ITM Community Science Groups

NASA's citizen science projects are collaborations between scientists and interested members of the public. These volunteers bring diverse experiential, cultural, and academic knowledge to interdisciplinary investigations of Heliophysics. Through these collaborations, they have helped make thousands of important scientific discoveries. 675 is home to several projects, including:

• Radio JOVE, which invites people be part of a hands-on, educational project that encourages students, teachers and the general public to learn about radio astronomy by building their own radio telescopes from inexpensive kits and/or by using remote radio telescopes through the Internet;
• Aurorasaurus, which maps the Northern and Southern Lights using volunteer reports; and
• Spritacular , which engages photographers in research about mysterious phenomena that occur above thunderstorms.

These projects not only provide data that might not otherwise be gathered, but forge rich avenues for communication. Communicating science to colleagues from other fields, stakeholders, and the general public is essential to scientific success. In addition to many other benefits, citizen science provides reciprocal opportunities for scientists to gain experience in audience engagement, as well as for members of the public to engage with subject matter experts and to #DoNASAScience.