Citizen Science
Community Science or Citizen Science refers to multiple ways that non-scientists engage with scientific research efforts. By tracking information on the plants, animals, and environment we can track the overall health of our watershed. Check out these projects and participation opportunities. To add a Community Science opportunity to this list email Heather Holley at HHolley@CarrboroNC.gov.
Triangle Turtle Trekkers
https://www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org/turtle-trekkers
Become a Turtle Trekker! The eastern box turtle, North Carolina’s state reptile, is in decline across the state. As of 2011, the IUCN has classified eastern box turtles as a vulnerable species (i.e. likely to become endangered unless circumstances are improved). We need your help to find, photograph and monitor eastern box turtles in or near neighborhoods, your place of work, and other urban areas!
Box Turtle Connection
The Box Turtle Connection is a long-term study on Box Turtles (Terrapene carolina) in North Carolina. Their purpose is to learn more about the status and trends in Box Turtle populations, identify threats, and develop strategies for long term conservation of the species. From making your property box turtle friendly to volunteering visit their website to see how you can help.
NC Museum of Natural Sciences: “Natural North Carolina”
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/natural-north-carolina
North Carolina is an amazingly diverse state! We have set out to document all of the plants, animals, and fungi in the state for our Natural North Carolina project, and we need your help to do it. Simply sign up for a free account, snap photos of the natural things you see anywhere in North Carolina, and submit your photos to the project via the website or the iNaturalist smartphone app for iPhone or Android. Your sightings help scientists at the Museum and around the world learn more about the biodiversity, timing, and abundance of organisms throughout North Carolina - and it only takes a few seconds of your time to help.
NC City Nature Challenge
https://nccitynaturechallenge.com/
The City Nature Challenge is a worldwide competition between cities to document the most biodiversity over a 4-day event each spring. Citizen scientists can join this annual citizen science event anywhere in North Carolina by photographing species they see and documenting them on iNaturalist. Help North Carolina show off its amazing biodiversity and citizen scientists by joining us in the next Challenge!
CleanAire NC
https://cleanairenc.org/how-we-do-it/community-science/
The CleanAIRE NC Community Science program engages North Carolinians in the fight for cleaner air. Volunteers in the program take measurements, track, and help interpret the air quality captured by air monitoring devices. This allows them to collect data about the air we share. All across the state, scientists and change-makers can use the data we collect to make a difference in the air we breathe.
Herp Mapper
HerpMapper is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization designed to gather and share information about reptile and amphibian observations across the planet. Using HerpMapper, you can create records of your herp observations and keep them all in one place. In turn, your data is made available to HerpMapper Partners – groups who use your recorded observations for research, conservation, and preservation purposes. Your observations can make valuable contributions on the behalf of amphibians and reptiles.
ecoEXPLORE
ecoEXPLORE(Experiences Promoting Learning Outdoors for Research and Education) is an incentive-based community science program for children in grades K-8. Developed by The North Carolina Arboretum, this innovative pilot program combines science exploration with kid-friendly technology to foster a fun learning environment for children while encouraging them to explore the outdoors and participate in community science.
NC Stream Watch
Learn about NC Streams without any required equipment. Anyone can participate in NC Stream Watch! Do you teach about water or the environment? Are you looking for ways to engage remote learners? Maybe you just pass a stream while you're walking your dog. We invite you to share your visual observations next time you're visiting a stream.
The goal of NC Stream Watch is to host observations and images of North Carolina's beautiful water resources for community members to see. The interactive map offers users to explore the diversity of waterways from different parts of the state. NC Stream Watch is a program intended for educational purposes only.
Great Southeast Pollinator Census
The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is a citizen science project created by the University of Georgia. This project is designed for everyone to participate and make a difference for pollinator conservation! Carrboro holds count opportunities in the park. Follow @townofcarrrborostormwater on Instagram to find out about annual events and activities.
NC Armadillo Project
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/nc-armadillo
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is asking the public to report any sightings of nine-banded armadillos to help Commission biologists determine their range expansion in the Tar Heel state. If you observe an armadillo in the wild, please participate in the NC Armadillo project by uploading and sharing your photos or download the iNaturalist app, available for iPhone and Android.
Students Discover
http://studentsdiscover.org/about/
Students Discover offers free, high-quality curriculum to middle school science teachers around the world. These curriculum modules were created in partnership between scientists and educators to support student participation in a broad range of citizen science projects, ranging from measuring fossilized shark teeth to observing bird nests on school grounds.
Great Backyard Bird Count
Each February, for four days, the world comes together for the love of birds. Over these four days the public is invited to spend time in their favorite places watching and counting as many birds as they can find and reporting their finds These observations help scientists better understand global bird populations before one of their annual migrations. Carrboro holds count opportunities in the park. Follow @townofcarrrborostormwater on Instagram to find out about annual events and activities.
eBird
eBird is among the world’s largest biodiversity-related science projects, with more than 100 million bird sightings contributed annually by eBirders around the world and an average participation growth rate of approximately 20% year over year. A collaborative enterprise with hundreds of partner organizations, thousands of regional experts, and hundreds of thousands of users, eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
eBird data document bird distribution, abundance, habitat use, and trends through checklist data collected within a simple, scientific framework. Birders enter when, where, and how they went birding, and then fill out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during the outing. 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.
I See Change
ISeeChangers from around the world help monitor climate and weather in real time… building resilience awareness, identifying trends, improving models, and co-creating solutions.
Butterfly
Help advance science and conservation of butterflies. From the rarest butterflies to the most common, your sightings contribute to conservation decisions, scientific knowledge, education, and more. Help understand when and where butterflies occur. All you have to do is watch and report your butterfly sightings.
National Moth Week
National Moth Week celebrates the beauty, life cycles, and habitats of moths. “Moth-ers” of all ages and abilities are encouraged to learn about, observe, and document moths in their backyards, parks, and neighborhoods. National Moth Week is being held, worldwide, during the last full week of July. NMW offers everyone, everywhere a unique opportunity to become a Citizen Scientist and contribute scientific data about moths. Through partnerships with major online biological data depositories, NMW participants can help map moth distribution and provide needed information on other life history aspects around the globe. Carrboro holds count opportunities in the park. Follow @townofcarrrborostormwater on Instagram to find out about annual events and activities.
iNaturalist
Contribute to science during your next nature outing by recording your nature observations on iNaturalist. Search nearby projects to join or just record your personal findings.
The Lost Ladybug Project
http://www.lostladybug.org/participate.php
To be able to help the nine spotted ladybug, and other ladybug species, scientists need to have detailed information on which species are still out there and how many individuals are around. Entomologists at Cornell can identify the different species but there are too few of them to sample in enough places to find the really rare ones. They need you to be their legs, hands, and eyes. If you can look for ladybugs and send pictures of them they can start to gather the information needed. This is the ultimate summer science project for kids and adults! You can learn, have fun and help save these important species.
A Tree’s Life
https://ecoipm.org/a-trees-life/
A Tree’s Life is a citizen science study of backyard tree growth in response to global climate change. Your tree can tell us a lot about forests of the future. Participants will measure the growth of a red maple (Acer rubrum) trees in their yard. Large-scale data collection on tree growth is necessary to understand effects of warming and we need your help.
Bumble Bee Watch
https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/
Bumble Bee Watch is a collaborative effort to track and conserve North America’s bumble bees. This community science project allows for individuals to:
- Upload photos of bumble bees to start a virtual bumble bee collection;
- Identify the bumble bees in your photos and have your identifications verified by experts;
- Help researchers determine the status and conservation needs of bumble bees;
- Help locate rare or endangered populations of bumble bees;
- Learn about bumble bees, their ecology, and ongoing conservation efforts; and
- Connect with other community scientists.
Frog Watch USA
FrogWatch USA is a citizen science program established in 1998 to provide individuals, groups and families with opportunities to learn about wetlands in their communities by reporting on the calls of local frogs and toads.
eMammal
eMammal is a data management system and archive for camera trap research projects. This cyber-tool is designed to not only be useful to scientists, but also to the citizen scientists who aid scientists in photo collection.
Monarch Watch
Monarch Watch is a nonprofit education, conservation, and research program that focuses on the monarch butterfly, its habitat, and its spectacular fall migration. Monarch Watch strives to provide the public with information about the biology of monarch butterflies, their spectacular migration, and how to use monarchs to further science education in primary and secondary schools. Download the Monarch Watch mobile app today to participate in Monarch Watch community science projects and submit your monarch tagging, recovery and calendar data!
For more community science opportunities visit these organizations:
NC Botanical Gardens: Community Science Projects
https://ncbg.unc.edu/research/community-science/
Community science, also called citizen science or participatory science, is a way for any member of the public to contribute to scientific research. It can take the form of species or habitat monitoring, BioBlitzes, nature observations, and more. Community science enables scientists, research organizations, and the general public to better understand the world around us. Visit the webpage for more information and a list of current projects.
NC Museum of Natural Science: Citizen Science
https://naturalsciences.org/research-collections/citizen-science
Anyone can become a citizen scientist. Citizen scientists are people just like you — people with an interest in science who want to participate in scientific research. As a citizen scientist, you partner with scientists and contribute to ongoing research. You will gather valuable data to solve difficult scientific problems and learn more about scientists and the work they do through first-hand experience. Many projects require little to no prior experience, equipment you already have, and minimal time, so it’s easy to get involved!
You can become a citizen scientist right here at the Museum! Visit the Participate page for more information about upcoming citizen science programs, online trainings, and other learning opportunities. The Opportunities page highlights locations within the Museum where you can jumpstart your citizen science experience. Our Current Projects page lists the projects currently ongoing at the Museum.
NC Science Trail
https://ncsciencetrail.org/be-a-scientist-in-nc/
Be a scientist in North Carolina. We are home to some of the most awe-inspiring and accessible science and nature venues in the country. The NC Science Trail is your place to find them.
Scistarter
Find volunteer opportunities that match topics you're curious or concerned about. There's something for everyone!
Smithsonian: Citizen Science
https://www.si.edu/volunteer/citizenscience
Since their founding, the Smithsonian has relied on the talents and dedication of Citizen Scientists. James Smithson was a "gentleman-chemist," and their first Secretary, acclaimed scientist Joseph Henry, recruited volunteers to submit daily weather reports by telegraph, thus laying the groundwork for the National Weather Service. Today, Smithsonian researchers enlist volunteers for an array of tasks, both onsite and online. Depending on your interests, you can help sustain species around the globe and even solve mysteries of the planets and stars!
National Geographic: Citizen Science Projects
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/citizen-science-projects/
Did you know snapping mountain-top photos of smog and listening for frog calls can help scientists? Get ideas for how you can participate in citizen science—projects in which volunteers and scientists work together to answer real-world questions and gather data.
National Park Service: Citizen Science
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/citizenscience/be-a-citizen-scientist.htm
There are many opportunities to become a citizen scientist in national parks.
US Forest Service: Citizen Science
https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/citizen-science
Citizen science is when the public takes part in the scientific process, including forming research questions, collecting, analyzing, and making conclusions about data, or developing new technologies and applications. Anyone can be a citizen scientist; the best part about citizen science is that it can take place anywhere, whether it's in our national forests and grasslands or your own backyard!
EPA: How to Find Participatory Science Projects
https://www.epa.gov/participatory-science/how-find-participatory-science-projects
Participatory science offers a unique opportunity for the public and EPA to connect on environmental science and protection. It uses the collective strength of the community to identify research questions, collect and analyze data, interpret results, make new discoveries, and develop technologies and applications – all to understand and solve environmental problems. EPA’s headquarters program and regional offices collaborate with many different types of organizations to implement participatory science projects that help advance the agency’s mission.
citizenscience.gov
https://www.citizenscience.gov/#
CitizenScience.gov is an official government website designed to accelerate the use of crowdsourcing and citizen science across the U.S. government. The site provides a portal to three key components: a catalog of federally supported citizen science projects, a toolkit to assist federal practitioners with designing and maintaining their projects, and a gateway to a community of hundreds of citizen science practitioners and coordinators across government.
Through citizen science and crowdsourcing, the federal government and nongovernmental organizations can engage the American public in addressing societal needs and accelerating science, technology, and innovation.
NC Climate Education
https://climate.ncsu.edu/learn/community-based-science/
Interested in recording your observations about the weather you experience and the world around you? There are many projects and programs the collect this type of community-based science information, and your observations are a valuable addition!
Duke Forest Community Science
https://dukeforest.duke.edu/volunteer/community-science/
Community science programs are an important part of our strategic vision to engage the public in science and nature and to protect the biodiversity and natural resources of the Duke Forest. Duke Forest began their community science program in 2018 and are building the programming to continue to be fun and educational for volunteers and useful to Duke Forest staff and researchers.