Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
By Elizabeth Walter, Jul 18, 2011
Changing Currents, a project originating in Toronto, Canada, familiarizes middle- and high-school students with local watersheds and teaches them how to conduct water quality analyses. This is a great way for students to become environmental scientists for a day! After heading out to a local stream and donning hip waders, students collect water samples and analyze … Read more “Changing Currents turns students into environmental scientists”
Categories: Biology, Chemistry, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Elizabeth Walter, Jun 29, 2011
Da-dum … da-dum … Don’t look now, but there are researchers hoping you’ll hop in shark-infested waters in the name of science! Members of ECOCEAN want your help photographing whale sharks on your next ocean outing. Your pictures will be uploaded to the ECOCEAN Whale Shark Photo-identification Library, a photographic database of whale shark (Rhincodon … Read more “Start spotting sharks for science!”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Elizabeth Walter, Jun 20, 2011
Some of you may have fond memories of summers spent kneeling by nearby streams, peering intently for crayfish to play with (or cook up for dinner!). These tiny, lobster-like creatures are a staple of freshwater ecosystems, southern menus, and even neuroscience classes. (No kidding — I learned about action potentials from a wonderful college professor … Read more “Help keep the crawdads from taking over!”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Elizabeth Walter, May 05, 2011
Up north, in Washington State’s tranquil San Juan Islands, members of the Kwiáht marine research team are hard at work keeping an eye on local sea life and terrestrial critters. Kwiaht, a word in the Coast Salish dialect, refers to a place that is physically healthy and spiritually clean. The group hopes to ensure the … Read more “Citizen scientists make a difference in the San Juans”
Categories: Animals, Bats, Chemistry, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Ocean & Water
By Elizabeth Walter, May 01, 2011
As a child growing up in New Hampshire, I remember going with my mother to collect Monarch chrysalises for my science classes. We’d park off a nearby roadway, spy a patch of milkweed, and poke around until we found a chrysalis or two. During the next week or so, my classmates and I watched spellbound … Read more “May is the month to monitor Monarchs”
Categories: Animals, Citizen Science, Climate & Weather, Ecology & Environment, Insects, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
By Elizabeth Walter, Apr 13, 2011
As spring revs up to full gear, I enjoy taking runs around my neighborhood to enjoy the colorful bursts of flower and bits of cheerful birdsong. If you too have a soft-spot for feathered creatures, consider becoming a citizen science observer for one of these three great projects! If you live in a city or … Read more “Birds on the brain”
Categories: Animals, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors, Science Education Standards
By Elizabeth Walter, Apr 05, 2011
A few weeks back, I had an opportunity to speak with faculty at Bard College about the school’s new Citizen Science program. This week, I’ve got the inside scoop from the freshmen who took part in the intensive three-week course. Four students in Dr. Kate Seip’s section of the course were kind enough to share some … Read more “The first class of Citizen Scientists: Student perspective”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Ecology & Environment, Health, Science Education Standards, Science Policy
By Elizabeth Walter, Feb 10, 2011
As we mentioned in an earlier post, Bard College recently created an intensive three-week program in citizen science to be taken by all freshmen each January. I was able to discuss the tremendously successful inaugural session with one of the program’s instructors, Dr. Kate Seip. Seip, a postdoctoral researcher at The Rockefeller University, had participated … Read more “The first class of Citizen Scientists: Faculty perspective”
Categories: Biology, Citizen Science, Science Education Standards
By Elizabeth Walter, Jan 24, 2011
Ever spotted an amazing critter and wanted to tell your nature-loving friends where it was located? Ever wondered where you could view a white-tailed jackrabbit? WildObs is the app for you! Short for “wildlife observations,” the WildObs website and suite of iPhone and Android apps allow nature enthusiasts to record wildlife observations and then share … Read more “Want to “geocache” wildlife? There’s an App for that!”
Categories: Animals, Apps, Biology, Birds, Citizen Science, Computers & Technology, Ecology & Environment, Nature & Outdoors
By Elizabeth Walter, Jan 14, 2011
What class of molecules dominated the primordial stages of evolution, and seems to function as an exquisite operating system for our cells? RNA — the single-stranded cousin of DNA. Scientists suspect that a better understanding of RNAs will allow us to more deeply understand healthy cells, and to design better treatments for those infected by … Read more “EteRNA: Biology plus videogames equals cutting-edge science”
Categories: Biology, Chemistry, Citizen Science, Computers & Technology
