Geology & Earth Science

Journey North engages students in a global study of wildlife migration and seasonal change. K-12 students share their own field observations with classmates across North America. They track the coming of spring through the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, robins, hummingbirds, whooping cranes, gray whales, bald eagles— and other birds and mammals; the budding of plants; changing sunlight; and other natural events. Find migration maps, pictures, standards-based lesson plans, activities and information to help students make local observations and fit them into a global context. Widely considered a best-practices model for education, Journey North is the nation's premiere "citizen science" project for children. The general public is welcome to participate.

Help NASA find life on Mars by exploring the bottom of the lakes of British Columbia, Canada.

The Pavilion Lake Research Project (PLRP) has been investigating the underwater environment with DeepWorker submersible vehicles since 2008. Now with MAPPER, you can work side-by-side with NASA scientists to explore the bottom of these lakes from the perspective of a DeepWorker pilot.

The PLRP team makes use of DeepWorker subs to explore and document freshwater carbonate formations known as microbialites that thrive in Pavilion and Kelly Lake. Many scientists believe that a better understanding of how and where these rare microbialite formations develop will lead to deeper insights into where signs of life may be found on Mars and beyond. To investigate microbialite formation in detail, terabytes of video footage and photos of the lake bottom are recorded by PLRP's DeepWorker sub pilots. This data must be analyzed to determine what types of features can be found in different parts of the lake. Ultimately, detailed maps can be generated to help answer questions like "how does microbialite texture and size vary with depth?" and "why do microbialites grow in certain parts of the lake but not in others?". But before these questions can be answered, all the data must be analyzed.

Constellation is a platform for different aerospace related projects that need intensive computational power. The platform supports the efforts of participating projects by providing Distributed Computation capability using BOINC (Berkeley Open Interface for Network Computing).

Constellation will send work-units of attached projects to volunteering, idle PCs where the units are processed. The combined power of all volunteering users will help to solve important scientific tasks in fields from astronomy to aerospace-engineering beginning from student up to university projects. The bottom line is to benefit from the generosity of the volunteers and to benefit from the accumulation of different projects, like sharing programming knowledge in distributed computing and influencing the others' simulation by its own solutions.

The platform is an open space for anyone, who is an air and space enthusiast and wants to donate idle computing time or even skill for a sub-project on platform. Applications for sub-project are welcome!

We are currently seeking research assistants to join our field team in Ecuador studying the conservation ecology of reptiles and amphibians.

While Ecuador is a relatively small country—it’s roughly the size of Arizona—it stands as the third most diverse country in the world for amphibians (510 species) and is seventh for reptiles (430 species), making it a herpetologically mega-diverse region. Due to the severe deforestation taking place in addition to many other pressures on Ecuador’s fauna, RAEI’s research program aims to study, document, and preserve these rich and unique communities of reptiles and amphibians found within the country’s diverse array of ecosystems.
As we are now in our 8th year working in Ecuador, we have study sites encompassing both the coastal forests in western Ecuador and the Amazon rainforest on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains. The work that research participants will be involved with will primarily consist of conducting night surveys for reptiles and amphibians (however other taxa such as invertebrates are also of interest), animal data collection, and lab work. Lab work consists of more detailed information such as scale counts (for reptiles) and other morphological information, animal measurements, screening for chytrid desease (amphibians), preservation (only when necessary), and acquisition of DNA samples. Diagnostic photographs of all animals are taken. Other tasks include animal handling and general note taking and data organization. Please go the following link for more information about the work: (http://www.reptilesandamphibians.org/participate/ecuador/ecuador_work.html)

Science Hack Day is a 48-hour-all-night event that brings together designers, developers, scientists and other geeks in the same physical space for a brief but intense period of collaboration, hacking, and building 'cool stuff'. By collaborating on focused tasks during this short period, small groups of hackers are capable of producing remarkable results. Some Hack Days have a specific focus. There have already been very successful Music Hack Days and Government Hack Days. It's time for a Hack Day focused on science!

Wherever you are – anywhere in the world – contribute to science by taking a photo of a blank white piece of paper!

Photos are needed on the following dates:

September 17 and 18, 2011
September 23, 2011
November 6, 2011
December 12, 2011
February 4, 2012
March 20, 2012
May 5, 2012
June 20, 2012
August 6, 2012
September 22, 2012
November 5, 2012

Your photo will used to measure how much of the sun’s energy is reflected back from the Earth -- our planet's "albedo." It's one way scientists can monitor how much energy – and heat – is being absorbed by our planet. By contributing to the Albedo Project, you will be providing data that can be used to examine the similarities and differences of reflectivity around the world.

Should grassy surfaces have the same value in Brazil as in Norway? How does clay soil in the southeastern USA differ from sandy desert in the southwestern USA? Is there any difference in urban “hot spots” that can be attributed to latitude?

Individuals, schools, small and large groups can all use these data to help inform activities that are appropriate and effective for their communities. Whether it is maintaining the health of parks and green spaces, or legislating green building codes, there is something each can do. It is the hope of this project to present some of the actions taken, as well as follow their albedo records over time.

The School of Ants project is a citizen-scientist driven study of the ants that live in urban areas, particularly around homes and schools. Collection kits are available to anyone interested in participating.

Teachers, students, parents, kids, junior-scientists, senior citizens and enthusiasts of all stripes are involved in collecting ants in schoolyards and backyards using a standardized protocol so that project coordinators can make detailed maps of the wildlife that lives just outside their doorsteps.

The maps that are created with these data are telling us quite a lot about native and introduced ants in cities, not just here in North Carolina, but across the United States and, as this project grows, about the ants of the world!

The Invaders of Texas Program is an innovative campaign whereby volunteer "citizen scientists" are trained to detect the arrival and dispersal of invasive species in their own local areas. That information is delivered into a statewide mapping database and to those who can do something about it. The premise is simple. The more trained eyes watching for invasive species, the better our chances of lessening or avoiding damage to our native landscape.

The Invaders of Texas Program supports the creation and perpetuation of a network of local citizen scientist teams who seek out and report outbreaks of selected environmentally and economically harmful invasive species. These teams, coordinated by the Wildflower Center contribute important data to local and national resource managers who will, in turn, coordinate appropriate responses to control the spread of unwanted invaders. The Invaders Program is designed to move the target audience beyond awareness to action on invasive species.

This is your chance to help slow down the spread of harmful invasive species and reduce their ecological and economic damage.

EcoSpark's Changing Currents program introduces grade 8-12 students from across the Greater Toronto Area (Toronto, Peel, Durham, and York school boards) to their area's watersheds. Students get outside, put on hip waders, explore a local river stream, and learn about its importance and quality.

By participating in the program students will:

use benthic macro-invertebrate bio-monitoring to examine the health of their local river or stream (it's easy!),
contribute to a GTA-wide study of watersheds, and
have the chance to take action around what they discover

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography has been funded by the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Program to assess the distribution of wrack in the salt marshes of coastal Georgia. Marsh wrack is the dead marsh grass that forms large layers on top of the water or the marsh surface.

The project will map the distribution for a number of different years from aerial photographs to determine how much wrack is present in coastal Georgia and where wrack is found in different seasons. The project also aims to study how long wrack persists in a variety of marsh settings.

To do this, the project needs citizen scientists to help document marsh wrack sites. Volunteers will do the following activities:

1. Identify site or sites that you can document at least weekly by taking photos.
2. Gather latitude/longitude location data for each site.

Anyone who helps out will get a copy on the final results of the study and acknowledgement of their help in the text

Interested in volcanoes and want to help research carried out by the BGS and UK universities?

There are two ways in which you can help:

1) Fill our a questionnaire to help researchers study the distribution of the volcanic ash fall and produce a map.

2) Collect some samples of volcanic ash

Collecting samples of volcanic ash can be very simple and helps to provide information on the distribution of the ash fall.

The Oklahoma Invasive Plant council needs Oklahoma residents to report data on invasive plants in their area.

Participants gather information about the invading species and its location, and then submit it on the project website.

By contributing, you can help the project facilitate management of invasive plants and protect the economic and natural resources of Oklahoma’s land and water.

Trees have more benefits than just the tangible wood products. Trees clean our air, raise property values, reduce energy costs, and redirect stormwater.

You can calculate the non-tangible value the trees in your yard or city produce.

We want to study the biogeography of microorganisms by taking water samples from domestic water heaters. Participants will acquire a water sample from their kitchen tap and answer 20 questions. The process will take ~30 minutes. We are recruiting 2-3 households per state. By looking at the genetic differences from isolates of similar microbes from across the globe, researchers are currently trying to understand the degree to which populations of microbes are isolated and whether this isolation suggests an allopatric speciation model for prokaryotes. We are still looking for participants in: AL, AK, DE, DC, KS, KY, ME, MA, NH, NM, ND, RI, SC, SD, TN, VT.

The OPAL Soil and Earthworm Survey needs citizen scientists to collect and separate earthworms and to examine the surrounding soil properties.

Earthworms are extremely important and play a vital role in recycling plant nutrients and aerating the soil. By taking part in this survey you'll help improve our knowledge of earthworms and the soils they live in.

Everybody can take part in the soil and earthworm survey - all ages and abilities. It's simple, fun and you'll be contributing towards valuable research.

This is one of five OPAL surveys across England to learn more about the state of the environment. Anyone can get involved. The studies are open to all ages and abilities, and your contribution will be important in helping scientists build up a picture of England's natural environment.

The OPAL Climate Survey consists of four ways to help researchers investigate how human activities affect the climate. These include:

Activity 1 - Contrails in the Sky: By looking for contrails (tracks left by planes) in the sky and reporting your results online, you'll help scientists test the accuracy of existing computer models that tell us where contrails should be.

Activity 2 and 3 - Measuring the Wind: In Activity 2, you'll use a mirror and compass to measure the wind direction at cloud height. In Activity 3, you'll use bubbles to calculate the wind direction and speed at our height.

Activity 4 - How the Weather Affects Us: You'll answer simple questions about how hot or cold you feel and the types of clothes you are wearing.

This is one of five OPAL surveys across England to learn more about the state of the environment. Anyone can get involved. The studies are open to all ages and abilities, and your contribution will be important in helping scientists build up a picture of England's natural environment.

We are looking for volunteers for our upcoming Yuri's Education Day event at NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View this April 8, 2011 as we honor the 50th anniversary of the first astronaut who entered into space, Yuri Gagarin. This upcoming year, we are expecting more than 6,000 attendees from the greater San Francisco Bay Area to join together in a one-of-a-kind experience, and we are excited to create an innovative and interactive learning environment with your help!

On April 8th, from 9am-3pm, bay area educators and students are invited to participate in a free educational extravaganza of science, art, math, technology, engineering, sustainability, and space-related fun. Join us in hosting thousands of elementary, middle, high school, and college students from around the San Francisco Bay Area in an eclectic learning experience featuring presentations, workshops, interactive exhibits, and hands-on activities by prominent scientists, visionaries, space-enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs from multiple disciplines.

Join RainLog's network of over 1,000 volunteers that use backyard rain gauges to monitor precipitation across Arizona and in neighboring states. Data collected through this network will be used for a variety of applications, from watershed management activities to drought planning at local, county, and state levels.

All you need to participate is a rain gauge and access to the Internet. Volunteers select a rain gauge, install it at home, and report daily total rainfall amounts through the online data entry form. Volunteers are asked to track daily or monthly precipitation amounts.

Precipitation amounts are highly variable across Arizona due to topography and seasonal weather patterns. This is especially true during the monsoon season, when thunderstorms can produce heavy rainfall that is very localized.

Your observations will provide valuable information to be used in drought monitoring and resource management decision-making.

All data posted by volunteers is available in real-time in maps. These maps are useful in tracking high-resolution variability in precipitation patterns and potential changes in drought status. As more people participate and more information is gathered, the resolution of the maps will improve.

Help scientists recover worldwide weather observations made by Royal Navy ships around the time of World War I. These transcriptions will contribute to climate model projections and improve a database of weather extremes. Historians will use your work to track past ship movements and the stories of the people on board.

iNaturalist is a place where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.

From hikers to hunters, birders to beach-combers, the world is filled with naturalists, and many of us record what we find. What if all those observations could be shared online? You might discover someone who finds beautiful wildflowers at your favorite birding spot, or learn about the birds you see on the way to work. If enough people recorded their observations, it would be like a living record of life on Earth that scientists and land managers could use to monitor changes in biodiversity, and anyone could use to learn about nature.

That's the vision behind Naturalist.org. So if you like recording your findings from the outdoors, or if you just like learning about life, join the project!

Eye on Earth brings together scientific information on air and water quality with feedback and observations from millions of ordinary people. You'll be able to view air and bathing water quality for the majority of Europe as well as provide your own feedback.

Eye on Earth represents a partnership between Microsoft and the European Environmental Agency. It includes information on the water quality for more than 22,000 bathing sites throughout Europe. It also includes information on air quality for more than 1,000 air quality monitoring stations throughout Europe.

Over five years, the site will grow to include information on many other environmental topics and turn into a global observatory for environmental change. It will broaden the thematic spectrum of environmental information by integrating prominent environmental challenges of our times, such as ground level ozone and other forms of air pollution, oil sills, biodiversity, and coastal erosion.

Join the fun!

Maryland Science Center's Communicating Climate Change project needs volunteers to take temperature measurements across the urban-rural gradient. The study will look at Urban Heat Islands, which provide a glimpse of what the world will look like with warmer temperatures.

The Urban Heat Island Effect describes the temperature difference between a metropolitan area and the more rural landscape nearby. The Urban Heat Effect is not an effect of climate change, but rather of human activity shaping our environment. One may ask, if we can make changes on a local scale, are we also responsible for changes globally?

The Maryland Science Center and our research partners at the Baltimore Ecosystem Study are proud to join eleven science centers across the nation in the Association of Science and Technology Center’s C3: Communicating Climate Change Citizen Science project.

You too can be a scientist and take part a long term research study!

A citizen science smartphone application is currently in development for 2011. Interested scientists may contact C3@marylandsciencecenter.org to be notified when the application is released to the public.

There is no geographic or age restriction on participation.

Participants will engage in community-based water quality reporting, data sharing, and analysis. Get involved in water quality issues in Toronto, Canada.

"Juturna" is a web-based geographic information system that supports the collection, analysis, data sharing and reporting of community collected water quality data. It is currently implemented to support EcoSpark's "Changing Currents" program that links water quality monitoring to environmental and science curriculum in schools. This project addresses requirements of data sharing and monitoring specified in Annex 4 of the Canada-Ontario Agreement. It provides a collaborative mechanism among researchers at York University, the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority and the civil society organization EcoSpark (formerly Citizens Environment Watch) to monitor environmental conditions of local watersheds. To learn more about Ecospark visit http://www.ecospark.ca/

The Noxious Weeds Citizen Science Project needs volunteers to document the presence or absence of five noxious weeds along 700+ miles of Glacier National Park's hiking trails to determine the distribution and extent of noxious weeds invading the park.

Glacier National Park hosts over 1,000 different types of plants, but the unique native flora has serious competition. There are currently 126 exotic plant species within the park and although many of them are not invasive, the list does include 20 noxious weeds, or highly invasive plants that are a direct threat to the proliferation of native plant communities.

The Non-native Invasive Plant Citizen Science program assists park managers map where invasive plants exist in the back-country. The data gathered by citizen scientists throughout the park's million acres provides critical assistance in mapping these invasive plants and managing them.

Since 2005 the Glacier National Park Citizen Science program has enlisted trained park visitors, staff and volunteers to collect scientific information that would otherwise be unavailable to resource managers and researchers due to lack of personnel or funding. For citizen scientists, the rewards are a sense of stewardship and a greater awareness and understanding of the park’s resource issues. For the park, it provides a wealth of data which can be used to increase understanding of our natural resources, offering an opportunity to get much-needed baseline information about key plant and animal species.

SKYWARN is a national network of volunteer severe weather spotters. The spotters are trained by local National Weather Service Forecast Offices on how to spot severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hail, and flooding. In some parts of the country, spotters also report snowfall and ice accumulation.

During hazardous weather, such as severe thunderstorms, floods, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, SKYWARN volunteers report what is happening at their location. They are asked to report whenever certain criteria are met such as when one inch of rain has fallen, four inches of snow is on the ground, a thunderstorm is producing hail, or trees have been blown down.

Reports arrive at the forecaster's office via the telephone, fax, Internet, and amateur radio. The reports are combined with radar and satellite data to determine what the storms will do next. Spotters provide the "ground-truth" to forecasters. Radar may tell us that heavy snow is falling, but it can not tell us how much snow is on the ground or if rain is mixing with the snow. Spotters do. The reports are used by forecasters to send out public statements, warnings and advisories, and short-term forecasts.

Two-thirds of SKYWARN volunteers are licensed amateur radio operators. Amateur radio plays a big role in the SKYWARN program. During severe weather, amateur radio volunteers man a radio station at our office. They talk to our spotters in the particular area that a storm is hitting and request information needed by the forecasters such as hail size or rainfall accumulation. Large storms such as hurricanes can knock out phone service. SKYWARN amateur radio volunteers help us when there are communications outages so that we can continue to receive weather reports and feed warnings and other critical information out to communities.

SKYWARN volunteers are people who either have a strong interest in weather or are public service oriented. This includes amateur radio operators, REACT members, or emergency response personnel. Our spotters are all ages beginning as young as 14 and range well into retirement age. We have farmers, pilots, engineers, housewives, lawyers, television cameramen, teachers, students, firemen, and more. Our volunteers are truly diverse but with a common interest in weather and a strong desire to help their community.

Adopt-A-Peak volunteers agree to visit a peak or trail section in the Appalachian Mountains periodically during the growing season. Volunteers will help track long-term trends in plant flowering, fall foliage, and visibility conditions on the mountain they adopt.

Hikers are great resources for frequent reporting from remote areas that could not be observed otherwise. Adopt-A-Peak focuses our monitoring efforts on a specific location year after year. Volunteers are needed for forest and alpine flower monitoring from late May through August, but this effort intensifies in June, which is Flower Watch Month. Fall foliage monitoring can begin as early as September and go through the end of leaf drop.

Visibility is monitored on every visit by taking a photograph. Volunteers are encouraged to monitor both plants and visibility.

Individuals, school groups, outing clubs, flower groups: Adopt-A-Peak!

Mountain Watch needs hikers like you to observe the timing of flower and fruit development along Appalachian Mountain trails. These data will be included in a long-term study to understand how shifts in climate trends may impact mountain flora.

Plants in ecosystems that depend on colder weather, such as alpine and other mountain environments, may act as sensitive bioindicators of climate change. Scientists are paying particular attention to alpine and arctic ecosystems around the world. Although alpine areas in the northeast United States are rare, they are economically, socially, and spiritually a distinct part of the Appalachian mountains.

Mountain Watch scientists will compile your data and produce a web-based database of the observations. As this collection of information grows, it will be analyzed for trends indicating climate change. The information will also be used for public education, to raise media attention, and to advocate for appropriate environmental policy to address climate change.

Mountain Watch will share your monitoring reports with its partners, the National Phenology Network (see http://scienceforcitizens.net/project/7/ ) and the Appalachian Trail Mega-Transect Monitoring project, contributing unique mountain data to these larger national and regional studies. By collecting data from thousands of hikers in the Appalachian Mountains, the project aims to further scientific understanding of how global climate change affects the health and vitality of key flora in mountain ecosystems.

Explore, share, and contribute photos of animals around the world. Animals and Earth is a resource for photos of all species, their behavior, habitats, and conservation efforts.

There are several ways you can participate.

Option A: Find photos or issues you care about by browsing our photo collection of animals and earth photos. Gather a photo collection, create a blog, and start your own conservation effort using our content

Option B: Grab your camera and help document the flora and fauna of your place on earth.

Option C: Help identify animals and places on our site by adding photo locations and Latin names for animals photos that are not identified yet. Post photos to websites, blogs and social networks promotes awareness and conservation.

The Great Lakes Worm Watch needs citizen scientists to conduct earthworm surveys in forests and other habitats in Minnesota.

Earthworms are not native to the Great Lakes Region; they were all wiped out after the last glaciation. The current population, brought here by early Europeans, is slowly changing the face of our native forests, but very little is known about the distributions of earthworm and earthworm species across the region. While valuable, this type of information is labor-intensive, and it is difficult for researchers to get funding to do this kind of work. Citizen scientists can help.

There are several ways to get involved:

1. Document earthworm occurrences: This involves collecting and sending earthworm specimens with location information to Great Lakes Worm Watch. These specimens will be archived at the University of Minnesota, and the species and location information will be added to the project database.

2. Collect habitat data: Great Lakes Worm Watch would like data from all habitat types, especially natural ecosystems like forests, woodlands, and prairies. In addition, data from habitats dominated by human activity are also of value, such as farm fields, pastures, and parks. Depending on your level of interest and expertise, you can choose to conduct a general or detailed habitat survey. You can use the instructions and data sheets developed by the project coordinators to make the data easily transferable to the database.

3. Conduct soil surveys: In addition to earthworm and habitat data, Great Lakes Worm Watch is also interested in getting data about the soil conditions at sites in which you sampled for earthworms. You can use the instructions and data sheet developed by project coordinators to make the data easily transferable to the database.

Get started! Anyone can make a BIG difference when it comes to containing the spread of exotic earthworms!

On the evening of May 18, NASA all-sky meteor cameras located at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and at the Walker County Science Center near Chickamauga, Ga. tracked the entry of a large meteor estimated to weigh some 60 pounds over northeastern Alabama. This meteor was first picked up at an altitude of 47 miles over northwest Huntsville, moving at a speed of 8 miles per second toward the southeast. It was last visible northeast of Gurley at an altitude of 23 miles. The meteor was quite bright, with an intensity rivaling that of the waxing crescent moon (in astronomical terms, it was about visual magnitude -8.3).

Residents who saw the meteor on the night of the 18th, or those who may have noticed or picked up an unusual rock in the vicinity are requested to contact the NASA Meteoroid Environment Office at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Eyewitnesses are asked to give a detailed description, including the time of the sighting, and those who suspect they have a meteorite are requested to give the location of the find and provide a digital photo of the object.

COASST is a network of citizen scientists that monitor marine resources and ecosystem health at 300 beaches across northern California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

Team volunteers pledge to survey their beach every month. In return, the COASST office pledges to put all of the data together, decipher the patterns across the entire survey range, and give that information back out to volunteers and the communities.

COASST believes that the citizens of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with citizens, natural resource management agencies, and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions.

Tracking Climate in Your Backyard seeks to engage youth in real science through the collection, recording, and understanding of precipitation data in the forms of rain, hail, and snow.

The purpose of this project is to encourage youth, specifically ages 8-12, to better understand the scientific process by engaging them in the collection of meaningful meteorological data in their community. In this way, youth develop an understanding of scientific methods and standardization, and by recording and sharing their data through a citizen science project, they recognize the importance of accurate data collection. The citizen science portion of the project, the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (see http://scienceforcitizens.net/project/25/ ), collects precipitation data for scientific analysis and for issuance of severe storm warnings and flash flooding events. We believe that when youth know they are contributing data to a real, scientific cause, their engagement levels rise.

This National Science Foundation-funded project is a collaboration between the Paleontological Research Institution and Museum of the Earth, which have experience in professional development and informal education, New York State 4-H, which provides an excellent outreach base and fosters hands-on, experiential learning for youth, and the <a href="http://scienceforcitizens.net/project/25/">Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network</a>, which runs a citizen science project to record precipitation measurements in an online database.

South American Wildlands and Biodiversity needs volunteers to help identify, describe, and protect wildland complexes and roadless areas in South America.

Volunteers will use Google Earth to identify and map existing roads in areas of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. Volunteers are needed who have access to Google Earth and are comfortable working on computers.

In addition, field volunteers are needed in South America to visit these areas on the ground and confirm the accuracy of the maps. Some of the more specialized tasks that field volunteers will perform include the use of global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) equipment, as well as recording photographs and notes about the areas visited.

The wildlands of South America present one of the most important reservoirs of biodiversity on the planet. Mapping South American Wildlands is an ambitious project of the Pacific Biodiversity Institute, with Latin American conservation partners, to map all the wildlands in South America, to evaluate their contribution to global biodiversity, and to share and disseminate this information.

This project will first focus on mapping and analyzing the roadless/undeveloped areas in the southern cone countries (Chile and Argentina) using a procedure that the Pacific Biodiversity Institute developed to map the wildlands of the United States in 2001.

The Mastodon Matrix Project needs citizen volunteers to analyze actual samples of matrix (the dirt) from a 14,000 year old mastodon excavated in New York! Learn the process of science and work like a paleontologist on real research material!

Volunteers sort through the matrix to find shells, bones, hair, pieces of plants, and rocks from the time when the mastodons lived and roamed the Earth. The matrix and discoveries are then sent back to the Paleontological Research Institution, where they will be cataloged and further analyzed by paleontologists to help scientists form a true picture of the ecology and environment of the late Pleistocene.

Mastodons are extinct relatives of modern elephants. Mastodons were numerous and widespread in North America up until around 10,000 years ago, when they became extinct--with many other species--at the end of the last glacial period.

The Community Aquatic Monitoring Program works with volunteers to monitor the health and marine productivity of Canada's water ecosystem.

Volunteers collect biological data from live small fish and crustaceans that are captured and released. These data include the identification of fish and crustacean species; the numbers of fish and crustaceans; water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen; general aquatic vegetation profiles; and sediment and water samples.

With this information, scientists working with government agencies and universities can undertake nutrient analyses, organic loading assessments, and identify changes in the aquatic community structure. With this in hand, identification of cause may be determined and actions put into place to mitigate potential negative impacts.

The Fossil Finders Investigation is a unique opportunity for students to assist paleontologists in answering the scientific research question: "Do the organisms in the shallow Devonian sea stay the same during environmental changes?"

Students involved in the project will identify and measure fossils in rock samples, enter their data into an online database, and compare their data with the data of other schools. Processing this data will provide students an opportunity to engage in authentic research. Further, students will help scientists at the Paleontological Research Institution reconstruct the geologic past of central New York. Education researchers from Cornell Department of Education and scientists from the research institution will provide teachers and students with resources and online support for fossil identification.

The Fossil Finders project staff and scientists will help in answering questions via the project website and fielding digital photographs of samples difficult to identify. This collaborative effort will involve students in learning about how science is done in the process of learning science content-matter.

Learning about geological concepts, environmental change, and nature of science will occur concurrently with students’ involvement in the Fossil Finders scientific investigation. The Fossil Finders curriculum also encourages classroom field trips to outcrop sites or local natural history museums to supplement the curriculum; however, virtual visits will be made possible through the project website.

The Quake-Catcher Network provides software so that individuals can join together to improve earthquake monitoring, earthquake awareness, and the science of earthquakes.

The Quake-Catcher Network links existing networked laptops and desktops in hopes to form the world’s largest and densest earthquake monitoring system. With your help, the Quake-Catcher Network can provide better understanding of earthquakes, give early warning to schools, emergency response systems, and others.

The Quake-Catcher Network also provides a natural way to engage students and the public in earthquake detection and research. This project places USB-connectable sensors in K-12 classrooms as an educational tool for teaching science and a scientific tool for studying and monitoring earthquakes. Through a variety of interactive experiments students can learn about earthquakes and the hazards that earthquakes pose.

Earthquake safety is a responsibility shared by billions worldwide. Let's get to work!

Archeology Dig started by Louis Leakey to study the origins of Early Man in the Americas. Volunteer on site in the California high desert or process artifacts in the San Bernardino County Museum under the direction of Dr. Dee Schroth, SBCM Curator of Anthropology, and Calico Project Archaeologist.

Volunteers wade through creeks in Contra Costa County (California), using the latest technology and scientific protocols to collect baseline data on our local watersheds. Our two primary programs are Bioassessment sampling and GPS Creek Surveys.

Bioassessment - Using aquatic insects as indicators of water quality, volunteers learn more about the health of their neighborhood creeks and identify potential problem areas. While water samples yield a detailed identification of the water at the time of sampling, the density and diversity of bugs in our creeks yield a watershed-level perspective of water quality and habitat viability over time.

GPS Creek Surveys - Using Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, volunteers map the physical attributes of the stream channel (substrate, canopy cover, bank characteristics, etc.), extent and type of native and invasive vegetation, and human influences (outfalls, dams, etc.).

Joining a data collection event is a fun way to explore parts of your urban environment most people never see, but they are more than just fun ... they’re science!

Klamath Riverkeeper is excited to bring citizen monitoring to the Shasta watershed in 2010 with our first citizen water quality monitoring initiative. We’ll start by training citizens to collect water quality data at points on Yreka Creek and the Shasta River this spring & summer.

The goals of the program are to:
1) Fill a recognized scientific monitoring gap in the Klamath and Shasta River watersheds,
2) Add monitoring capacity to existing and future restoration and stream assessment projects,
3) Provide an educational outreach opportunity to the public in the City of Yreka.

How much snow is on the ground where you are? Cryosphere researchers at the University of Waterloo want to know!

The Snowtweets Project provides a way for people interested in snow measurements to quickly broadcast their own snow depth measurements to the web. These data are then picked up by our database and mapped in near real time. We are especially interested in using web-based digital technologies to map snow data; currently, the project uses the micro-blogging site Twitter as its data broadcasting scheme.

To view the snow depth measurements (or Tweets), we have developed a data visualization tool called Snowbird that lets you explore the reported snow depths around the globe (see http://bit.ly/a73joY). The viewer shows where the reports are located and how much snow there is at each reported site.

The Snowtweets Project is in early stages of development and we plan to update and improve it as we go along. We rely on user participation to measure snow depth (including zero snow depth) and then send the measurements in.

Help researchers map the location of graveyards around the globe and then use marble gravestones in those graveyards to measure the weathering rate of marble at that location. The weathering rates of gravestones are an indication of changes in the acidity of rainfall between locations and over time. The acidity is affected by air pollution and other factors, and could be used as a measure of changes in climate and pollution levels.

This project has two levels of data collection. The Graveyard Data level - the location of graveyards - requires only a GPS. The Gravestone Data level - the measurement of the weathering of marble gravestones - requires a micrometer. You can do the first or both tasks, but we strongly suggest that before you purchase a micrometer (available through the EarthTrek online store, at hardware and some hobby stores) that you make sure that you can locate the type of gravestone.

Collecting the location data of the graveyards is an important part of this project. Logging data about graveyards that do not contain the marble gravestones is equally important.

The Open Dinosaur Project was founded to involve scientists and the public alike in developing a comprehensive database of dinosaur limb bone measurements, to investigate questions of dinosaur function and evolution. We have three major goals:1) do good science; 2) do this science in the most open way possible; and 3) allow anyone who is interested to participate. And by anyone, we mean anyone! We do not care about your education, geographic location, age, or previous background with paleontology. The only requirement for joining us is that you share the goals of our project and are willing to help out in the efforts.

Volunteers-In-Parks participants work side-by-side with National Park Service employees to preserve the United States' natural and cultural legacy and to help visitors discover the resources, meanings, and values found in its national parks. Anyone can be a "VIP": individuals, couples, families, students, and organized groups from all over the United States and the world. Become a VIP and put yourself at the heart of the park experience!

Volunteers-In-Parks participants play an ever-increasing role in national parks through a variety of jobs, including answering visitor questions at an information desk, presenting living history demonstrations in period costumes, building fences, painting buildings, making cabinets, giving guided nature walks and evening campfire programs, assisting with preservation of museum artifacts, maintaining trails, building boardwalks, designing computer programs or park websites, and serving on a bike, horseback, or beach patrol.

National Park Service internships provide learning opportunities through activities such as wilderness re-vegetation, assistance with preservation and restoration projects, water quality monitoring, surveying, educational cave tours, or assisting resource management staff. Internships offer an interesting and educational experience in some of the most beautiful areas of the country.

This is your chance to get actively involved in the stewardship of the United States' national and natural treasures.

Geoscientists-in-the-Parks partners geoscience students and experts with volunteers to conduct scientific research that helps the National Park Service better understand and manage its natural resources. Participants may assist with research, synthesis of scientific literature, geologic mapping, geographic information system analysis, site evaluations, resource inventorying and monitoring, impact mitigation, developing brochures and informative media presentations, and educating park staff as well as park visitors.

Volunteers selected for the program have a unique opportunity to contribute to a variety of important research, resource management, interpretation and education projects. Parks benefit from a participant’s knowledge and skills in geological or physical sciences, while each participant gains valuable experience by working with the National Park Service. Volunteers with all levels of experience are encouraged to apply.

The National Science Digital Library encourages citizens to help enlarge and strengthen their library of high quality resources and tools that support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Developers of content in these subject areas, National Science Foundation grantees, educators and learners, and all other members of the community are welcome to recommend digital resources for the library. These resources include activities, lesson plans, Web sites, simulations, or any materials that help educators meet the demands of an increasingly complex technology-based world.

As a national network of learning environments, resources, and partnerships, the National Science Digital Library seeks to serve a vital role in educational cyberlearning for the nation, meeting the informational and technological needs of educators and learners at all levels.

The US Geological Survey's Twitter Earthquake Detection Program gathers real-time, earthquake-related messages from Twitter and applies place, time, and keyword filtering to gather geo-located accounts of shaking. This approach provides rapid first-impression narratives and, potentially, photos from citizens at the hazard’s location. The potential for earthquake detection in regions that are populated but where seismic instruments are sparse is also being investigated.

Data from the project will support other earthquake projects that rapidly detect and report earthquake locations and magnitudes in the United States and globally. The Program will also determine the best way to broadcast scientifically confirmed earthquake alerts via Twitter.

Related Material:
http://twitter.com/USGSted
http://www.usgs.gov/corecast/details.asp?ep=113

The Nebraska Master Naturalist Program is a volunteer program designed to train participants to conduct scientific research, conservation education, outreach, and service in their communities. Volunteers learn about Nebraska’s ecosystems and biodiversity, acquire new skills, and network with others who share a passion for the conservation of natural resources.

Beginning with 40 hours of primary training, participants get instruction both formally and in the field. Participants will learn from and work alongside professionals, land managers, and faculty to complete an in-depth training in the natural resources. This primary training is followed with 20 hours of specialized training in a preferred subject area, including citizen science, resource management, interpretation, and outdoor skills training.

EpiCollect is a mobile phone application that allows professional and citizen scientists to gather, submit, and access research data through a central web database. The software is powered by Google Maps and Android, Google's open-source operating system.

EpiCollect was designed for epidemiological and ecological studies but has potential for a number of other fields, including economics, public health, and resource allocation. Individual users can input data (variables, photos, location, etc.) into EpiCollect from their mobile phone, which is synchronized to a central database. An accompanying web application, located at www.spatialepidemiology.net, provides a common location for mapping, visualization, and analysis of the data by everyone involved in the study.

Related Material: http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2009/11/droid_does_citizen_science/

Botanicalls provides an opportunity for plants that might otherwise be neglected to request assistance. When a plant needs water, a moisture-sensing system alerts its caretaker via call, text message, or Twitter.

Botanicalls opens a new channel of communication between plants and humans in an effort to promote successful inter-species understanding.

Related Material: http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2008/10/your_plant_is_twittering_im_thirsty/

The Great World Wide Star Count is an international event that encourages learning in astronomy by inviting everyone to go outside, look skywards after dark, count the stars they see in certain constellations, and report what they see online.

Participating in the event is fun and easy! You can join thousands of other students, families and citizen scientists from around the world counting stars. Don't miss out!

"Did You Feel It?" provides an opportunity for people who experience an earthquake to share information about its effects to help create a map of shaking intensities and damage. By taking advantage of the vast numbers of Internet users, the project garners a more complete description of what people experienced, the effects of the earthquake, and the extent of damage. The resulting “Community Internet Intensity Maps” contribute greatly to the quick assessment of the scope of an earthquake emergency and provide valuable data for earthquake research.

The Santa Fe National Forest Site Stewards are volunteers who monitor archaeological and historical sites for evidence of deterioration due to natural causes or vandalism. They also serve as spokespersons to the general public by fostering awareness of the importance of preserving these sites.

Site Stewards are selected in part for their commitment to preserving the cultural heritage of the Santa Fe National Forest through their actions as the "eyes" and "legs" of the Heritage Resources staff. Site Stewards are also committed to educating the public and supporting the efforts of others who share these goals. Other skills such as archaeological experience, photography, and leadership are also taken into consideration.

Casey Trees is a Washington DC-based organization that enlists volunteers to help restore, enhance, and protect the tree canopy of our Nation’s Capital.

At the heart of this effort are community volunteers known as "Citizen Foresters," who serve as tree ambassadors to their local community on behalf of Casey Trees. Citizen Foresters teach new volunteers how to properly plant and care for trees, represent Casey Trees at neighborhood meetings and events, perform tree maintenance such as watering and mulching, and spread the word about Casey Trees and the value of urban forests.

Casey Trees also offers many opportunities for citizen scientists interested in the environment, including their Trees 101 course, design and planting workshops, and urban forestry inventory training.

Related Material: Become a Citizen Forester With Casey Trees (Science Cheerleader blog): http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2009/05/become_a_citizen_forester_with_casey_trees/

[submitted by J. Ohab 9/28/09]

Earthdive is a global citizen science project that calls on recreational scuba divers and snorkelers to monitor the ocean for key indicator species.

When you participate in Earthdive, your observations are recorded in a special database known as the Global Dive Log and are accessible through a clever Google mapping interface. Over time, observations are aggregated to create a Global Snapshot of the state of the world’s oceans.

In addition to being an international research project, Earthdive is also an advocacy conduit for marine conservation. Each contributor's name is added to a petition demanding action from policymakers to help protect our oceans.

Earthdive is a revolutionary new concept in citizen science and a global research project for millions of recreational scuba divers who can help preserve the health and diversity of our oceans.

Related Material: Find Nemo, Help Scientists, and Influence Policymakers with Earthdive (Science Cheerleader blog) http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2009/07/find_nemo_help_scientists_and_influence_policymakers_with_earth_dive/

EnvironMentors provides mentors to high school students from under-represented backgrounds for college degree programs in environmental and related science fields. The program matches minority high school students with college and university faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, and science and environmental professionals, in one-to-one mentoring relationships. Working together, students and mentors develop rigorous environmental science research projects over the course of the academic year.

In the spring, EnvironMentors students present their projects to elementary school classes in their respective school districts and to a team of judges at each chapter's EnvironMentors Fair. The top three students from each chapter travel to Washington, D.C., to present their project at the National EnvironMentors Fair.

EnvironMentors' integrative approach to identifying pressing environmental issues through hands-on application of the scientific method supported by a mentor has proven beneficial all students and life-changing for some.

Related Material: Call For EnviroMentors (Science Cheerleader blog): http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2009/08/call_for_environmentors/