Citizen Science: Home
Be a Citizen Scientist Today
Image: https://www.computerworld.com/article/2468114/95167-Citizen-science-Go-ahead-try-this-at-home.html
“I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to enjoy (or savor) the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”
―
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What is Citizen Science?
Citizen Science is scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions. Citizen science allows everyone to contribute to science no matter where they are. Whether by asking questions, reporting observations, conducting experiments, collecting data, or developing low-cost technologies and open-source code, members of the public can use their talents to help advance scientific knowledge and contribute to a greater good.
With citizen science and crowdsourcing, we can help:
- Accelerate scientific research through group discovery.
- Provide information at resolutions that would otherwise be difficult to obtain given time and cost constraints.
- Improve the quality and relevance of observations due to the unique perspectives and local knowledge volunteers bring to projects.
- Increase science skills. Students can gain skills to excel in science, technology, engineering, and math. Gain hands-on experience doing real science beyond a classroom setting.
- Improve government services while lowering costs.
- Connect with public service and work for a greater good.
- The Story of Citizen ScienceCaren Cooper's simple (but not simplistic!) presentation of Citizen Science.
- You for Youth Citizen Science CourseA citizen science tutorial that helps with skill-building activities to help learn the basics of citizen science.
Key Citizen Science Organizations
- CitizenScience.govCitizenscience.gov is an official government website designed to accelerate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the U.S. government.
- Citizen Science AssociationCitizenScience.org aims to harness the knowledge gained by practitioners and researchers across the field of citizen science to build collaboration, community and credibility.
- SciStarterSciStarter is the place to find, join, and contribute to science through more than 1600 formal and informal research projects and events. Our database of citizen science projects enables discovery, organization, and greater participation in citizen science.
Citizen Science in the News
- Americans are observing nature during the pandemic, helping with research As coronavirus has forced many people to stay close to home, more "citizen scientists" are providing invaluable data on insects, birds, and more.
- As Scientists Struggle with Rollbacks, Stay At Home Orders and Funding Cuts, Citizens Fill the Gap Citizen Science has seen an increase in interest as stay at home orders and Covid-19 impacts research.
- A Citizen Scientist Makes Her Mark in Microbiome Research Written for the Scientist, a citizen scientist who helped out with microbiome research
- Citizen Scientists Are Helping Researching Design New Drugs to Combat Covid-9 Researchers are asking citizen scientists to play a game called Foldit for Covid-19 research
- Detectingn Exoplanets and Asteroids: First Citizen Science Successes for Backyard Astronomy Backyard astronomers are exploring outer space and helping SETI Institute and Unistellar network better understand asteroids and exoplanets.
- Butterfly lovers become citizen scientists by logging sightings on eButterflyEbutterfly is a platform where butterfly lovers can log in their observations and photos.
- Citizen Science for the CoastCitizen Scientists help with model sea level rise.
- Do You Know What You're Breathing?As distrust in the government grows, personal pollution monitors are the hot gift this holiday season.
- The Insect Apocalypse is HereWhat does it mean for the rest of life on Earth?
- Ted Radio Hour - Citizen ScienceWe often think that scientific research is reserved for PhDs and other experts. But now that's changing. This hour, TED speakers on how ordinary citizens are helping make groundbreaking discoveries.
News
- The Scientist The Scientist is the magazine for life science professionals—a publication dedicated to covering a wide range of topics central to the study of cell and molecular biology, genetics, and other life-science fields.
- Science Daily ScienceDaily features breaking news about the latest discoveries in science, health, the environment, technology, and more -- from leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.
- The Conversation The Conversation is an independent, nonprofit publisher of commentary and analysis, authored by academics and edited by journalists for the general public.
- Environmental News Bits Environmental News Bits is written and maintained by Laura L. Barnes, who is the Sustainability Information Curator at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center.
News Highlights of 2021
- Citizen scientists contribute to 3-D map of cosmic neighborhood Scientists used backyard world: Planet 9 project to Map out dozens of new Dwarf Planets in our solar system.
- US researchers seek citizen scientists as billions of Brood X Cicadas set to emerge Brood X cicadas emerge after being underground for 17 years and researchers need help tracking the coming plague of cicadas who are coming mid May.
- West Coast citizen science project mapping the scale and importance of forage fish Using Citizen Science on the West Coast, Scientist can Map out the importance of Foraging Fish.
ASU Library Database Searches (Requires ASURITE Login)
- Access World News Search for "citizen science" in thousands of U.S. and international newspapers and newswire sources.
- Ethnic News Watch Search for "citizen science" in newspapers, newsletters, magazines and academic journals from minority presses.
- Environment & Energy News (E&E News) Search for "citizen science" incomprehensive, daily coverage of environmental and energy policy and markets.
- Global Newstream Search for "citizen science" in news from the US, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia.
- Nexis Uni Search for "citizen science" in selected newspapers worldwide, trade publications, legal periodicals, and legal scholarly journals.
- Opposing Viewpoints in Context Search for "citizen science" in viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics, biographies of social activists, court cases, profiles of government agencies and special interest groups, newspaper and magazine articles, scholarly articles and links to subject-indexed web sites.
- ProQuest News & Newspapers Search for "citizen science" in Alt-PressWatch and Ethnic NewsWatch indexes as well as current Arizona Republic, Barron's, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Wall Street Journal Asia, Wall Street Journal Europe and Chicago Tribune and historical Atlanta Constitution, Guardian, Hartford Courant, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Observer, Washington Post, Atlanta Daily World, Baltimore Afro-American, Chicago Defender, Cleveland Call and Post, Los Angeles Sentinel, New York Amsterdam News, Norfolk Journal and Guide, Philadelphia Tribune, and Pittsburg Courier.
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