Scistarter
Self-portrait
About SciStarter
SciStarter is the place to find, join, and contribute to science through more than 1600 formal and informal research projects and events. Our database of citizen science projects enables discovery, organization, and greater participation in citizen science. Learn more about citizen science and check out these Ten Principles of Citizen Science.
With support from the National Science Foundation, Arizona State University's Center for Engagement and Training in Science and Society and SciStarter are creating SciStarter 2.0 (coming soon):
- An identity management system and open integrated registration for participants to more easily engage in multiple citizen science projects, even across platforms and disciplines - GIS implementation so would-be participants can find opportunities near them - Ability for participants to track their projects, participation, and contributions to science - Participants can create privacy-protected profiles and find people and projects of interest to them
If you are a scientist or a representative of a citizen science organization or community: SciStarter is the organization and community to tell eager people about your work and get them interested in helping out. Make sure your project is listed and up to date so we can help you. Thanks to support from the Simons Foundation, we share the database with anyone interested through global partnerships, media partnerships and open APIs with PBS Kids, Discover Magazine, Serve.gov and others.
If you would like to promote SciStarter as citizen science resource during presentations, we have created two slides that explain the site. One is geared toward citizen scientists (download here) and the other for project managers (download here).
Our Mission
SciStarter will bring together the millions of citizen scientists in the world; the thousands of potential projects offered by researchers, organizations, and companies; and the resources, products, and services that enable citizens to pursue and enjoy these activities. We aim to:
- Enable and encourage people to learn about, participate in, and contribute to science through both informal recreational activities and formal research efforts. - Inspire greater appreciation and promote a better understanding of science and technology among the general public. - Create a shared space where scientists can talk with citizens interested in working on or learning about their research projects. - Satisfy the popular urge to tinker, build, and explore by making it simple and fun for people—singles, parents, grandparents, kids—to jump in and get their hands dirty with science.
(http://scistarter.com/about.html)
Description
Scistarter is a place to find, share and contribute to science with recreational activities and research projects. The projects database allows for the discovery, organization, and increased participation of everyone in citizen science.
The platform also serves to share projects that are being undertaken, in order to get help from the community of volunteers.
The project was founded by Darlene Cavalier, as a response for the lack of participation of the people in specialized activities.
Its main objectives are to encourage participation in formal and informal research, and to inspire a greater appreciation and promote a better understanding of science and technology in the general public, by menas of creating a shared space where citizens can speak with scientists and learn of or work in different projects.
Scistarter has a search engine of projects organised around specific categories, such as: low-cost projects, for students only, suitable for children, DIY (do-it-yourself), external projects and resources for education. You can also search by topics of interest —e.g. animals, astronomy, biology, psychology, food, education, computers and technology— or by geographical location.
Links
URL: http://scistarter.com/index.html
Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20151110221747/http://scistarter.com/index.html
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SciStarter
