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.

A Game Playing App May Have Just Helped Create COVID Vaccines for the Developing World

Thanks to volunteers playing the citizen science game Eterna, researchers have identified better mRNA for vaccines. This discovery may unlock COVID-19 vaccines that have a longer shelf-life and avoid the ...

Miss Louisiana Earth Invites You To Volunteer Online and Map Where Vital Wetlands Are Being Lost

Participate in Miss Louisiana Earth's online citizen science challenge to help researchers understand climate impacts on wetland loss. THE SCISTARTER BLOG Caroline Nickerson, Miss Louisiana Earth, is hosting an online ...

Citizen Science Lessons During the Pandemic

When educators were adapting to new stresses in early 2020, citizen science lessons proved invaluable resources. THE SCISTARTER BLOG When the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down in the spring ...

Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana Citizen Science

Through a community effort, more than 80 Girl Scouts of Southwest Indiana and their leaders became citizen scientists in April 2021. The SciStarter Blog By Amanda Scurry Through a community ...

As Ghost Forests Spread, Researchers Ask for Help Keeping Track

Document the formation of ghost forests — stands of dead trees that were recently killed by salt stress — with citizen science. SCISTARTER BLOG Have you seen a ghost forest? ...

Citizen Scientists Find Exoplanets with NASA’s TESS Spacecraft

The space agency is asking citizen scientists to help hunt exoplanets in the vast trove of images gathered by TESS, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. SCISTARTER BLOG NASA is recruiting ...

STEM Summer Reading: Citizen Science Tails and Summer Tales

For many of us, summertime isn’t just for outdoor activities. The long days are a chance to explore new worlds through books. And one of the best ways to engage ...

Wicked High Tides: Citizen Scientists Plan for Sea Level Rise

King tides happen when the Earth, Sun and moon align, sometimes creating "sunny day flooding." To understand how sea level rise will change future flood patterns, researchers and citizen 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.