By Blog post by Madison Stroker & Caroline Nickerson
CitSci is an app and website that empowers people worldwide to start and join participatory science projects. The platform provides tools to create projects and datasheets, visualize results, communicate with participants, and share resources.
Many projects hosted on CitSci are hyperlocal – for example, focused on one creek in a small town – and we think those projects are awesome! Check out our quick guide series for resources, if you’d like to start your own local and place-based project. We also have another blog post celebrating some of our favorite national, state-level, and regional projects.
That being said, many projects invite participation at global scales. Below, find some of our favorite projects you can do from anywhere.
Global Projects
Microbes are tiny organisms, like bacteria and fungi, that can live in surprising places — even inside your home! Look around for unusual microbial growth (for example, slime in your dishwasher or residue around your sink), snap a photo, and answer a few questions about what you see. If scientists find your discovery especially interesting — for instance, if the microbes could help break down carbon dioxide or other pollutants — they may send you a sampling kit to collect a specimen for DNA sequencing.
Visit a natural spring near you and record what you observe. Microbial life often thrives in springs rich in carbon dioxide or other unusual conditions. If you find a site like this, scientists may invite you to collect a water sample for DNA sequencing to learn more about the extremophiles living there.
Pictured: A graphic created by Caroline Nickerson from CitSci
Pick up any litter you see and record the type, amount, and location to help the Leave No Trace team better understand how and why it got there. Your contribution could empower sustainability research!
Pictured: University of Florida students during this year’s Leave No Trash University Challenge, a special subcampaign of the main Leave No Trash project where 18 university communities picked up 2,200+ gallons of trash. Photo credit: Caroline Nickerson
Help NASA scientists track mysterious, glowing noctilucent clouds — the highest clouds in Earth’s atmosphere! Usually seen near the poles, these “night-shining” clouds are appearing farther south, possibly due to climate change, rocket launches, or volcanic eruptions like Tonga’s in 2022. Your reports — even when you don’t spot clouds — help NASA study how upper-atmosphere conditions are changing by comparing ground observations with satellite data.
Pictured: Noctilucent clouds over the Baltic Sea, seen from Germany in 2019. Photo credit: Matthias Süßen via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
As gulls face a massive demographic shift worldwide, this project asks you to record what gulls are commonly seen eating and where. Gulls have quite the diverse diet, so by tracking their eating habits, you can help identify dietary trends and behavioral patterns.
Pictured: Contributions to the Gulls Eating Stuff project on CitSci
Help monitor streams that flow only part of the year to learn when and where water is moving in your community. Your observations improve flow forecasting, support habitat monitoring, and reveal how stream patterns change over time.
Collect coral and aquarium water samples from your personal tank. Your samples will be analyzed by the Project ReefLink team, who culture and study the microbes to identify strains linked to coral health, disease resistance, and stress tolerance — helping scientists discover microbial solutions that protect reefs.
Photo credit: The Two Frontiers Project
If you are a backcountry user in the wintertime, measure snow depth with a meter stick, avalanche probe, or other measuring device. Snow depth data will be used to predict snow water resources and avalanche hazards.
Photo credit: David Hill, Oregon State University
“GoBituary” (think an obituary, but on-the-go) invites you to uncover hidden histories in cemeteries. The team’s pilot location was the Miami City Cemetery, and now they’ve opened the project up to cemeteries everywhere. Help bring forgotten lives and local stories back to life.
Pictured: A graphic created by Caroline Nickerson from CitSci
Watch a live bat colony in Connecticut and help scientists track bat activity from anywhere in the world! Volunteers count bats emerging from the roost via livestream to support research on population trends, health, and environmental change. Your observations help protect these vital nocturnal pollinators and insect-eaters.
Pictured: Bats Count! logo
Your CitSci Journey
Science can happen at home, online, outdoors, or in your community, no matter where you live. What will your CitSci journey be like? We would genuinely love to hear how it goes. Don’t be shy about using our feedback form, and if you’d like to inspire other citizen scientists worldwide, get in touch about a social media feature. Happy exploring, and welcome to the global CitSci community.
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