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SUMMER 2023

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Do you love citizen science? We do!

We at the Science Math Resource Center are fans of citizen science and are building a Citizen Science Network. We will send this occasional e-newsletter to share news and information about citizen science events and opportunities at MSU, in Montana and across the country. If you have an item to share, an idea for building the network, or a question, please contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.

Get a free citizen science / neuroscience kit for middle school students. Applications due June 23

The MSU Science Math Resource Center is offering a free citizen science / neuroscience kit to 10 programs that serve middle school students. Applications are due June 23 and kits will be sent immediately after. Programs are asked to use the materials by Sept. 30 and fill out a short post-program survey.


The kit includes a video tutorial, instructor's guide and physical materials to complete two online citizen science projects: one on Alzheimer's Disease and another on relationships between the eye and the brain. The supplies are yours to keep and use again and again! The kits are supported by the MSU Outreach and Engagement Council as part of their seed grant program to promote engagement with external partners, improve quality of life and benefit the public. The kits were created by MSU student Chloe Moreland with support from Montana Afterschool Alliance.


Apply here by June 23 or contact Jeannie Chipps for information.

We were honored to attend the annual conference of the Citizen Science AssociationC*Sci 2023 hosted by Arizona State University in partnership with SciStarter. The multi-day conference included interactive workshops, keynote speakers, and lots of posters, discussions and networking.

 

Below are just a few of the highlights and links you may enjoy.

 

  • NASA offers dozens of citizen science projects, including many that can be done online from any location. See them all here.


  • Speaking of NASA, we are coming up on the Heliophysics Big Year – a year-long (actually 14 months) global celebration of solar science and the Sun’s influence on Earth and the entire solar system. The period of October 2023 to December 2024 includes two solar eclipses and other significant events.

 

  • We also learned about the Data Ethics Toolkit, a resource developed for considering ethical issues surrounding data, the bedrock of science. It was built collaboratively by and for practitioners of citizen and community science. You can download a PDF of the toolkit or work through an online module (and even earn a digital badge!) on SciStarter.

 

  • Keynote speaker Nick Cain presented “AI for Good: Building Equity and Shared Opportunity through Technology.” Nick is with the Patrick J. McGinnis Foundation, and their website offers many examples of how Artificial Intelligence can be used to enhance human health, research, education and more.

 

  • And of course, our all-time favorite, SciStarter, had a huge presence at the conference, with lots of information about their library kits program and other amazing projects.

 

Learn more about C*Sci Association (including a potential new name change) at citizenscience.org

MSU campus tree trek was a success!

To celebrate Citizen Science Month, MSU’s Science Math Resource Center hosted the Campus Tree Trek from April 17 to May 4, 2023. We selected six common tree species across campus and organized a scavenger hunt for students, staff, and visitors. Highlighted species included the green ash, Douglas fir, blue spruce, quaking aspen, ponderosa pine, and the limber pine. Along with the scavenger hunt, participants were able to scan QR codes on each tree that redirected them to a site where they could learn more about the species and submit a short survey. 


To aid participants in their search, we shared a list of approximate locations and hints about the tree’s appearance when we promoted the activity in MSU Today, the SMRC website, and SciStarter. In total, 10 participants completed the entire trek, including 4 undergraduate students, 4 graduate students, and 2 faculty and/or staff members. 


Thanks to Dr. Danielle Ulrich’s Plant Physiology Ecology Lab and the MSU Arborist Team for helping execute the project! If you are an MSU research team that would like to do something similar as part of a Broader Impacts plan, please email us at smrc@montana.edu

Learn more about citizen science this summer


If you're attending either the OPI Summer Institute or the STEM Summer Institute at MSU this summer, we hope you will join SMRC for talks and workshops on citizen science.

  • OPI Summer Institute: Citizen Science: It's More than Just Science (Wednesday, June 21 at 11:45am) Registration is free for Montana educators and administrators. Visit the conference website


  • STEM Summer Institute: Citizen Science: How to Get Started or Take It to the Next Level. July 31-Aug. 2. SSI is an amazing 3-day conference for Montana educators of any grade level or situation. Registration is just $225. Learn more.

Citizen Science in the Montana News

On May 16, the Science Math Resource Center visited Roberts School as part of the NASA AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network project. The kids even reported n some of the story! Check out the news article from TV Q2 in Billings.

Project suggestion: The non-profit organization, 5Gyres, is officially making Plastic-Free Parks an annual campaign to track plastic pollution trends in U.S. National Parks and federal lands. Data collected using the TrashBlitz app will contribute to a report that will detail the materials, items, and brands of waste found in national parks, along with recommended solutions. 


This citizen science project is open to volunteers around the country, and if you’re not near a National Park, volunteers are still encouraged to participate on federal land or NPS units near them. Be sure to check out the 2022 Plastic-Free Parks Report as well!


Head to any national park, do a cleanup, and submit your data. Sign up here.

Reminder: check out a citizen science kit this summer from the MSU library!

The MSU Science Math Resource Center has partnered with the MSU Library to provide four citizen science kits that all MSU Library users, including community borrowers, may use for free. A citizen science kit holds everything needed to gather data for a specific citizen science project. Each kit was field-tested by librarians and patrons and includes a printed activity guide, helpful tips, and any specialized tools or materials needed to complete the project, as well as information about student researchers in Montana. The kits are all linked to national citizen science projects and focus on light pollution, pollinators, biodiversity and water.


Thanks to Montana NSF EPSCoR for sponsoring this program and bringing more STEM to the people of Montana! Read the full MSU News article by Anne Cantrell here.

Check out more on our MSU Citizen Science Network page

This newsletter is brought to you by the MSU Science Math Resource Center with support from the NASA AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network (AREN) and Montana NSF EPSCoR