Do you have a passion for discovering new things and exploring the world around you? What about for making a real impact by helping millions of people live better lives or reversing environmental damage? It’s all possible through science…but you don’t need to wait until you finish college to get started. You can be a citizen scientist right now!
What is a “Citizen Scientist?”
There’s a growing movement of people outside of academic circles taking on the title of “citizen scientist.” But, what does that mean?
A citizen scientist is a person who volunteers time and energy to contribute to scientific research. Citizen scientists can work closely with professional scientists, or they may work alone. While a background in formal scientific education is helpful, you don’t need to have ever set foot in a lab in order to have an impact.
The movement has four basic criteria according to the Citizen Science Association:
- Anyone can participate.
- Participants use the same scientific process to ensure quality data.
- Data generated can help professional scientists come to real conclusions.
- Participate as part of a community with public access to others’ data.
Think of it this way: what really matters in science? Is it professional cred, or doing valuable work that makes the world a better place?
You may not have a diploma, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still engage in the scientific process, gather information, and even conduct research or basic experiments. As long as you can back up your information with proof and hard data, you can be a citizen scientist.
The Degree Doesn’t Make the Scientist
Keep in mind: most great scientific discoveries through human history weren’t made by university graduates.
The Italian Renaissance inventor Leonardo da Vinci never held a degree in science. Neither did Charles Darwin, who discovered the evolutionary process, nor did Gregor Mendel (the “father of genetics”). Jane Goodall did not have a degree when she arrived in Africa in 1960 to begin her now-famous work studying chimpanzees.
Have you ever heard that hot water freezes faster than cold water? That’s called the Mpemba Effect…and it’s named for Erasto B. Mpemba, who first discovered the phenomenon when he was a 12-year old student in Tanzania!
For thousands of years, scientific discovery was driven by nothing more than a curious mind and the will to discover something new. A scientist could be anyone who had the knowledge to conduct research, and the time available to experiment and examine data.
You can have a profound impact on science, too. As a citizen scientist, you can:
- Meet other people who share your interests.
- Learn new things.
- Leave a lasting impact on the world.
- Jumpstart your career in a scientific field.
- Contribute to large-scale scientific projects that would not be possible otherwise.
- Become a more informed member of society.
How to Get Involved
Want to learn more about becoming a citizen scientist? There are lots of ways to get involved!
One of the best-known citizen scientist programs are the NASA Rovers. These individuals are roaming cloud trackers who help gather data on cloud conditions throughout the country. NASA can take the data collected by hundreds of Rovers from every corner of the US and learn more about our atmospheric conditions and weather patterns.
Of course, that’s just one of thousands of different projects out there. SciStarter is a great resource to find something that seems interesting to you. Their data base features over 1,000 different opportunities for you to get involved in a citizen science project, from tracking bee populations to playing games that help us understand language patterns.
Or, maybe you’ve got your own idea. Is there a question that you’ve always wondered, but never been able to answer? Why not launch your own citizen science project!
Here’s a few sites that can help you get your own project off the ground:
Like I said before: you don’t need to wait until grad school to start thinking of yourself as a scientist. With citizen science, you can be a genuine scientist today!