Category: Education

You might have heard that our world is out of balance. Ecosystems that need native plants and animals to flourish are plagued by human development and invasive species. Many of our local green spaces like yards, parks, and porches are home to mostly introduced, non-native plants that do little to maintain a healthy regional biodiversity. […]

Taking part in citizen science projects promotes civic competence and community engagement – one of the primary aims of the social studies curriculum.  As well as teaching students about the ideas and values of democracy, citizen science projects may be specifically linked to the fields of environmental science, geography and anthropology, all key individual subjects […]

Our research team recently published a study highlighting how partnerships between SciStarter and facilitator organizations like the Girl Scouts of the USA provide a supportive context for extending learning and action associated with participation in citizen science. One of the most inspiring findings of this study was that the vast majority of girls participating in the […]

Imagine a world in which students learn science and solve problems through contributing to real research with the help of a teacher’s guiding hand. In this world, students build confidence in collecting and identifying data, experience the scientific method through play, and participate in real research. Lucky for the students in Broward County Public Schools […]

In this month’s SciStarter podcast, we’re heading back to school to see how teachers and even college professors are making citizen science a part of their classroom instruction. Participating in real science conducted by actual researchers can make science lessons come alive for students at all grade levels. Education leaders in Florida, North Carolina and […]

SciStarter LIVE is an informal web series, where we go LIVE and work through a citizen science project. You’ll have opportunities to hear from project leaders, get your questions answered, hang out with the SciStarter team and more. Just join us on Zoom or watch the live stream on SciStarter’s Facebook page. All events are recorded […]

We’re excited to announce the launch of a brand new resource to help you easily find all kinds of science-related experiences: Science Near Me.  On the Science Near Me website, a simple search tool lets you look for things like nearby science festivals, planetarium events, citizen science projects from SciStarter, science policy forums, star-gazing events […]

Benjamin Franklin was always curious. He loved to explore the world around him — just like the citizen scientists of today! We’re celebrating Ben Franklin this month in honor of Citizen Science Month and the new two part Ken Burns documentary, Benjamin Franklin, out now on PBS. And on April 20 at 7 pm ET, […]

Did you know that in nearly every county across the U.S., there’s an office working on programs for youth development, agriculture, landscaping, health and wellness, community development, natural resource conservation and more? They’re all part of what’s called the Cooperative Extension, or “Extension” for short. They’re one of the most far-reaching, non-formal educational programs there […]

This post is based on the latest episode of our podcast, Citizen Science: Stories of Science We Can Do Together! In it, co-host Bob Hirshon and Caroline Nickerson discuss some of the inspiring citizen science work conducted under the auspices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Listen here: Citizen Science: Stories of Science […]