Celebrate people-powered science

ANYONE, anytime, from anywhere, can be involved in One Million Acts of Science each April during Citizen Science Month.

Individual acts add up to an important collective impact that accelerates scientific research, discoveries, and local actions that make a difference.

In fact, last year, half a million volunteers from 126 countries contributed more than One Million Acts of Science through nearly 1,000 scientific research projects and events in April.

From sharing photos of nature to help communities, planners, and scientists document biodiversity, to browsing images on your computer to help speed up research about Alzheimer’s disease, to using your phone to help track microplastics and air quality, each of these Acts of Science is important.

Check out our 2025 Media Toolkit for One Million Acts of Science.

WHAT IS CITIZEN SCIENCE MONTH?

SciStarter helps connect people to projects and events all year long, but during Citizen Science Month, we work with many partners to reach people we’re not reaching throughout the year. Too many people are unaware that they are both needed and invited to take part in helping to shape the future through science.

During events, and anytime in April, everyone, everywhere, is encouraged to participate in projects. No prior experience is required.

WHAT IS AN ACT OF SCIENCE?
Attend an online or in-person event or join a project to play games that accelerate medical research, analyze online images to help make discoveries, share pictures of nature to help scientists spot biodiversity trends, use your smartphone to monitor your environment…and much more! These all count as Acts of Science!

During Citizen Science Month, with your help, we aim to make a collective impact of One Million Acts of Science where our goal is to generate over one million data points to featured projects you’ll find on CitizenScienceMonth.org.

PROJECT SCIENTISTS AND FACILITATORS:
Create or promote your program or event using free resources. This is a great way to (re)inspire your communities to participate in your project/event in April. All registered projects and events will also be promoted by SciStarter and its media partners leading up to and during the month of April! Find everything you need on CitizenScienceMonth.org/resources.

How it works

For Event Organizers

  • checklist and megaphone icon

    Use free resources to Plan and Promote an event

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    Register event on SciStarter

  • people at event icon

    In April, host an event or collect/analyze data for your project

  • test tube with fireworks icon

    Report Acts of Science!

For Volunteers

  • project and calendar icon

    Find a project and/or event near you

  • people at event icon

    Participate in the project/attend the event

  • test tube with fireworks icon

    Report your Acts of Science

  • repeat icon

    Repeat as often as you’d like!

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED
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NearlyHalf a Million Volunteerscontributed to One Million Acts of Science

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Volunteers were involved in1000 projects & eventsbenefitting scientific research

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A total of 1.129 million Actswere tallied at the end of the month

Beyond the numbers, summative evaluation conducted by Arizona State University’s CREST Team found that participants, project scientists and facilitators all benefit from Citizen Science Month and SciStarter’s support, from increasing understanding of citizen science, to feeling more confident in engaging in projects, to better understanding how people from all walks of life can play an active role in science, it’s clear that Citizen Science Month makes a difference. Read the full report: Citizen Science Month 2024 Summative Evaluation.

Check out this blog post showcasing our favorite outcomes or watch the below highlights reel!

Founding PARTNERS

SciStarter.org is the place to find, join, and contribute to science by providing people access to more than 2,000 searchable formal and informal citizen science research projects and events. The SciStarter website also offers a dashboard or coordinated place for members to track and earn credit for contributions across citizen science projects and platforms. More than 200,000 people are registered members of the SciStarter community. The SciStarter team includes educators, faculty, librarians, programmers, instructional designers, communicators, and scientists, all focused on improving the citizen science experience for everyone.

Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society (SFIS) is a transdisciplinary unit at the vanguard of ASU’s commitment to linking innovation to public value. SFIS pursues a vision of responsible innovation that anticipates challenges and opportunities, integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, and engages broad audiences. By examining the ways we translate imagination into innovation — and how we blend technical and social concerns along the way — SFIS aims to build a future for everyone

Thanks to support over the years from the National Institutes of Health, the National Library of Medicine, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, SciStarter and Arizona State University have scaled the program globally, supported a network of more than 1,000 public libraries, and increased the public’s awareness of and engagement in scientific research.

Promotional and Community Engagement Support provided by: