In my previous post, Surrounded by Science, I described what citizen science is and why it is important. As promised, here is my list of the Top Five Citizen Science Starters. This list is a great starting point for anyone looking for ideas to get started on an exciting new citizen science project!
Top 5 Citizen Science Starters
Cornell Lab of Orinthology: This website is a great place to start if you are new to citizen science. It offers many resources to explain citizen science, and simple projects to get you started.
National Geographic BioBlitz: If you have never launched your own investigation, or simply don’t have the time to research existing projects, BioBlitz is the place to start. It offers a well-developed scaffolded approach to citizen science that is perfect for the citizen science newbie. Do one BioBlitz mission, or complete all 13 missions!
CitizenScience.gov: Citizenscience.gov is the official US government website that provides a searchable catalog of federally supported citizen science projects, a toolkit to assist with designing and maintaining projects, and an online support community. The searchable database is awesome – search by student age, project topic, intended outcomes, and more.
Scistarter: SciStarter is a comprehensive website where teachers and students can find, join, and contribute to more than 1600 formal and informal research projects and events. This kid-friendly site is well organized and fosters student-led discovery, organization, and participation in citizen science.
Zooniverse: I saved my favorite for last – I LOVE Zooniverse! The website is stunning, and is a comprehensive one-stop-shop for all things citizen science. What makes Zooniverse so interesting is that it offers a wide array of interdisciplinary projects, enabling anyone to take part in real cutting edge research in many fields across the sciences, humanities, history, language, and more.
Have you tried a citizen science project? Be sure to share it in the Showcase to build your resume!