Citizen Science Resource Center

YOU are more important than ever!
With local, state and national funding for environmental research continuing to decline, more and more research programs depend on people just like you to assume the role of citizen scientist.

Acting as a citizen scientist can be fun, interesting and very rewarding, and there are programs to fit just about every interest, experience and skill level. Some programs ask only that you report relevant observations or sightings, while other programs require some level of training or other commitment. And, the focus of such programs can be as diverse as the people who participate in them.

Types of Citizen Science Programs
To facilitate you finding the type of program that fits your level of interest, time available, expertise, etc., we have attempted to divide all citizen science projects into seven different categories. This categorization is our own and not based on any already established criteria that we are aware of. Therefore, if you are aware of a more "official" categorization of citizen science projects, we'd love to hear about it.

(1). Field Observer: The "field observer" simply reports his or her relevant sightings or observations to the organization in charge of the project.

(2). Citizen Watchdog: While technically this is not a true function of citizen scientists, we include this category because of its similarity to "field observer" and for its potential to help protect the environment. Here, instead of reporting your sightings or observations of the natural world, you are encourage to report anyone doing damage to the environment or breaking environmental laws.

(3). Group Participant: In this category, instead of acting independently, your participation is part of a group or organization effort, whether it's a small, local group like the DAS or a large national project open to local participation.

(4). Student: Student programs offer a win-win situation for everyone involved. The researcher receives the valuable help or information he or she needs, while the student or student group advances their education of the natural world.

(5). Trained Volunteer: To participate in some programs, you must have a level of expertise in the subject that may require some training or classes. This may require only an hour or so of your time or the training may be much more extensive.

(6). Staff Volunteer: This category is most easily explained as someone who is working (as a volunteer) directly for or under the direct supervision of the researcher.

(7). Independent Citizen Scientist: (We'd like a better, more descriptive name for this category, and we're open to your suggestions.) An "independent citizen scientist" is someone who conducts his or her own research, observations, etc. for purely personal reasons, such as a strong interest in a specific species or type of behavior. A person with such a focus may indeed have information, long term documentation or other relevant data that may be of great interest to researchers. An example might be a person who has kept phenology records of a specific species for a period of years.

(DAS is increasing its commitment and focus on citizen science. For more information, click here: DAS FOCUS )

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