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Citizen Science Project Finder

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About This MicroSim

This MicroSim transforms students from passive learners into active participants in environmental research by helping them find citizen science projects that match their interests and circumstances. The interactive card layout displays over ten real citizen science projects, each showing the project name, topic area, difficulty level, time commitment, and equipment needed.

Students can filter projects using dropdown menus for topic (birds, water, air, plants, climate), difficulty level (beginner, intermediate, advanced), and indoor/outdoor setting. A "Match Me" personality quiz asks five quick questions about student preferences and recommends the most suitable projects based on their answers.

Each project card can be clicked to reveal a full description with details about what the project involves and how to get started. The color-coded interface groups projects by topic area -- green for biodiversity, blue for water quality, purple for air quality, and orange for climate monitoring -- making it easy to browse by interest area.

How to Use

  1. Browse the project cards displayed on screen, each showing a citizen science opportunity with its topic, difficulty, and time commitment.
  2. Use the Topic dropdown to filter by interest area (Birds, Water, Plants, Climate, or Air).
  3. Use the Difficulty filter to show only projects matching your experience level (Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced).
  4. Use the Setting filter to choose between indoor and outdoor projects.
  5. Click the Match Me button to take a 5-question quiz that recommends projects based on your personal preferences.
  6. Click any project card to expand its full description and learn how to get started.
  7. Click Reset to clear all filters and return to the full project listing.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/ecology/sims/citizen-science/main.html"
        height="642px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School Environmental Science / Biology)

Duration

35 minutes

Learning Objectives

  • Select appropriate citizen science projects based on personal interests, location, and available resources
  • Explain how citizen science contributes to authentic environmental research and data collection
  • Evaluate the scientific rigor and accessibility of different citizen science programs
  • Describe how large-scale data collection by volunteers advances ecological understanding

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of the scientific method and data collection
  • Familiarity with ecology concepts such as biodiversity, water quality, and climate monitoring
  • Access to a web browser

Standards Alignment

  • NGSS HS-LS2-7: Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment.
  • NGSS Science and Engineering Practice 3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
  • AP Environmental Science: Topic 9.10 -- Sustainability

Activities

  1. Engage (5 min): Ask students if they have ever contributed to a science project outside of school. Introduce the concept of citizen science and explain that millions of volunteers contribute data that professional scientists use in published research. Show one example (eBird or iNaturalist) and the scale of data collected.

  2. Explore (10 min): Students use the project finder individually. First, browse all projects without filters to see the range of opportunities. Then use the "Match Me" quiz to get personalized recommendations. Students record their top three project choices and explain why each appeals to them.

  3. Explain (10 min): Class discussion about what makes citizen science scientifically valid. How do projects ensure data quality from untrained volunteers? What kinds of research questions require large-scale distributed data collection? Compare projects by difficulty and discuss what training is needed for advanced projects like Reef Check vs. beginner projects like CoCoRaHS.

  4. Extend (10 min): Students select one project and create a one-page action plan that includes: what they would observe or measure, what equipment they need, a realistic schedule for participation, and how their data would contribute to the larger research effort. Students share plans with a partner for peer feedback.

Assessment Questions

  1. Why is citizen science particularly valuable for ecological research that requires data across large geographic areas?
  2. Choose two projects from the finder at different difficulty levels. Compare what training and equipment each requires.
  3. How do citizen science platforms like iNaturalist use technology to maintain data quality from volunteer observers?
  4. Describe one citizen science project you could realistically participate in this semester. What data would you collect and how would it be used?
  5. What are the limitations of citizen science data compared to data collected by professional researchers?

References

  1. Bonney, R., et al. (2014). Next Steps for Citizen Science. Science, 343(6178), 1436-1437.
  2. SciStarter. (2024). Citizen Science Project Finder. scistarter.org
  3. Dickinson, J. L., et al. (2012). The Current State of Citizen Science as a Tool for Ecological Research and Public Engagement. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 10(6), 291-297.