C*Sci 2023 – Reports From the Field!

Introduction Hundreds of delegates from around the world converged at Arizona State University (ASU) for the Citizen Science Association’s C*Sci 2023 conference, May 22-26, 2023 to exchange knowledge and help shape and advance opportunities to engage the public in scientific research. Summarizing a week of action-packed days in a single blog post won’t convey the … Read more “C*Sci 2023 – Reports From the Field!”

Categories: Affiliate Tools, Alzheimers, Amphibians, Animals, API, Astronomy & Space, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Citizen Science Conference, CitSci Research, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Events, Featured Projects, Insects, libraries, Library, Ocean & Water, Science Policy, Science Practices, Staff Spotlight, University, Use of Citizen Science data, Workshops

Environmental Justice and Community-driven Research: Twitter Chat on November 13

Guest Post by Lynn Chesnut (@ramblynn1) Citizen science projects address a wide variety of research needs from bee conservation to light pollution. This type of citizen science typically involves volunteers collecting data for projects created by “expert” scientists, and volunteer involvement often ends there. But there’s another citizen science. A citizen science that involves volunteers … Read more “Environmental Justice and Community-driven Research: Twitter Chat on November 13”

Categories: Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Science Policy, Science Practices, Tools

Citizen Science and Biotechnology Breaking New Ground: Twitter Chat on November 12

All for Science, Science for All Guest post by Lauren Ramilo @dimisitque Biotechnology has advanced rapidly in the past decade. New discoveries and technological advances have made it easier to manipulate living organisms to make new antibiotics or improve agricultural production. The equipment and materials needed for rigorous biological engineering are more affordable than ever, … Read more “Citizen Science and Biotechnology Breaking New Ground: Twitter Chat on November 12”

Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, CitSci Research, Do-It-Yourself, Health, Science Practices

Wicked Hot Boston: Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mapping

Want to map extreme heat in your community? Anyone, anywhere can take action with ISeeChange. It’s not just in your head; Boston really is hotter in the summer. When urban areas are warmer than surrounding non-urban environments, we experience a phenomenon called the urban heat island (UHI) effect.  Cities are filled with large amounts of … Read more “Wicked Hot Boston: Urban Heat Island (UHI) Mapping”

Categories: Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Events, Nature & Outdoors, Project Profile, Science Policy, Science Practices

Designing Citizen Science for Both Science and Education

In January 2017, eleven field science advocates gathered in an unlikely location: indoors. These individuals were educators, scientists, and web platform developers participating in the Designing Citizen Science for Both Science and Education workshop, hosted by BSCS Science Learning (BSCS) in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The workshop focused on georeferenced field studies, which are projects that … Read more “Designing Citizen Science for Both Science and Education”

Categories: Citizen Science, Citizen Science News, EarthSchool, Education, Events, Science Practices, Workshops

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Here’s your chance to earn a SciStarter Citizen Science Certificate!

Have you accepted Your Research Mission yet? SciStarter is challenging you to a special mission to join and participate (at least once) in any three of these SciStarter Affiliate projects. Complete your mission and you’ll earn a SciStarter certificate. Keep on participating and you’ll be eligible to become one of the top three mission contributors to win some swag and be connected with of … Read more “Here’s your chance to earn a SciStarter Citizen Science Certificate!”

Categories: Citizen Science, Do-It-Yourself, Featured Projects, Newsletter, Science Practices, SciStarter News

Why it’s OK to fail: empowering students to discover

By Lea Shell Middle school students are presented with a bucket of what, at first glance, looks like dirt. They pull handfuls onto their lab bench and carefully begin to sift. “I found a shark tooth!” one student exclaims,  prompting the other students to peer more intently at their own piles. Before long, they see … Read more “Why it’s OK to fail: empowering students to discover”

Categories: Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), EarthSchool, Education, Guest Contributor, Science Practices

Back To School With Citizen Science: A Conversation with Ben Graves

In the next two posts, as part of our SciStarter in the Classroom collection, guest contributor Ben Graves will share his personal experiences and advice for using citizen science in the classroom. Graves is a fellow with the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, which supports a small cohort of early-career teachers across the United States with intensive professional development. … Read more “Back To School With Citizen Science: A Conversation with Ben Graves”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Citizen Science, EarthSchool, Guest Contributor, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards, Science Practices

Enlisting youth citizen scientists to combat Zika

Going out of your way to attract mosquitoes seems like the last thing anyone would want to do, but that is exactly what the national Invasive Mosquito Project is hoping volunteers will do in the name of public health. Managed through the United States Department of Agriculture, the Invasive Mosquito Project aims to track the spread of … Read more “Enlisting youth citizen scientists to combat Zika”

Categories: Analyzing and interpreting data, Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering), Biology, Citizen Science, Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering), Ecology & Environment, Education, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Planning and carrying out investigations, Project Profile, Science Practices