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.

Watching Plants with Project Budburst

Join communities across the world in observing plant life cycles – any plant, any place, any time – by participating in Project Budburst. SCISTARTER BLOG I haven’t always loved plants ...

Designing Citizen Science Projects for Everyone

The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's report, Learning Through Citizen Science: Enhancing Opportunities by Design, synthesizes previous research on the best practices to increase participant learning through citizen ...

Is Rainwater Safe to Drink?

A citizen science project called Off the Roof tested rainwater runoff collected by volunteers. They found that rainwater can be easily treated, but does often have contaminants similar to what's ...

Explore the Cosmos at Home

From studying light pollution to growing tomato seeds that have flown in orbit, these citizen science projects can help you and your kids enjoy the cosmos at home. SciStarter Blog ...

Old Family Fishing Photos Unlock the History of Atlantic Fisheries

One captain’s old fishing photos grew into a citizen science project called FISHstory. Researchers hope it can teach them about the health of today’s fish populations. SciStarter Blog Rusty Hudson ...

Revolutionizing Bird Watching with Radar

Ecologists can now forecast bird migrations like meteorologists forecast the weather. But without on-the-ground citizen science observations, it’s hard to tell a songbird from a goose. SCISTARTER BLOG For many ...

Citizen Science Projects about Insections

Citizen science projects featuring insects, spiders and their relatives

Seven large-scale citizen science projects that you can help with right now! Help scientists collect data on our insect friends. SciStarter Blog You can call them “insects, spiders and their ...

Citizen Scientists Fighting Misinformation

A new project called Public Editor invites citizen scientists to work together to fight misinformation and vet the credibility of news. SciStarter Blog In an era of social media bots, ...

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.