How Can You Get Involved In Scientific Research
Not all science is done in a lab, or needs a PhD. Find out more about how you and me can also get involved in scientific research.
I’m a firm believer that science should be accessible to everyone, as you can probably gather from my notes and articles published here on Substack. And as much fun as it is to write these articles so you can read about cool science in ways that are easy to digest, reading about science is only half the fun. Doing the science is the other half of the equation. So for today’s posts, I’ve scoured the internet to find fun opportunities for you all to join. And the good portion of them you can join from anywhere on the globe, because location shouldn’t hold you back either.
There’s a name given to this kind of opportunity for non-experts in a field, and that’s Citizen Science. Citizen Science is the practice of public participation and collaboration in scientific research to increase scientific knowledge. And lucky for all of us multi-passionates covers a wide range of areas of study, including ecology, biology, conservation, health and medical research, astronomy, media and communications, and information science.
Now you know what citizen science is; let’s jump right into the rest of this article, with the citizen science opportunities that you can join!
Disclaimer! This is in no way a complete list, and I’m 100% sure there are many, many more. So if you want to help add to this list, leave the opportunities in the comments.
NASA
Shock Detectives — help scientists understand solar wind behaviour.
Impact Flash! — collect data of the Moon with an amateur telescope.
Galaxy Zoo: Tidal Tales — examine images of galaxies.
Planet Hunters TESS — examines data to find exoplanets.
Space Umbrella — examines data on the interactions between the magnetosphere and solar winds.
The Wildlife Trust (UK & Regional)
Shoresearch — identify shoreline plants and wildlife and help monitor this special habitat.
iSpy a Hedgehog — help reveal more about hedgehogs in Cumbria by reporting your sightings.
Secrets of the Solent — share sightings of marine mammals or seagrass.
Bugs matter — count bug splats on vehicle number plates to track the number of flying insects in Kent.
Riversearch — gather data on water quality, habitat conditions, and pollution sources in Kent.
Dolphin landwatch — track where cetaceans are found in Kent.
Zooniverse
Snail Scribe Archive — help bring the Field Museum’s Invertebrate Collection into the digital age.
Rubin Comet Catchers — help identify comets.
Sovraimpressioni — help recognise places and events in General Cesare Lomaglio's photographs.
Galaxy Zoo: Clump Scout II — correct machine predictions to reveal the shapes of stellar nurseries!
Dolphin Spotting — help to describe the behaviour of dolphins in video clips.
Earthwatch Europe
BeeWalk — March-October. This is the national recording scheme which monitors the abundance of bumblebees across Britain.
Bloomin’ Algae — an app for reporting the presence of blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria (harmful algal blooms).
Ancient Tree Inventory — Let the Woodland Trust know if you see any ancient trees and put them on their map.
Big Microplastic Survey — Head to the beach and tell the Marine Conservation Society about the microplastics you find there.
ESA
Space Warps - ESA Euclid — elusive strongly lensed galaxies are waiting to be discovered!
Other
UK Centre for Exology & Hydrology — they have a bunch of apps that make getting involved even easier.
University College London — a range of projects in humanities, social sciences, engineering, natural sciences, medical sciences, and physical sciences.
Thanks for stopping by — hit reply and tell me what you’re curious about next!
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Wow, thanks for sharing all these projects! I learned about citizen science just a few days ago when I attended a talk by Munno Schilthuizen. One person from the audience asked about the difference between "citizen science" and "community science". It was very interesting what he said about the origin and meaning of both terms. Even though they are used interchangeably, many groups are moving away from "citizen science" as it may feel exclusionary or limiting, and using "community science" to be more inclusive of all volunteers, regardless of legal status or background.
I am now tempted to read his book "The Urban Naturalist: How to Make the City Your Scientific Playground." Have you read it?
Thanks for sharing 👍