Volunteers from around the world are stepping up as citizen scientists by helping researchers analyze data, and you can help too! You can help scientists....
identify and classify animals and their behaviors using photo snapshots from around the world.
transcribe handwritten information into digital text.
identify cells, parts of cells, and even diabetic retinopathy!
explore space by looking for and/or identifying galaxies, planets, solar storms, and much more.
locate rural homes in African countries so they can design better rural electrical grids.
transcribe stories of men and women during periods of war.
If you are interested in helping out researchers, use the "Citizen Scientist Projects" link below. Choose a research project (sometimes referred to as a "workflow" on the website) you are interested in, and click on the "Get Started" button for that project. It's really that simple! Each project will provide information on what your specific task will be, and give you examples as needed. You can also click on the "Learn More" button for the project to learn more about their goals before you get started.
If you are worried that this is something you won't be able to do, start simple. A few projects that are pretty easy to help out with are recommended below. Once you feel comfortable, start trying new projects!
Recommendations for Starting Simple:
All you need to do for this project is help the scientists identify which pictures have skinks in them!
Watch geese at their nests and identify their behaviors. Are they sitting, standing, or doing something else?
Help scientists study penguin populations by counting the penguins in the pictures you see.
I mean, who doesn't like looking at pictures of cute penguins?
Why are citizen scientists important?
Read the article linked below to learn just how important citizen scientists are!