Fun and Games Until Someone Maps an Eye (Neuron): Citizen Science Games

Tired of watching the kids race home from school just to play video games for hours? One-up them and make a significant contribution to science while YOU play games. (Warning: The kids might like these, too!) EyeWire EyeWire is a citizen science project aimed at mapping the neural connections of the retina. All you have … Read more “Fun and Games Until Someone Maps an Eye (Neuron): Citizen Science Games”

Categories: Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Gaming, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter, Science Education Standards

Spectral Challenge: Public Lab launches a new project to improve open source technology

Public Lab has launched Spectral Challenge, a two-part crowd funded project to improve the use of open source spectrometers. A spectrometer is a common research tool which uses light to identify an unknown substance’s chemical composition. Last year, members of the PLOTS community successfully developed a versatile and user friendly $40 spectrometer. While more accessible, … Read more “Spectral Challenge: Public Lab launches a new project to improve open source technology”

Categories: Computers & Technology, Do-It-Yourself

The Brain Mapping Games: May the Odds Be Ever in Our Favor

Imagine something more mysterious than the trenches of the deep sea, more convoluted than the intricacies of the human genetic code, possibly even more infinite than the vastness of outer space. Meet the human brain. Memories, mental disorders, language capability, motor skills, and so much more are encoded in this singular organ. Yet, neuroscientists don’t … Read more “The Brain Mapping Games: May the Odds Be Ever in Our Favor”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Gaming

What’s the Score?

The hills are alive with the sound of citizen science (and music)! Calling all music enthusiasts–the Bodleian Libraries are enlisting the help of the public in order to improve access to their music collections. About sixty-four boxes filled with unbound, uncatalogued sheet music from the mid-Victorian period has been digitized for public access. Although this … Read more “What’s the Score?”

Categories: Archeology, Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Do-It-Yourself, libraries

NASA Wants You to Share Your Out-of-this-World Creativity

Remember those old diagrams in your grade school science text books?  I used to flip through each chapter trying to find the coolest images, but was continually disappointed when I was forced to squint at tiny illustrations. As I continued through school, however, I found myself drawn to large illustrations that conveyed information effectively and … Read more “NASA Wants You to Share Your Out-of-this-World Creativity”

Categories: Computers & Technology

Recycle, Reuse, Reboot: FreeGeek, A National Movement

Enter on the side of the building. Look carefully, or else you’ll miss the sign. Walk down the stairs and turn right. Never mind the lack of windows, dim lighting, and pungent smell of coffee grinds. You have now entered FreeGeek, an underground lair of a nonprofit that harnesses the power of local volunteers to … Read more “Recycle, Reuse, Reboot: FreeGeek, A National Movement”

Categories: Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Do-It-Yourself, Science Education Standards, Workshops

Last chance to vote in the International Space Apps Challenge!

By Nick Fordes 2,083 citizens and scientists representing 111 different organizations collaborating on 71 challenges to produce over 100 innovative solutions to issues at home on earth and in space! Wow! Citizen science was really in full gear during last month’s International Space App Challenge. The NASA-lead project was a huge success and created a … Read more “Last chance to vote in the International Space Apps Challenge!”

Categories: Apps, Computers & Technology