SciStarter

SciStarter
Name	SciStarter
Formation	2009
Type	Nonprofit / online platform
Headquarters	United States
Focus	Citizen science, public engagement, research participation

SciStarter SciStarter is an online platform that aggregates citizen science projects and tools to connect the public with research opportunities. It serves as a hub linking volunteers, researchers, nonprofits, museums, and libraries to participate in observational, data-collection, and analysis activities. The platform interacts with institutions across the cultural and scientific sectors to broaden participation in projects spanning ecology, astronomy, public health, and cultural heritage.

Overview

SciStarter operates at the intersection of public engagement and research, linking volunteers with projects run by organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Geological Survey, and World Wildlife Fund. The platform highlights projects associated with academic institutions including Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Oxford. SciStarter also features initiatives connected to cultural institutions like the American Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, London, The British Library, New York Public Library, and California Academy of Sciences. The platform aggregates opportunities tied to events such as Citizen Science Association conferences, European Citizen Science Association meetings, and major public campaigns including Great Backyard Bird Count, BioBlitz, iNaturalist City Nature Challenge, National Parks BioBlitz, and Coastal Cleanup Day.

History

SciStarter was founded to systematize access to volunteer-driven research projects, emerging amid the expansion of platforms like Zooniverse, Foldit, and eBird and alongside initiatives from Google Labs and Mozilla Foundation. Early collaborations involved partners such as the MacArthur Foundation, National Science Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and National Institutes of Health that funded public engagement pilots. The platform’s growth paralleled developments at institutions such as Royal Society outreach programs, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine reports, and policy initiatives from White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Over time, SciStarter expanded partnerships with museums like Field Museum, research centers such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and networks including Galaxy Zoo and Citizen Sort-type projects.

Platform and Features

SciStarter’s features include searchable project directories, volunteer profiles, event listings, training modules, and project management tools used by organizations like Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, J. Craig Venter Institute, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, European Space Agency, and Australian Museum. The platform integrates with data repositories and analysis environments such as GBIF datasets, ORCID researcher IDs, Zenodo archives, and interoperability standards promoted by groups like RDA and OpenAIRE. It supports mobile participation mirrored in apps from iNaturalist, eBird, Zooniverse mobile apps, and mapping tools from ArcGIS and Google Maps Platform. Training and badges reflect pedagogical frameworks used by Coursera, edX, and museum learning labs at Smithsonian Folklife Festival and Science Museum, London.

Projects and Campaigns

SciStarter features projects spanning biodiversity surveys like Project Noah, astronomical monitoring related to SETI@home-era activities, public health surveillance linked to Flu Near You and Zoonosis monitoring, and environmental monitoring in campaigns similar to Community Science initiatives in urban air quality and water testing used by Environmental Defense Fund and Sierra Club. Featured campaigns have paralleled large-scale efforts such as National Phenology Network projects, CoCoRaHS precipitation observations, eButterfly inventories, and museum-led digitization efforts like Smithsonian Transcription Center and Biodiversity Heritage Library crowdsourcing. SciStarter has also hosted themed efforts in conjunction with events including World Cleanup Day, Earth Day, International Dark-Sky Association campaigns, and National Geographic citizen science features.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The platform partners with a range of organizations: research universities like University of Washington, Cornell University, and University of Queensland; government agencies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Environmental Protection Agency; foundations including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation; and cultural organizations like Monash University Museum of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum. Collaborations extend to technology and media partners such as Microsoft Research, IBM Research, The Alan Turing Institute, BBC programming, and PBS outreach projects. SciStarter’s network includes professional societies such as American Association for the Advancement of Science, Royal Society of Biology, and International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Impact and Reception

Evaluations of SciStarter reference outcomes in volunteer recruitment, data contribution, and public learning, often cited alongside metrics reported by PLOS ONE studies, Nature Communications analyses, and reports in Science and Nature Human Behaviour. Impact narratives include contributions to biodiversity records used by IUCN assessments, water-quality datasets informing United Nations Environment Programme reports, and educational uptake in programs at National Science Teachers Association conferences and American Museum of Natural History education departments. Media coverage has appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, Washington Post, and Scientific American.

Funding and Governance

Funding and governance models for SciStarter reflect support from philanthropic organizations like the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and public research funders including National Science Foundation grants, alongside earned revenue from partnerships with entities such as Google.org and corporate sponsors from Intel and Amazon Web Services. Governance structures have engaged advisory boards with members from institutions such as University of Michigan, University College London, Carnegie Mellon University, and nonprofit leaders from National Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy.

Category:Citizen science