SciStarter

SciStarter is a global, community-driven platform that connects the public with citizen science projects. Created to make it easier for anyone—students, teachers, researchers, hobbyists—to participate in scientific research, it aggregates thousands of projects across disciplines such as ecology, astronomy, public health, environmental monitoring, and more.

Key Features

• Large citizen-science project directory
  Search or filter by topic, location, skill level, or activity type (online, field-based, classroom-friendly).
• Researcher project hosting
  Scientists can list their own citizen-science initiatives to recruit volunteers.
• Participant dashboards
  Track contributions, earned badges, and project progress.
• Educational resources
  Lesson plans, outreach materials, and guides for libraries, schools, and community groups.
• Institutional programs
  Collaborations with NASA, NSF, SciStarter@School, and library networks.
• Integration with tools
  Supports apps and platforms (eBird, iNaturalist, Zooniverse, Globe Observer, etc.).

Use Cases

• For the public: Join hands-on or digital projects in ecology, astronomy, climate, microbiology, biodiversity, health monitoring, and more.
• For educators: Incorporate real research projects into classrooms and STEM programs.
• For scientists: Crowdsource data collection at scale or engage the public in research.
• For institutions: Run citizen-science events, trainings, and community outreach.

Why It Matters

SciStarter democratizes scientific participation by lowering barriers to entry and giving ordinary citizens meaningful roles in data collection and discovery. It aligns with open science principles, expands research capacity, and strengthens public engagement with science.