The SciStarter Blog

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

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.

Photo 5726794, (c) Sean Blaney, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). This observation on iNaturalist is of a species tracked by the Northeast Alpine Flower Watch project.

Explore Biodiversity with iNaturalist

Do you want to know more about the world around you? You can get outside and explore biodiversity and the natural environment with iNaturalist! iNaturalist allows anyone, anywhere to contribute ...

A red crane sits idle at the SWRP mine next to Boulder Ridge. A chain link fence separates the two properties.

Researchers, regulators, and residents collaborate to test air quality sensors

This article was originally published by SciStarter on February 4, 2019. By Margaret Hinrichs In early 2018, Scistarter and Arizona State University began the process of collaborating with a local ...

Smart Science Project Recommendations

By Caroline Nickerson (@CHNickerson) Portions of this post are excerpted from the accompanying podcast episode and from notes shared between the SciStarter team and Kobi Gal’s research team. Smart project ...

Citizen Science in Australia: Spotlight on Michelle Neil

By Caroline Nickerson (@CHNickerson) As the interviewer and the author of this Citizen Science Connected Blog post, I’ll reveal my bias now: meeting Michelle Neil, the secretary and social media ...

Rhetoric and Citizen Science in the Digital Age

Wynn, James. Citizen Science in the Digital Age: Rhetoric, Science, and Public Engagement. The University of Alabama Press, 2017. 224 pages. Paperback US$24.95. Citizen scientists have repeatedly faced resistance from ...

STEM Career Q and A with Joe Siegrist

In this STEM Career Q and A, we talk with the lead of Project MartinRoost. Learn about his STEM career and how you can get involved in a citizen science ...

Project Martin Roost: A Scavenger Hunt in Your Backyard

This is part one of three in a collaboration between SciStarter and Career in STEM, in which writers will spotlight different citizen science projects, interview project leaders about their careers, ...

Behind the Scenes of INVENTING TOMORROW with the WaterInsights™ Team

Sahithi Pingali, a young scientist, created the WaterInsights™ citizen science project after being featured in the INVENTING TOMORROW documentary. By Caroline Nickerson INVENTING TOMORROW, a documentary, follows several young scientists ...

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.