Citizen Science Day is back!

SciStarter is excited to once again present Citizen Science Day in collaboration with the Citizen Science Association! This month-long event is a chance to celebrate the millions of citizen scientists who have contributed countless hours to collect data in their backyard, analyze online images to cure diseases, build low-cost instruments,  and SO much more! Citizen Science Day kicks off on Saturday, April 15th with celebrations running through April and into May, culminating during the Citizen Science Association Conference and public science event at the Science Museum of Minnesota on May 20th. We invite citizen scientists and project leaders from around the world to celebrate citizen science during this time!

“Citizen Science Day is a way to help showcase the opportunities and contributions of citizen science – #CitSciDay activities bring attention to the ways that everyone can engage with science to make a difference in the world – whether that is helping find a cure for Alzheimer’s, using data to address sources of air pollution, or making discoveries of new phenomena in our backyards or in space,” says Jennifer Shirk of the Citizen Science Association.

Events during last year’s celebration included over 100 BioBlitzes in areas from National Parks to community green spaces, transcription challenges at local libraries, citizen science hikes, festivals, workshops, and more! The 2017 Citizen Science Day webpage will go live on March 1.

Even if there isn’t a local event planned in your community, you can participate in one of SciStarter’s thousands of citizen science projects on topics ranging from Astronomy to Zoology.

Are you looking to host an event?

SciStarter in collaboration with the Citizen Science Association will be hosting a webinar on February 8th from 12:00-1:00 EST all about Citizen Science Day. This free webinar will present an overview of Citizen Science Day, illustrate highlights from 2016 (the inaugural year), provide a discussion of ideas and resources for hosting events and regional meet-ups, and, in general, help you prepare for Citizen Science Day 2017! We will wrap up the webinar with a brief tutorial from Alison Young from California Academy of Sciences and Lila Higgins of the LA Natural History Museum on how to run a BioBlitz: one popular example of an event you might consider.

Once you’ve planned your event, add it to the SciStarter Events Calendar so people can find it.  SciStarter will also be sharing the events through our syndicated partners including Discover Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, PBS, PLoS, NSTA, Philly.com, and more! The 2017 Citizen Science Day webpage will go live on March 1!

Interested in supporting Citizen Science Day? We’re actively looking for funders and sponsors. Contact us for more information (info@scistarter.com).