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World Science U: Immerse Yourself in the World of Science - Education for Everyone at all Levels and Knowledge
What is Citizen Science?
Research often involves teams of scientists collaborating across continents. Now, using the power of the Internet, non-specialists are participating, too. Citizen Science falls into many categories. A pioneering project was SETI@Home, which has harnessed the idle computing time of millions of participants in the search for extraterrestrial life. Citizen scientists also act as volunteer classifiers of heavenly objects, such as in Galaxy Zoo. They make observations of the natural world, as in The Great Sunflower Project. And they even solve puzzles to design proteins, such as FoldIt. We'll add projects regularly—and please tell us about others you like as well.
HERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN...
Citizen Science Opportunity: Penguins and Climate Change
"We can't do this work on our own." - Penguin Watch scientists
"Antarctic scientists need you to study photos of penguins to help them
figure out how climate change is affecting these stumpy little flightless
birds. They really need your help looking at photos of adorable penguins!
Scientists from the UK have installed a series of 75 cameras near penguin
territories in Antarctica and its surrounding islands to figure out what's
happening with local populations. But with each of those cameras taking
hourly photos, they simply can't get through all the adorable images
without your help.
The citizen science project is pretty simple - known as PenguinWatch 2.0, all you need to do is log on, look at
photos, and identify adult penguins, chicks, and eggs in each image. Each
photo requires just a few clicks to identify, and you can chat about your
results in the website's 'Discuss' page with other volunteers."
Citizen Science Opportunity: WildCam Gorongosa
Gorongosa National Park’s researchers deployed motion-activated trail cameras to discover and catalog animal species in the park. Hundreds of thousands of photos were collected and now scientists need your help! Join WildCam Gorongosa, an online citizen science platform, to identify the animals captured in these photos and contribute to this important research.
