Category: Do-It-Yourself

SciStarter’s Top Fourteen Citizen Science Projects of 2014!

By Arvind Suresh, Jan 05, 2015

As we ring in the New Year, we’re celebrating the 14 Top Projects of 2014! These are the projects that received the most visits on the SciStarter website. Resolve to do more citizen science in 2015! We’ll help you with that goal. Happy New Year! Photo: Mike Hankey 1.  American Meteor Society – Meteor Observing Report meteors … Read more “SciStarter’s Top Fourteen Citizen Science Projects of 2014!”

Categories: Animals, Apps, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Newsletter

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

Recording The Noise Scape of Your Life with NoiseTube

By Melinda T. Hough, Feb 19, 2014

NoiseTube allows citizen scientists to monitor noise pollution with a mobile app. Come to your senses! SciStarter has curated a list of projects for all 5 senses. I was overjoyed the first time I heard the peaceful fountain, twittering bird song, and gentle rustle of wind through the trees oustide my office window. Then, one … Read more “Recording The Noise Scape of Your Life with NoiseTube”

Categories: Apps, Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself

Homebrew Sensing Project: DIY Environmental Monitoring

By Ashley R. Kelly, Feb 03, 2014

The non-profit Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) previously won a Knight News Challenge in 2011 and received $500,000 to fund a tool kit and online community for citizen-based, grassroots data gathering and research. The second Knight News Challenge the group won, a $350,000 Knight award focused on health data, will allow the group … Read more “Homebrew Sensing Project: DIY Environmental Monitoring”

Categories: Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, In the News

Songs From the Citizen Science Frontier

By Lily Bui, Oct 13, 2013

Citizen science has its own song! Monty Harper, the musician behind “Citizen Scientist,” needs help from you to compile a slideshow for the piece. If you have photos of you or others participating in citizen science, you can submit them to be included in a slideshow music video for his song! The deadline is November … Read more “Songs From the Citizen Science Frontier”

Categories: Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Science Education Standards

That Moment When You Realize How Little You Actually Know

By Caren Cooper, Jul 15, 2013

  I like to call it an antipiphany* – that striking realization of the magnitude of what can be known, which reduces what you actually understand to a paltry amount. I’ve seen it again and again with graduate students: they enroll feeling like smarty-pants, and within a year they are humbled by an antipiphany. Eventually … Read more “That Moment When You Realize How Little You Actually Know”

Categories: Astronomy & Space, Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards

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

By Carolyn Graybeal, Mar 28, 2013

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

What would you do with this technology?

By Nick Fordes, Feb 04, 2013

Scientific research aims to answer questions, progress disciplinary knowledge, and ultimately better society by providing new applications of technology and ideas toward common problems. But, over time, the products of our countless research projects, while potentially still useful, go unutilized, and can be forgotten in the basements of University libraries or the dusty archives of … Read more “What would you do with this technology?”

Categories: Citizen Science, Contest, Do-It-Yourself, Gaming

Contest unites citizen scientists with DIYers! (Win cool prizes if you enter by Monday!)

By Lily Bui, Jan 17, 2013

This post originally appeared on PLOS blogs. This post was originally published on CitizenSci, a PLOS blog about the projects, people, and perspectives fueling new frontiers for citizen science. Hear ye, hear ye! This is an open call to artists, engineers, filmmakers, scientists, hobbyists, lobbyists, foodies, gamers, musicians, photogs, techies, adults, kids, dreamers, schemers, hackers, … Read more “Contest unites citizen scientists with DIYers! (Win cool prizes if you enter by Monday!)”

Categories: Citizen Science, Contest, Do-It-Yourself

What’s the Score?

By Lily Bui, Dec 10, 2012

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