Citizen Science at MSU - April 2024, Part 1

Citizen Science Month 2024 - Part 1

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.

April is Citizen Science Month!

We just about to start the year’s biggest citizen science celebration. April is always Citizen Science Month, an annual event from SciStarter and partners. Citizen Science is a global movement that involves people from all walks of life in real science that matters to them. There is so much to share that this newsletter is just Part 1 of all the action... stay tuned for Part 2 and more amazing citizen science at MSU!

Eclipse Soundscape Observers - April 8, 2024

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project is a NASA Citizen Science project funded by NASA Science Activation that is studying how eclipses affect life on Earth during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024.

Eclipse Soundscapes is collecting your multi-sensory observations and recorded sound data from the April 2024 total solar eclipse. The observations and sound data collected will help us understand the impact of 2023, and 2024 solar eclipses on various U.S. ecosystems.

Learn more about how you can get involved on the Eclipse Soundscapes webpage.

Montana State University 2024 BioBlitz

Join the MSU Science Math Resource Center in celebrating International Citizen Science Month and learn more about Montana biodiversity! We're on a mission to collect as many sightings of local wildlife, including wild animals, plants, and fungi, as we can.

This project is open to participants throughout the state, just be sure to become a member of the project. Note: You'll need to register for a free account on iNaturalist and download the mobile app if you want to submit photos directly from your phone. The photos that you take that "need ID" or are "research grade" will be added automatically to this project. For more information on how to submit your photos, identifying your sightings, geotag your observations, etc., check out the iNaturalist tutorial page.

To join our team, simply follow the QR code above or check out the iNaturalist project webpage.

For more information, please contact Julia Wente, SMRC’s Program Coordinator.

SciStarter's One Million Acts of Science

Be part of ONE MILLION ACTS OF SCIENCE April 1-30, 2024

First, check out SciStarter's April calendar to find a fun topic and project, then click on it to learn the details. Participate in any project or event highlighted here or try the quick search boxes further down this page.

Report your Act using the form for a chance to win prizes!

Join the National Girls Collaborative Project and the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative for a Citizen Science presentation on April 30

Citizen science is open to ALL and involves curious people whose individual acts contribute to a collective impact that is accelerating scientific research, discoveries, and local actions that improve the world. From sharing photos of nature to help scientists document biodiversity to browsing images on your computer to help speed up research about Alzheimer's disease, each of these acts of science is important.

Join the National Girls Collaborative Project, Montana State University, and SciStarter for this exciting webinar to hear examples of citizen science projects, gain ideas and resources for getting involved with projects, and learn how girls and other groups historically marginalized in science can benefit from participation in these programs. We hope you will join us to celebrate Citizen Science Month, work to broaden participation in the sciences and support scientific research!

It would be great to have lots of Montanans in the audience --

Plastic Free Parks

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.

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

Become a Citizen Science Explorer with SciQuest

April 21 at 10am Mountain Time

SciQuest is a citizen science project focused on better understanding the people who participate in citizen science or are considering doing so. It's also a great way to deepen your interactions with and personal journey with citizen science.Let SciQuest be your companion project to help you explore your growth as a citizen scientist!

Find out more more about citizen science and yourself with SciQuest — learn how you can get involved with this online event!

Help start a student citizen science club at MSU!

We are helping start a student club at MSU for people interested in citizen science. If you know any students who may like to be a club officer, brainstorm ideas, or just be a member, please encourage them to sign our interest form or scan the QR code, and we will be in touch soon!

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