Project MERCCURI citizen science update

This piece was originally posted on Science Cheerleader. Project Update: Project MERCCURI is a collaboration of the UC Davis microBEnet with the Science Cheerleaders, UC Davis, Space Florida, Nanoracks, and SciStarter. There are three components to this research project: 1) Space Station Microbiome. Collecting microbial swab samples from the International Space Station (ISS) and examining the … Read more “Project MERCCURI citizen science update”

Categories: Citizen Science

Collecting Mermaid’s Purses at the British Seaside

In the height of summer sunbathing, seaside shark sightings universally evoke childhood memories of Jaws, quickly followed by shouts of “Get out of the water!” Yet, fewer than 5 people a year (worldwide) die in shark attacks. Commercial fishing practices and by-catch look set to drive their extinction. Can scientists help save these vital predators? … Read more “Collecting Mermaid’s Purses at the British Seaside”

Categories: Citizen Science

Publish your citizen science data, transparently, with F1000Research

  It’s not always easy for citizen scientists to see what happens with the data they collect. Not all projects are published, and those that are may not be open access and often only include a summary of the findings. I work at F1000Research, and one of the key points of this open access journal … Read more “Publish your citizen science data, transparently, with F1000Research”

Categories: Citizen Science, Guest Contributor

Shark Week: A Feeding Frenzy for Citizen Scientists

That’s right–it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s Shark Week, and SciStarter has a slew of projects for you to try out. Let’s see if you bite. Whether it’s fascination or fear, the sight of a shark makes our hearts skip a beat. Thanks to these featured citizen science projects, that sight can also … Read more “Shark Week: A Feeding Frenzy for Citizen Scientists”

Categories: Animals, Apps, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water

Sevengill shark

More Gills or Eyes? The Purported Increase of Sevengill Shark Populations off the Coast of San Diego

Emerging technologies have a profound effect on how citizen scientists conduct their work. An underwater creature of ancient lineage helps to tell this modern story of technology’s importance to citizen science. Notorynchus cepedianus, the sevengill shark, of the ancient Hexanchidae family (cow sharks), features seven gill slits and a single dorsal fin, giving a prehistoric … Read more “More Gills or Eyes? The Purported Increase of Sevengill Shark Populations off the Coast of San Diego”

Categories: Animals, Apps, Citizen Science, In the News, Ocean & Water

What IS citizen science?

SciStarter contributors, Lily Bui, Caren Cooper, and Darlene Cavalier, developed this citizen science primer page on SciStarter. Please feel free to suggest additions and edits. We hope this serves as a starting point for anyone thinking about dipping their toes into this exciting and emerging field! The Citizen Science page on SciStarter addresses the following questions … Read more “What IS citizen science?”

Categories: Citizen Science

Bio Trails: Identifying Species with DNA Barcoding

SciStarter brings you curated citizen science projects under new themes on a bi-weekly basis. Be sure to check out the other “DNA Barcoding” featured projects for this cycle! Have you ever wanted to know how many different species of creepy crawlies you can spot in a weekend? ‘Biotrailers’ are doing just that at the Mount … Read more “Bio Trails: Identifying Species with DNA Barcoding”

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

DNA Barcoding Citizen Science Projects!

Here are this week’s featured projects on SciStarter. Interested in learning about more citizen science projects? Try our Project Finder, which connects you to 600+ curated projects around the world! We’ve scanned our database for awesome DNA barcoding citizen science projects! We are all familiar with barcodes, but what do barcodes have to do with … Read more “DNA Barcoding Citizen Science Projects!”

Categories: Citizen Science