Stop, Collaborate and…Vote! Help solve climate change with MIT’s Climate CoLab Project

Do you have an idea about how to approach climate change?  You’re not alone.  Thousands of other people around the world are coming up with potential solutions to one of the world’s most challenging problems, but until now they have not been able to easily connect. MIT’s Climate CoLab is attempting to change this by bringing … Read more “Stop, Collaborate and…Vote! Help solve climate change with MIT’s Climate CoLab Project”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Contest

Final Four citizen science projects!

This post originally appeared on the PLOS Blog Network. We’re down to the Final Four in this year’s NCAA tournament, and chances are your bracket isn’t looking too good. Welcome to the club. Worry not! We’ve got four citizen science projects that will help you make the most of Final Four weekend. MICHIGAN WOLVERINES fans… … Read more “Final Four citizen science projects!”

Categories: Animals, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, CitSci Research, Climate & Weather, Contest, Insects

What would you do with this technology?

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

On this, National Squirrel Day, we feature Craig Newmark and squirrelly citizen science.

SciStarter asked Craig Newmark (of Craigslist fame) why he likes squirrels. He told us that it all started with a simple desire to feed birds. But the suet palaces he was using to dispense the raw, fat-based bird food were constantly getting hacked by squirrels. He tried everything; he even upgraded to “squirrel-resistant” models, to … Read more “On this, National Squirrel Day, we feature Craig Newmark and squirrelly citizen science.”

Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Contest, Ecology & Environment, Guest Contributor, Nature & Outdoors

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

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

Are you up to the (water) challenge, today?

When you wake up in the morning and start your daily routine—take a shower, brush your teeth, cook breakfast—do you ever stop to wonder where all that water you’re using comes from? It’s availability (or lack thereof) is certainly not a common worry in the United States, where as of 2005 (the latest assessment of … Read more “Are you up to the (water) challenge, today?”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Contest, Do-It-Yourself, Ecology & Environment, Health, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water, Science Education Standards

First open-source satellite project puts citizen science sensors in space.

What would you do if you had one week to control a research satellite? That probably depends on who you are. Amateur photographers might want to take time-lapse photos of the moon to frame in series in their living room. University researchers might want to measure levels of ozone variation on earth across earth’s latitudes. … Read more “First open-source satellite project puts citizen science sensors in space.”

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

Snail sleuth wins BBC amateur scientist contest

Ruth Brooks, a gardener with a soft spot for snails, has just won the BBC’s “So You Want to Be a Scientist?” contest. You may recall that she was our favorite when we reported in April on the four finalists for the contest. Brooks’s ground-breaking (if slow) project showed that, contrary to what many scientists … Read more “Snail sleuth wins BBC amateur scientist contest”

Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Contest, In the News, Nature & Outdoors