Citizen Science

Are you interested in more active learning opportunities and assignments for your students?  Are you tired of assignments where the work your students do is just discarded after it's used to assess their progress and understanding? Community and Citizen Science projects offer opportunities to involve your students in real, ongoing research where their contributions advance our understanding of the world.  

Learn more about Citizen Science and explore some projects in action or contact %20mradik [at] umass [dot] edu (Melanie Radik), Science and Engineering Librarian, for advice, brainstorming, or help finding a project.

Local Projects

Local Past Projects

  • Massachusetts Water Watch Partnership
    Previously provided training and other technical assistance to citizen scientists who conduct water quality monitoring programs on the lakes, rivers, and estuaries of Massachusetts.  This website continues to offer an online repository of information for volunteer monitoring groups.
  • Massachusetts Herpetological Atlas Project
    The Herpetological Atlas Project was a seven-year effort, running from 1992 through 1998, to document the distribution of amphibians and reptiles in Massachusetts.  Data collected as part of this project represent a “snapshot in time” that can serve as a reference for evaluating future changes in amphibian and reptile distribution due to population declines, species recovery or response to climate change.
Clearinghouse sites: Multiple projects on multiple subjects
  • Zooniverse.org
    Over 50 carefully-curated projects across all topics.  Projects must be working towards a goal, currently analyzing the data provided by participants, and 100% online.  No account required but instructors and students with accounts can show contributions and set up class groups.
  • Citsci.org
    Want to design your own citizen science project?  This site leads you through it.  It also maintains a directory of projects.  An individual account is required to create a project or contribute to others’ projects.  Over 1,000 projects but many of them require hands-on work and are geographically specific.
  • Scistarter.org
    Over 1500 projects, from entirely online to entirety hands-on.  The search tools are very useful for finding one that fits your needs by topic, grade level, and location.  You do not need to create an individual account to find a project but an account will let you track your contributions to any projects you participate in.  They provide tools for incorporating projects into the classroom, as well as many other resources and helpful documentation.
  • CitizenScience.gov
    This subpage is a directory of citizen science projects run by federal agencies.  CitizenScience.gov has many more resources for those just starting to participate in  a project or interested in starting their own project. 
  • NASA is very active in community and citizen science, and not just in astronomy!
Content-specific Citizen Science Projects:

The projects below are a representative sample of current or ongoing projects you and your students can participate in, from across the sciences.  They range from free, online-only data validation and characterization to hands-on sampling and activities requiring tools and kits.  We hope these spark your interest and imagination for incorporating community and citizen science into the classroom but if none of these fit your needs, there are many more out there.

Ecology & Biology
  • iNaturalist
    iNaturalist helps you identify the plants and animals around you while generating data for science and conservation. Get connected with a community of millions scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! What’s more, by recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research-quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.
  • eBird
    eBird data document bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends through checklist data collected within a simple, scientific framework. eBird’s free mobile app allows offline data collection anywhere in the world, and the website provides many ways to explore and summarize your data and other observations from the global eBird community.
  • National Phenology Network
    The USA-NPN Pheno Forecasts illustrate when insects and invasive plants will reach life stages critical for monitoring and management.
  • The Heart Project
    What is the secret to a long life? The heartbeat of some animals may hold a clue. We are consolidating reports of the heart rate and lifespan of as many vertebrate species as possible. Scanning through old books and papers, we have already found data on more than 150 species of mammals. Now we need your help tracking down records for species of birds, reptiles and fish!
Chemistry & Biochemistry
  • Fold-It
    Foldit is a one-of-a-kind protein folding computer game developed by university scientists. By playing Foldit, you can contribute to advanced research on human health, cutting-edge bioengineering, and the inner workings of biology.
  • Solar Hydrogen Activity Research Kit (SHArK) Project
    The goal of the SHArK Project is to discover metal oxide semiconductors that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight. Currently, no known stable material is capable of efficiently and inexpensively photoelectrolyzing water with visible light. There are millions of compounds that need to be produced and tested for their ability to photoelectrolyze water. We developed inexpensive kits to enable young scientists to participate in this endeavor.
Microbiology
  • Sourdough for Science
    In this project, you will grow your own sourdough starter from scratch just by mixing flour and water. For two weeks, you will measure the height and pH of your starter to track the growth of your “microbial zoo” over time, and share your data with a scientist.
  • Microbe Watch on Zooniverse
    Interested in microbiology, immunology, or artificial intelligence? Help train an image analysis algorithm by deciding if infected cells are attacking the parasites inside them or not.
Health
  • Stall Catchers
    Stall Catchers is an online game that anyone can play - no experience necessary. In the game, you look at movies from the brains of mice and try to identify vessels as flowing or stalled. This helps to speed up Alzheimer's disease research at Cornell University.
  • Stanford’s Our Voice: Citizen Science for Health Equity
    Beginning with neighborhood walks using the Discovery Tool, Citizen Scientists engage in a four-step process to build healthier communities: Discover, Discuss, Advocate, and Change.
Air, Water, Climate Change
  • NASA’s Globe Observer
    Help monitor the conditions of clouds, water (especially as a habitat for mosquitoes), plants (trees and other land cover), and see change over time.
  • EarthEcho Water Challenge
    Hands-on water sampling, with results shared online.  International, annual from March 22 (the United Nations World Water Day) through December, and equips anyone to protect the water resources we depend on every day.
Physics, Astronomy, Math
Design Your Own

Several of the clearinghouse sites above include resources for designing your own community and citizen science project, whether for use in the classroom or to accomplish a your own research goal.  Here are some direct links, as well as material from the Citizen Science Association and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.