SciStarter Newsletter
Newsletter #5: February 3, 2012

Opportunities to get involved in citizen science projects abound! Wherever you are, whatever your interests, chances are that we've got citizen science projects for you! This week, SciStarter is thrilled to help officially launch two new projects! One in Philadelphia, and one in Chicago. Both are exciting, but you'll need to hurry because these projects will end soon!

Thank you for choosing to be part of our growing community. Keep experimenting!

-The SciStarter Team
MyHeartMap

MyHeartMap
University of Pennsylvania

Help build a map of AEDs in Philly. Save lives and possibly win $10,000!

Are you in the Philadelphia area? If so, you'll want to know about the latest citizen science project: MyHeartMap Challenge! The project is a public contest to make the first-of-its-kind map of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in Philadelphia.



Home Microbiome Study

Home Microbiome Study
Argonne National Labs

Moving to a new home in Chicago? Monitor your home's microbiomes!

The goal of this study is to collect and examine the unique biological material shed by individuals throughout the normal course of a day to determine how rapidly their unique community of bacteria - called a microbiome - is established in their new home environment. All you need to do is swab a specific body and home locations for 4 weeks, and you'll help researchers learn how how fast your microbiomes settle in your home.



Open Air Lab Projects in England

Open Air Lab Projects in England
Open Air Laboratory, England

Six ways to monitor England's natural environment.

From searching for invertebrates to measuring wind speed, everyone can gain new knowledge and skills and play their part in protecting the natural environment. This is the philosophy of Open Air Laboratories (OPAL), a project based in England that encourages the public to explore their surroundings, record their findings, and submit their results to the OPAL national database. Your contributions will be available to scientists and others involved in environmental science and policy.