Citizen Science

November 15, 2019
Grades 6-10 When Canadian Chris Ratzlaff discovered a sky glow that had been entirely unknown to science in 2014, he wasn't a professional astronomer but a citizen scientist who enjoyed watching the night sky as a hobby. In this comprehensive and easy-to-read text, accompanied by relevant photos, sidebars, and other visuals, Hulick describes the role of citizen scientists and makes a case for their necessity. Throughout several chapters, Hulick explores why individuals become citizen scientists, ways that scientists form volunteer teams (e.g., apps), ways that scientists keep these volunteers engaged (e.g., turning data sorting into a game), and how citizen scientists can bring attention to a crisis on their own, then making scientists their allies. She emphasizes that most research labs can't handle the volume of data or time needed to look for patterns or anomalies. Citizen scientists are not just useful but essential to science! Readers will be most impressed by the large number and variety of citizen-scientist projects described and the appended project finder resources. A valuable topic that makes STEM accessible to students.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)