Citizen Science Projects:
Everyone's a Scientist

Jessica Fries-Gaither

Do your students connect what they are learning in science with the world around them? Are they engaged? Do they really understand the methods of doing science, or are they just learning science facts?

Many science courses present the discipline as a body of facts to be learned instead of a process of asking and answering questions through investigation. Practicing the skills and habits of mind scientists use in their daily work is the best way for students to understand the content and the nature of science

Citizen science projects can help teachers make the leap from science curriculum to real-world science. They also allow students to make a positive impact in their communities by contributing to scientific research about topics of local interest.

What Is Citizen Science?

Citizen science is a collaborative effort to answer real-world questions. Volunteers in the community collect data and share it with scientists through print forms or an online database. The process is mutually beneficial: scientists are able to collect much more data, and citizens have access to scientific information.

Citizen science projects aren't just for adults; there are many opportunities for students to get involved as well. Students are excited about these projects because they know their work will be used in real scientific research.

Projects include investigations of invasive species, air and water quality, ecological health, distribution and behavior of mammals and birds, climate change, and astronomy. Some projects are conducted at a local or state level, while others are national in scope.

To get a sense of the kinds of projects available, visit Citizen Science Central at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website, which catalogs projects involving public participants in real-world research and gives viewers the ability to search, browse, and suggest projects. www.birds.cornell.edu/citscitoolkit/projects/find

Connecting to the Curriculum

Citizen science projects address a number of science content standards, depending on the project selected. Teachers may choose from projects that incorporate life, physical, and earth and space science topics. Many projects also address the Science in Personal and Social Perspectives and History and Nature of Science content standards of the National Science Education Standards. Citizen science projects may also be used to satisfy standards in other disciplines such as mathematics, English/language arts, social studies, and geography.

These projects also are invaluable tools for teaching scientific method firsthand. What better way for students to learn about the work of scientists than to collect their own data? This direct involvement also is an excellent way to incorporate gender and diversity issues into the science curriculum. If all students can collect data for real science research, why can't all students pursue careers in science?

Participation in a citizen science project often involves completing and submitting data forms. However, there are many possibilities for going beyond data entry. Citizen science projects may also help teachers integrate student-directed inquiry into their lessons. As students collect data, they are bound to ask questions. In many cases, these questions can be used to design and carry out investigations.

Constructing evidence-based claims is a difficult task for many students. Using student-collected data provides authentic experiences in using evidence to construct claims and arguments.

Citizen science projects also promote the integration of a variety of technologies and tools. Students involved in a water quality project might use handheld monitoring devices to collect and record data. Many projects require the use of online data submission forms and provide access to information via a database. In addition, class wikis or blogs could document data and record findings and evidence-based claims.

That's not all. Students can use Twitter or text messaging to share bird counts and sightings. They can use Flickr to share images and record data in the field on their iPod Touch. The technology possibilities are seemingly endless.

Cross-Curricular Connections

While science is the primary focus of citizen science projects, they do provide opportunities for collaboration across multiple disciplines. Teachers can extend the projects and enhance student learning in several content areas:

Math: Citizen science projects provide a real-world opportunity for data analysis. Students can graph their data and calculate basic statistics such as mean, median, and mode. They can use the data to calculate ratios, fractions, and percents within a real-world context. The projects also provide opportunities for students to use estimation skills and identify and analyze patterns in data.

English/Language Arts: Students can present their data to other students in the classroom, to the entire school, or to the larger community. A mock scientific conference or poster session blends oral and written communication and mimics how scientists present their research findings.

Summarizing data in writing is an excellent opportunity for students to practice writing in the informational text genre. BirdSleuth (www.birds.cornell.edu/birdsleuth), an inquiry-based science curriculum that scaffolds citizen science projects, publishes a print magazine and webzine full of student research. Seeing their work published in a real journal can be extremely motivating for students!

Social Studies: National projects provide data that is collected from all over the country. Teachers might incorporate this data into geography lessons. Water and air quality projects provide opportunities to consider the effects of technology and development on vital resources, while projects that deal with invasive species raise questions about the effects of globalization on the natural environment.

Students as Scientists

Participating in citizen science projects provides authentic learning experiences and firsthand exposure to the nature of science and connects the curriculum to the natural world. Students are engaged and motivated as they actively contribute to real scientific research (and learn some science in the process).

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