation Teaching Standards   Grades: K-12th Description: Celebrate Urban Birds (CUB) is a project through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It is a year round project specifically designed to engage classrooms with local urban birds and citizen science. Cornell offers a free classroom kit for … Read more “Citizen Science in The Classroom: Urban Birds”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Birds, Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Developing and using models, EarthSchool, Engaging in argument from evidence, Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, Planning and carrying out investigations, Science Education Standards, Science Practices, Using mathematics and computational thinking

First Leaf, First Bud, First Fruit: Project Budburst

By Ian Vorster, May 09, 2014

Record plant observations and learn how changes in climate and habitat affect a plant’s lifecycle with Project Budburst. Track the phenology of plants and animals with these citizen science projects. Gardeners worldwide have their favorite sayings about when to plant, when to reap, how much rain is going to fall, or how dry it will … Read more “First Leaf, First Bud, First Fruit: Project Budburst”

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

A Coming of Age for Citizen Science [OP-ED]

By Ian Vorster, May 06, 2014

Has anyone noticed how much media coverage citizen science is getting? Bird counts, tree monitoring, bee cataloguing, water testing, ocean analyses, air sampling and star gazing—the list goes on and on. When the European Commission published an in-depth report in December of 2013 on whether or not participatory science influences policy, I thought—whoa, citizen scientists … Read more “A Coming of Age for Citizen Science [OP-ED]”

Categories: Citizen Science

The Great Indoors: Sensing Carbon Monoxide Levels and Indoor Air Quality [GUEST POST]

By Lily Bui, May 04, 2014

Per the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American spends 90% of their time indoors. At the same time, when we think of citizen science, our mind’s eye often pictures the great outdoors: wide expanses of open space, jutting mountains, birds in trees, and frogs sitting near meandering streams. In part, that’s due to a perception … Read more “The Great Indoors: Sensing Carbon Monoxide Levels and Indoor Air Quality [GUEST POST]”

Categories: Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, Guest Contributor

Making Science Less WEIRD

By Ashley R. Kelly, May 03, 2014

Science can be WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic), but researchers are working to change that. Four years ago three researchers in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia published an article in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences entitled “The weirdest people in the world?” The authors, Henrich, Heine, and … Read more “Making Science Less WEIRD”

Categories: Citizen Science