Citizen Science

‌Citizen science refers to ordinary people collecting useful scientific data on real-world problems. The data being collected is sought by active researchers and students learning the scientific method. Participants learn basic science, improve the quality of life in their communities and contribute to real research. Empire State College was granted a Higher Education Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture to create a citizen science project that increases student interest, participation and retention in science disciplines. The title of the funded project is “An Undergraduate Research Experience: Using technology to monitor Japanese beetles related to climate change, across New York State;” however, the project team refers to it as “The Beetle Project.”

The project team created an open source citizen science template  that can be downloaded and used by anyone interested in creating his or her own citizen science project.

Other Projects of Interest:

YardMap is a citizen science project designed to cultivate a richer understanding of bird habitat, for both professional scientists and people concerned with their local environments.

SquirrelMapper Today most squirrels have gray coats, but two centuries ago most were apparently black. How could evolution change this species so profoundly and so quickly? Help explore this question at SquirrelMapper.

To learn more about citizen science at Empire State College visit esc.edu/citizen-science