Month: February 2014

The Genetics of Taste citizen science project from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science set out to understand the link between genetics and TAS2R38 gene, responsible for the “bitter” taste receptor. Come to your senses! SciStarter has curated a list of citizen science projects for all five senses. Guest post by Michelle Murphy-Niedziela. Don’t like […]

Last Wednesday was the first annual Federal STEM Volunteer Fair. A joint effort by the Department of Energy and the Office of Personnel Management, the event’s mission is to encourage federal workers and the broader Washington, D.C. community to engage in volunteer opportunities that advance STEM education. This is, of course, right up SciStarter’s alley, […]

The Field Photo Library project helps scientists document changes in landscape by sharing crowdsourced and archived field photos from all over the world. Find more citizen science projects for all five senses on SciStarter. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but what value does “any old geo-tagged photo” hold for a scientist? […]

This week on The Pulse and SciStarter’s segment about citizen science, producer Kimberly Haas  tags along with local birdwatcher Pat Evans as she studies migratory bird patterns and fluxes in bird populations from New Jersey. The Great Backyard Bird Count takes place from February 14th to 17th this year, so get started and let us know how many birds […]

Public Lab announces RIFFLE, a new pilot program and open sensor tool to monitor water quality of Mystic River in Massachusetts. By definition, a riffle is a “short, relatively shallow and coarse-bedded length of stream over which the stream flows at higher velocity and higher turbulence than it normally does in comparison to a pool.” Similarly, Public […]

Listen up! Our editors sniffed out a list of projects to lay your hands on and sink your teeth into. See for yourself! The Smell Experience Project Changes in odor perception can be a symptom of a disease or a side effect of medication. Smell Experience Researchers need your help to better understand changes in […]

Students Explore the Surface of Mars and Contribute to Citizen Science From Their Classroom Grades: 1st -12th Description: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is asking for help in processing data collected on Mars, in the form of pictures taken by the Mars Rovers, Spirit and Curiosity. On the “Be a Martian” home page […]

The non-profit Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science (Public Lab) previously won a Knight News Challenge in 2011 and received $500,000 to fund a tool kit and online community for citizen-based, grassroots data gathering and research. The second Knight News Challenge the group won, a $350,000 Knight award focused on health data, will allow the group […]