North York Central Library Blog

Public domain image. From Nicole Oresme's "Traité de la sphère".

For most of human history, all scientists were amateurs…

Are you among the many people who attend our science programs or pick up our monthly Free Science Events (PDF) calendars? If so, why not take your interest in science to the next level by becoming a citizen scientist?

What is citizen science, you ask? Here's a simple definition from " Lab Coats for All! A Layperson's Guide to Citizen Science ":

Citizen Science (CS) is a data-gathering technique that allows anyone to volunteer their time in support of scientific research projects.       

In other words, citizen science projects harness the power of the internet to allow non-scientists to participate in research. You can'think of it as crowd-sourced science.

The Zooniverse, sponsored by the Citizen Science Alliance, is one of the largest and most popular web portals for research projects. Over 1.2 million people have registered to participate in projects such as:

• Moon Zoo participants will use images from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to study the lunar surface
• Planet Hunters monitor light curves recorded by the Kepler spacecraft to search for exoplanets
• Penguin Watch volunteers study images of penguins  taken in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean to help scientists understand their lives and environment
• Cell Slider participants contribute to cancer research by analyzing slides and classifying cancer cells

NOVA Labs is another citizen science portal. It's projects include:

• Cloud Lab, in which participants classify clouds and investigate their role in tropical storms
• RNA VirtuaLab volunteers start by practicing RNA folding and can go on to design RNA molecules that could potentially be used in future therapies

Would you like to learn more about the citizen science movement? 

Inspired by her involvement in environmental studies, the author celebrates the volunteerism that fuels the citizen science movement and urges others to become involved.	This highly recommended book describes several popular citizen science projects and their impact both on research and on the general public.

Would you like to learn more about the contributions made by amateur scientists?

Be inspired by these tales of ordinary people who were responsible for some of our greatest scientific discoveries.	available as a book, eBook and eAudiobook Hitt examines the American love of innovation through the stories of contemporary amateur scientists.	The story of the amateur naturalists who discovered, collected and classified much of the Earth's biodiversity.