Montana Citizen Science Network

New to citizen science? Watch our intro video

Citizen Science Across the Curriculum: An Introduction from the MSU Science Math Resource Center. This short video gives an overview of citizen science and shares some example projects that will be relevant for educators. [Note that citizen science projects come and go, so the example projects may have ended, but you will learn how to find projects that are best for you and your students]

MSU Citizen Science Library Kits Now Available!

The Science Math Resource Center and MSU Library, with support from Montana NSF EPSCoR and NASA AREN, are excited to support citizen science in Montana through the MSU Citizen Science Lending Library. With the tools inside the lending library kits, you too will be a citizen scientist: a person who helps scientists by making observations, collecting data, or documenting changes in nature. Anyone can be a citizen scientist: kids, families, classrooms, busy working adults, retired people, and even entire communities.

Want to check out a kit? Visit the MSU Library on campus – these kits are available to anyone in Montana, even if you are not affiliated with MSU.

Visit the MSU Citizen Science Lending Library webpage for more information about the kits and how to check one out. Read the MSU news article here.

Recent News

Become a SciStarter Ambassador (applications due Sept. 15!)

SciStarter and Arizona State University (ASU), with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and in collaboration with National Girls Collaborative Project, VolunteerMatch, and the Association of Rural and Small Libraries, proudly present the SciStarter Volunteer Ambassador for Citizen Science program.

Free trainings, professionally designed materials, and more will help you become a champion, connector, and facilitator of citizen science in your community. No prior experience is needed. Applications for the first cohort are open now through September 15, 2024.

New citizen science equipment at theMSU Library 

The MSU Library has partnered with Montana NSF EPSCoR to obtain Celestial (Astronomy) Binoculars as part of its citizen science equipment library. These types of binoculars are great for astronomy beginners and those looking for portable equipment. (For serious star gazers and those wanting to view galaxies, these aren’t for you!) The dual lenses also offer relief for individuals who wear glasses. The binoculars are available at the Library Service Desk, come with a tripod, are available on a first come first serve basis, and check out for one week. Anyone in Montana may check out items from the MSU Library; you don't have to be an MSU student or staff member.  

To learn more, here are two good articles on the topic: 

• Astronomy with Binoculars
• The Best Astronomy Binoculars for Stargazing

To find citizen science projects related to astronomy, visit SciStarter.org and search “astronomy.” 

April 2024 BioBlitz

Join the MSU Science Math Resource Center in celebrating International Citizen Science Month and learn more about Montana biodiversity! We're on a mission to collect as many sightings of local wildlife, including wild animals, plants, and fungi, as we can.

This project is open to participants throughout the state, just be sure to become a member of the project. Note: You'll need to register for a free account on iNaturalist and download the mobile app if you want to submit photos directly from your phone. The photos that you take that "need ID" or are "research grade" will be added automatically to this project. For more information on how to submit your photos, identifying your sightings, geotag your observations, etc., check out the iNaturalist tutorial page.

To join our team, simply follow the QR code above or check out the iNaturalist project webpage.

For more information, please contact Julia Wente, SMRC’s Program Coordinator.

SMRC, NGCP and SciStarter team up for free Citizen Science Month Webinar - watch the recording (April 2024)

Citizen science is open to ALL and involves curious people whose individual acts contribute to a collective impact that is accelerating scientific research, discoveries, and local actions that improve the world. From sharing photos of nature to help scientists document biodiversity to browsing images on your computer to help speed up research about Alzheimer's disease, each of these acts of science is important.

Science Math Resource Center, National Girls Collaborative Project andSciStarter presented this exciting webinar featuring examples of citizen science projects, ideas and resources for getting involved with projects, and tips on how girls and other groups historically marginalized in science can benefit from participation in these programs. We hope you will join us to celebrate Citizen Science Month (April 2024), work to broaden participation in the sciences and support scientific research! 

Watch the recording here

SMRC featured in SciStarter/NASA live stream (Feb. 2024)

The Science Math Resource Center was a featured volunteer during a Feb. 21, 2024 live-streamed event by SciStarter and "Do NASA Science Live" called What's It Mean to be Cool? This free virtual event featured five NASA scientists who describe their research and associated winter-themed citizen science projects.

Discover how to fill important data gaps in understanding what “cold” means on Earth AND in space. Sometimes cold is relative and the coldest objects in space—still warmer than Jupiter– are vital for teaching us about how stars and planets form. We heard from the researchers behind: Mountain Rain or Snow, Fresh Eyes on Ice, Backyard Worlds: Cool Neighbors, GLOBE Observer Land Cover, and The Sungrazer Project.

Learn more about the event on SciStarter

Watch the recording on YouTube

Presentation to Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (Feb. 2024)

On Monday, Feb. 7, 2024. the Science Math Resource Center presented on citizen science to members of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in Hager Auditorium at the Museum of the Rockies. The crowd of approximately 100 learned about the history of citizen science; projects and how to find them; and current movements, such as environmental justice and citizen science. We also addressed adjacent activities, including geocaching and NASA AREN - the AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network, which uses kite-borne instruments to collect data about our Earth and is often used in conjunction with GLOBE Observer for citizen science observations.

View all the resources from the talk here.

Citizen Science 101 resource

We'd like to extend a big thank you to the Lakeville Nature Conservancy for sharing a useful resource! Citizen Science 101: How Anyone Can Contribute to Scientific Research and Development highlights leading citizen scientists in history, resources for finding potential projects and tips to get involved yourself. 

The Lakeville Nature Conservancy works to improve their community through working with nature and educating the public to be more eco-friendly. Thanks for all the work you do, Ms. Garcia & Katrina, Elizabeth, Julia, and Chris!

News Archive

Questions? Would you like to be involved in future citizen science efforts?

Contact Suzi Taylor and Julia Wente with Science Math Resource Center at taylor@montana.edu and julia.wente@montana.edu.