SciStarter Newsletter
Newsletter #6: April 5, 2012

Your Research Mission, presented by SciStarter and Discover Magazine, is a dynamic showcase featuring projects from SciStarter on DiscoverMagazine.com (reaching more than two million people each month) . Each week, we feature curated citizen science missions, ranging from analyzing distant galaxies to monitoring frog, firefly and whale populations, to detecting home and body microbiomes. We also deliver the featured Research Missions directly to you, through this SciStarter newsletter. Below, you will find Your Research Missions, should you choose to accept them.

(Researchers and team leaders who want their project featured can submit it to the SciStarter.com Project Finder for consideration by the SciStarter editors.)

This month, we also launched a new blog series titled “Citizen Science Test Drive,” where we present first-person reviews of citizen science apps, tools and platforms. First up: SciStarter contributors Dr. Lisa Gardner and Kate Atkins review three nature apps and several birding apps. If you would like to contribute to this series and share your experiences with our community, email Dr. John Ohab, Director of Community Engagement: john@scistarter.com.

Cheers!

- The SciStarter Team
International Space App Challenge

International Space App Challenge

International Space App Challenge

Collaborate with researchers aboard the International Space Station and other locations to create technology solutions to more than 30 global issues by developing a mobile application to help report natural disasters.



IBM's Creek Watch

IBM's Creek Watch

Use your iphone to monitor pollution in local watersheds.

Whenever you pass by a waterway, spend a few seconds using the Creek Watch application to snap a picture and report how much water and trash you see. We aggregate the data and share it with water control boards to help them track pollution and manage water resources.



Camel Cricket Census

Camel Crickets Census

√   Insects

Do these creepy crawlers lurk in your basement?

Have you seen one of these leggy beasts in your basement? Some interesting patterns in cricket distribution have emerged and researchers have learned that a Japanese camel cricket is way more common in the US than previously thought. More observations are needed, though. Submit your observations!