Citizen science is a great way for everyone to be a scientist! Citizen science is a movement to excite and empower the public to investigate, collect, and analyze data to learn about natural phenomena in their own community while contributing to scientific research.
Project Budburst. This national network of citizen scientists monitor plants as the seasons change. Join in and gather environmental and climate change information in your local area! Observe the life cycles of trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses to see when they have their first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening.
Firefly Watch. An annual summer evening ritual paired with scientific research! Through observation, scientists hope to learn about the geographic distribution of fireflies (also known as lightning bugs), their activity during the summer, and how human-made light and lawn pesticides affect them. Online, learn more about flash patterns.)
FrogWatch. A citizen science opportunity through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and supported by the National Science Foundation, FrogWatch invites individuals and families to learn about the wetlands in their communities and help conserve amphibians by reporting data on the calls of local frogs and toads. Use the FrogWatch Field-Scope to examine species distribution, timing of calls, and other data, geographically and over time, and see what can be discovered.
Journey North Hummingbird Migration. Help track hummingbirds as they migrate, observe seasonal changes, and report sightings. Look closely, describe details, ask questions, and discover more about hummingbirds.
Great Sunflower Project. Citizen scientists can help identify the critical plants that support pollinators and regions where they thrive. Contribute a pollinator count from the plants in your yard or favorite green spaces.
UGA Extension Backyard Nature Hunt. Hone your observation skills and get familiar with the living things outside your door with this fun, engaging scavenger hunt for the whole family! A bonus… University of Georgia Extension offers lots of great resources for families, including a calendar of on-demand webinars and virtual presentations, research-based information on a range of topics, food-related tips for health and wellness with FoodTalk, and more! Looking ahead to August, plan to take part in the Great Georgia Pollinator Census!
Gwinnett County Department of Water Resources. Students can learn to interpret their family’s water bill and discover conservation measures to change habits and reduce water usage, inside the house and out in the yard.
iNaturalist. iNaturalist helps identify plants and animals in a community. By recording and sharing observations, students can provide data that will help scientists working to better understand and protect nature.
Nature’s Notebook. Students can help gather important data in their own backyard! Just choose a site to observe, then select the plants or animals of interest from a list of species. Use protocols to observe and enter data into the Notebook database, which compiles information from across the United States for more than 1,000 species of plants and animals. The data are widely shared among scientists, policymakers, and natural resource managers.
Globe at Night. The Globe at Night program is an international campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations from a computer or smart phone.
Urban Bird Watch. Learn to observe and identify regional birds. Choose a birdwatching area and watch for three days for 10 minutes per day, then report results.
SciStarter Project Finder. Looking for something more or different to investigate? At SciStarter, students can enter their town or ZIP code and find a wide variety of citizen science projects from which to choose. This site allows users to designate age groups, topics, and where a project is done (at home, on a hike, in the car, etc.) as well as those projects that can be done online or with a smartphone or tablet.
We’ll be sharing more tips so watch for the next installment of DLD Daily Dozen!