Citizen Science Projects

• 2008 Earth Science Week
• CERES S'COOL Project
• EarthCaching
• Globe
• Great World Wide Star Count
• Hands On the Land
• NASA: Exploring Space Challenges
• My NASA Data
• NASA: Imagine Mars
• NASA: Star Count
• NOAA: Cooperative Observer Program
• NOAA: SKYWARN
• North American Amphibian Monitoring Program
• Project 3-D VIEW
• Rapid Earthquake Viewer
• USGS Real-Time Water Data for the Nation
• USGS Science in Your Backyard

For: All ages

The theme for the 2007 Earth Science Week is The Pulse of Earth Science. The theme will also focus attention on geoscience research, such as that associated with the International Polar Year (IPY) and the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE), of which AGI is a Founding Partner. Through these major initiatives Earth Science Week will help spread understanding of the impact the earth sciences have on society.

Find more activities, resources and ideas about how you and others can become scientifically literate citizens and get involved in Earth Science Week 2007 by visiting the pages on the web site.

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For: All ages

Students make basic weather observations and record the type and features of clouds in the sky at the time the satellite is scheduled to pass over their location. The data is submitted to NASA. Students can access their results as well as those from other participating schools using the S'COOL web site. Participants receive instructional materials, a schedule of satellite overpass times and information necessary for reporting events.

Find more information on S'COOL web site.

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For: All ages

The most exciting way to learn about the Earth and its processes is to get into the outdoors and experience it first-hand. Visiting an EarthCache is a great outdoor activity the whole family can enjoy.

An EarthCache is a special place that people can visit to learn about a unique geoscience feature or aspect of our Earth. EarthCaches include a set of educational notes and the details about where to find the location (latitude and longitude). Visitors to EarthCaches can see how our planet has been shaped by geological processes, how we manage the resources and how scientists gather evidence to learn about the Earth.

Learn more by going to the EarthCaching web site.

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For: K-12 students

This is a world-wide network of K-12 students who conduct grade-level appropriate research on the environment. Under the guidance of trained teachers, students make a core set of environmental observations and report and share their data with other students via the Internet.

Learn more by going to the Globe web site.

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For: K-12 students

Students and adults are invited to count the stars in the evening sky from Oct. 1-15, 2007, and report their results online. This inaugural “Windows After Dark” event (part of the Windows to the Universe project) is designed to raise awareness about light pollution and encourage learning in astronomy. All the information needed to participate will be available on the Star Count Website. At the conclusion of the event, the submitted data will be analyzed and a map will be generated highlighting the results. Mark your calendars and plan on joining thousands of other students, families, and citizen scientists counting stars this October!

Learn more by going to the Star Count web siteor contact starcount_info@ucar.edu.

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For: All ages

We all check up on, watch out for, and keep track of the things and the people we care about. Why should the outdoors be any different? Browse the environmental monitoring programs on the website and see how students and others are helping to protect your land, air and water.

Learn more by going to the Hands On the Land web site.

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For: K-12 Students

NASA Exploring Space Challenges (ESC) is a national program providing investigations and design challenges for K-12 students. Students have several missions to choose from, each of which challenges them to embrace imagination and knowledge.

Learn more by going to the NASA Exploring Space Challenges web site.

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For: All ages

MY NASA DATA website is dedicated to making NASA Earth Science data easily accessible to the K-12 and citizen scientist communities.

MY NASA DATA is a project to enable K-12 teachers and students, as well as citizen scientists, to explore the large volumes of data that NASA collects about the Earth from space. Students use scientific inquiry and math skills as they access and display microsets of the Earth System.

Learn more by going to the MY NASA DATA web site.

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For: All ages

The Imagine Mars Project is a national arts, sciences, and technology education initiative that leads students to work together with scientists, engineers, artist, and civic leaders to design and share a futuristic Mars community for 100 people.

Learn more by going to the IMAGNINE MARS web site.

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For: Middle School Students

Star Count is designed for students to investigate whether people in different parts of the world see the same number of stars. Students will share their data with other students from all over the world to find out why differences might occur.

Learn more by going to the Star Count web site.

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For: All ages

The National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) is truly the Nation's weather and climate observing network of, by and for the people. More than 11,000 volunteers take observations on farms, in urban and suburban areas, National Parks, seashores, and mountaintops. The data are truly representative of where people live, work and play.

most cooperative observers are volunteers some are paid where specific types of services are needed. Observers frequently record temperature and precipitation daily and send those reports monthly to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) or an NWS office. Many cooperative observers provide additional hydrological or meteorological data, such as evaporation. Data is transmitted via telephone, computer or mail. Equipment used at NWS cooperative stations may be owned by the NWS, the observer, or by a company or other government agency, as long as it meets NWS equipment standards.

Learn more by going to the Cooperative Observer Program web site.

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For: All ages

SKYWARN is a volunteer program with over 230,000 trained severe weather spotters. These volunteers help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate reports of severe weather to the National Weather Service.

SKYWARN spotters provide essential information for all types of weather hazards, the main responsibility of a SKYWARN spotter is to identify and describe severe local storms. In the average year, 10,000 severe thunderstorms, 5,000 floods and more than 1,000 tornadoes occur across the United States. These events threatened lives and property.

Learn more by going to the SKYWARN web site.

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For: All ages

Join a collaborative effort to monitor populations of vocal amphibians. The USGS provides coordination and database management. Regional partners recruit and train volunteer observers to collect amphibian population data by their unique vocalizations such as "frog calls."

Learn more by going to the North American Amphibian Monitoring Program web site.

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For: Students in Grades 5-6

This program combines NASA mission data with 3D technologies in grades 5 and 6. Students become "explorers" while working in five units. A project goal is for students to understand Earth System science topics and science-based decision making, preparing them for high school and beyond.

Learn more by going to the Project 3-D VIEW web site.

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For: All ages

The Rapid Earthquake Viewer (REV) gives you access to data from seismograph stations around the world. REV monitors the earth and posts information about recent earthquakes so you can see where they happened and view the seismograms from global seismograph stations for every notable earthquake. REV even lets you check up on seismograph stations in your area, so if you think you felt the ground shake, check REV.

Learn more by going to the Rapid Earthquake Viewer web site.

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For: Grades 5 +

Real time water data for the Nation, Use this real-time daily streamflow data to study water trends, intense weather events, climate change, statistical methods, or any number of related topics. Using the most complete long-term water information available from USGS, students can build their own data sets and water budgets for their community, state, or the Nation to see how water availability and use affect all aspects of our daily lives.

Learn more by going to the Real-Time Water Data web site.

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For: all ages

Looking for geologic information about a particular state? Science in Your Backyard is your one-stop shop! Click on any state to find interesting state facts, news releases of interest for the state, real-time information, and highlighted links to recreation and USGS scientific sources. See what's going on in your own backyard.

Learn more by going to the USGS web site.

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