The SciStarter Blog

The SciStarter Blog is published by Science Connected. Together, we are driving citizen science participation and public scientific literacy.

The SciStarter Blog, published by Science Connected

SciStarter is the place to find, join, and contribute to science through providing people access to more than 2,700 searchable formal and informal research projects and events. But more than just a project directory, SciStarter also offers a coordinated place to record contributions and access the tools and instruments needed to participate in citizen science projects.

The SciStarter Blog is published weekly by Science Connected.


Image Credit: Timber Press/Julianna Johnson

Book Review: Field Guide to Citizen Science

Darlene Cavalier, Catherine Hoffman, and Caren Cooper. The Field Guide to Citizen Science: How You Can Contribute to Scientific Research and Make a Difference, $7.60 Kindle, $11.99 Paperback Reviewed by ...
Phendo: Endometriosis Study

Phendo: Understanding Endometriosis

In 2016, Noémie Elhadad and her lab at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center created the Phendo, or “phenotyping endometriosis,” app, to better understand and identify symptoms of endometriosis. Endometriosis is ...
air quality monitoring citizen science

Regular People Are Changing How We Monitor Air Quality

Low cost, high impact: How access to sensors is changing everything in air quality research.   Air quality: It’s about us The ways we hear about air pollution can make us ...
Stacks of a nuclear power plant. (Credit: Markus Distelrath/Pixabay)

Nuclear Radiation, Citizen Science, and Civic Engagement

In Japan after a nuclear radiation disaster Book Review: Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists: The Gender Politics of Food Contamination after Fukushima. By Aya Hirata Kimura. Durham: Duke University ...
cultural heritage and citizen science

Cultural Heritage and Citizen Science

Citizen science for your ears The latest episode of Citizen Science, the podcast from SciStarter, is the first of two episodes about how regular people help cultural heritage institutions like ...
Caterpillars Count

Caterpillars Count

From big to small, we all count. Even caterpillars. Caterpillars are important Caterpillars are familiar to us. When a butterfly flutters past you, you know that it was once a ...
Figure Five: Forum participants choosing where to allocate resources. Image Credit: Museum of Science, Boston

Boston is Wicked Hot: Here’s What They’re Doing About It

Want to learn more about this initiative? Check out the Wicked Hot Boston series, Parts One and Two. Want to address climate hazards in your community? Head over to SciStarter.org/NOAA ...

Seeking the Sasquatch

Book Review: When the Sasquatch Legend Teaches Us About Critical Thinking By Patricia Balbon (@watscicomm) Gordon, David George. The Sasquatch Seeker’s Field Manual: Using Citizen Science to Uncover North America’s ...

Citizen Science Connections

Science Connected is volunteer-powered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with offices in San Francisco, California. We are a global group of scientists and science communicators who foster widespread science literacy, education, and communication. We are dedicated to increasing public understanding of science and creating free and equal access to science education. We define education in its broadest sense and believe it is the key to making informed choices, being successful members of society, and acting as responsible stewards of the planet.

Our mission is to increase scientific literacy in underserved communities and the greater public by connecting people with the latest scientific research, translating science into accessible language, and debunking pseudoscience with real research findings. 

Citizen science is an effective partnership between scientists and nonscientists that, when done well, offers benefits to the participants and beyond. In addition to the SciStarter Blog, we have several free resources for you to learn more about citizen science and get involved in projects.