Citizen Science Day(s) kick off April 16 with STEM projects you can do to support science research

WASHINGTON - April 15, 2016 - PRLog -- Tens of thousands of everyday people will contribute to meaningful scientific research as part of Citizen Science Day activities. The events kick off on April 16 at the USA Science and Engineering Festival in Washington, D.C., and continue through the National Parks Bioblitz on May 21. Citizen science is growing in popularity and usefulness, as invested volunteers collect and curate data to vastly expand the capacity of scientists and to help science make a difference in communities.

The Citizen Science Association [citizenscience.org], with support from SciStarter [scistarter.com], is promoting events around the country in celebration of Citizen Science Day. Locally-relevant activities are planned at museums, science centers, libraries, schools, parks, and nature centers, all with a goal of bringing attention to citizen science opportunities and impacts.

"Citizen Science Day is a day to celebrate, to work, to create, and to innovate," said Greg Newman, Board Chair of the Citizen Science Association. "It's an open invitation to all to explore citizen science in all that it is - from those studying the phenomenon to those collecting data to those designing projects and evaluating impacts."

The White House also encourages participation in citizen science, saying that "Americans can study and tackle complex challenges by conducting research at large geographic scales and over long periods of time in ways that professional scientists working alone cannot easily duplicate."[1]

Watch this video overview (http://scistarter.com/blog/2016/04/excited-citizen-scienc...) produced by The Crowd & The Cloud TV to learn more. Here is a sampling of Citizen Science Day activities (http://scistarter.com/national-citizen-science-day):

• A Nature's Notebook workshop in Tuscon, AZ, to help people learn how to collect valuable phenology observations (key seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year, especially their timing and relationship with weather and climate).
• A biodiversity challenge designed to capitalize on the friendly rivalry between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Participants will explore their areas and use the iNaturalist phone app to document the species they find. Stats on the total number of species found, total number of observations, and total number of observers will be compiled and the winning region will be named.
• Water quality research on the Jordan River in Bloomington, IN. The community will take basic water quality measurements (temperature, weather, pH, conductivity, etc.) and submit the data to the Hoosier River Watch database. This data would help substantiate the need for restoration of the Jordan River.
• International Space Apps Challenge, a hackathon in Tampa, FL. Part of NASA's Open Innovation Program, the hackathon will engage thousands of citizens to design innovative solutions to global challenges using open source data.
• A day-long symposium in Durham, NC. Hosted by Duke University and NC State University, the event will feature talks and panel discussions focused on the role of citizen science in three areas: ecological and environmental research; science education and outreach in the university; and environmental monitoring, conservation, and community action.
• A citizen science day at a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game. Attendees will learn about several projects that need their support, ranging from spotting ZomBEES to verifying NASA satellite data with "earthly" observations.

Darlene Cavalier, founder of SciStarter and Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, said, "These projects are meaningful for everyone involved. Volunteers become more aware of the issues that scientists are addressing in our communities and our nation, and scientists receive valuable input from a diverse group of people."

Citizen Science Day is coordinated by the Citizen Science Association and SciStarter. Citizen science initiatives succeed because of partnerships between volunteers and organizers, educators, scientists, data managers, technology specialists, evaluators, and others. The Citizen Science Association (http://staging.citizenscience.org/) works to advance excellence in citizen science across all project types by uniting the expertise of diverse practitioners, sharing resources and best practices, and highlighting the impacts of public participation in scientific research.

SciStarter (http://scistarter.com/) aims to enable people to contribute to science through informal recreational activities and formal research efforts. The web site creates a shared space where scientists can connect with citizens interested in working on or learning about joint research projects. SciStarter currently features 1,500 searchable citizen science projects and recruits participants through partnerships with Discover Magazine and Astronomy Magazine, PBS Kids, the National Science Teachers Association, Public Library of Science, WHYY/NPR, Pop Warner Youth Scholars, and more.

[1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2015/09/30/accelerating-use-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-address-societal-and-scientific