Projects You Can Join
This guide contains numerous resources that include ways to get involved with citizen and community science. Below, we have listed the big name platforms for citizen science that include multiple ongoing projects.
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National Geographic Citizen Science Projects - National Geographic hosts a large collection of citizen science projects that individuals can take part in along with articles related to community science to solve real world problems.
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Zooniverse - The Zooniverse platform focuses mainly on visual identification for large image sets in the tens of thousands, and breaks down their projects based upon subject matter.
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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology - In addition to providing family-friendly projects related to nest watching, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology also provides online classes and digital tools for birders.
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Citsci.org - Citsci.org has a large collection of citizen science projects, many of which involve primary data collection. The projects are searchable by keywords.
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SciStarter - SciStarter provides a large variety of citizen scientist projects, covering subjects from geology to linguistics.The website has an intuitive layout, and provides a wide range of projects for different age groups.
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North Carolina State University Citizen Science Projects - Although mostly focused on citizen and community science resources for NCSU students, the website also includes a number of successful projects that anyone can contribute and participate in.
Thinking About Your Own Project
Before you get started, it is worthwhile to read up on or browse already existing projects to see what works and what doesn't work. Citizen science projects can take many forms and serve many purposes from environmental justice, to tracking the growth of kelp forests, to games focused on protein folding. We suggest watching an episode or two of The Crowd & The Cloud.
Although we provide a number of resources to help you ground yourself before a consultation, the Shapiro Design Lab is here to help you develop and design a citizen or community science project regardless of your technical or formal training. If you would like to start exploring the possibilities of creating a citizen science project, please set up a consultation with the Shapiro Design Lab.
We recommend looking through the European Citizen Science Association's "10 Principles of Citizen Science", which establishes ethics, goals, and intent behind citizen and community science. Additionally, the Citizen Science Association Research and Evaluation Working Group created a list of resources focused on project creation and evaluation.
Citizen Science Project Builders:
The process of creating your own citizen science project can be pretty straightforward. Below are two citizen and community science project builders that members of the Shapiro Design Lab would be happy to walk you through.
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Citizen Science Project Brainstorming WorksheetHere is a worksheet we designed to help you think through some questions associated with starting a citizen science project. We suggest filling out what you can before a consultation with the Shapiro Design Lab, but we will be happy to talk through the worksheet with you.
Citizen Science Project Funding
Despite recent cuts in scientific funding, there are still a number of institutions that provide grant money for citizen and community science projects. If you would like help with grant writing, check out these grant writing resources.
- EarthWatch Institute - The EarthWatch Institute offers three-year funding cycles for citizen science projects.
- Citizen Science Center List - This aggregated list of citizen science funding sources was compiled by the Citizen Science Center and is updated regularly.
Additionally, consider contacting your subject librarian for discipline specific grants and funds, or contact Paul J Barrow, the University of Michigan Library specialist in grant seeking and philanthropy.
United States Federal Citizen Science Projects You Can Join
Shapiro Design Lab Citizen Science Kits
If you are interested in trying out some citizen science data collection techniques, the University of Michigan Shapiro Design Lab carries a number of citizen science kits from organizations such as Public Lab, Foldscope, and more. Individuals who are interested in trying out one of these kits can email the Design Lab at shapirodesignlab@umich.edu for a consultation. Additionally, the different organizations who created these kits are in the resource sections of the links below.
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Aerial Mapping KitThe aerial mapping kit uses a low cost camera and either a weather balloon or a kite to take high quality images from a few hundred feet in the air. The images taken by the camera are then stitched together using MapKnitter.org to create full, high definition satellite-style maps of an area. The process and kit were designed by Public Lab to map the BP Oil Spill in 2010. Since then, the kit has been used to map trash dumps, the size of political protests, and the health of farmers’ fields.
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AirBeam 2 KitAirBeam 2 is a simple, weather-resistant, and low-cost air quality monitor that can be used as a starting point or alternative to expensive particle detectors. AirBeam 2 detects temperature, humidity, and fine particulate (PM 1 & 2.5 & 10) concentrations. It is a small, triangular, portable, and wearable device that can be carried around or attach to a fixed location. The AirBeam 2 connects to the Android-only AirCasting app, and can also be rewired and connected to additional DIY devices to gather more types of data. The AirCasting app automatically uploads data to the AirCasting Crowdmap, which allows the public to view air quality based on geological locations.
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FoldScope KitThe Foldscope Kit allows you to create microscopes with 140X magnification out of paper. The original idea for the Foldscopes came out of a Stanford University Lab after two graduate students went to India for research and had a very difficult time finding microscopes for their project. The kits are low cost, durable, and portable, making them excellent for STEM education or field work. They can be used to diagnose malaria, or tuberculosis, but they can also be used (for instance) in 3rd grade classes to look at cells and insects. The microscope can also be connected to a smartphone to order to become a projection microscope.
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PocketLab One KitThe PocketLab One is a portable instrument that can stream live data to a computer, smartphone or tablet using free apps. The PocketLab is a fun way to make simple observations, do basic mechanics experiments, and record the data for later viewing or analysis.
Contacts
Shapiro Design Lab
919 South University Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1185
email: shapirodesignlab@umich.edu