Take a moment to think back to the volcano you made in elementary school. Whether you used cardboard, paper maché or the more advanced barb wire technique you took part in a science experiment. And sure, your experiment didn’t change the way scientists researched volcanoes but you were en route to becoming a citizen scientist. Citizen Science is the “systematic collection and analysis of data; development of technology; testing of natural phenomena; and the dissemination of these activities by researchers on a primarily avocational basis.” In simpler terms, Citizen Science is when amateur, non-expert or enthusiasts take part in scientific research. The citizens may gather data or photographs and send them to scientists to analyze.
So why bother being a citizen scientist? Because it gives you the opportunity to do more than just watch. You observe. You record. Your sightings can lead to a scientific breakthrough. Becoming a citizen scientist is a way
Peruse our own Citizen Sort project as well as other citizen science projects and go back to that volcano building.
