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SciStarter Newsletter − 2026

Celebrate America 250 with Citizen Science


From sea to shining sea, America is celebrating its 250th birthday! Alongside the festivities, let's celebrate another enduring part of the American story: a spirit of curiosity.


Long before he became a Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin was asking questions about the world around him. He helped chart the Gulf Stream by listening to observations from sailors, tracked storms as they moved, and shared his data so others could build on them. Franklin understood something we still know today: scientific progress begins when curious people pay attention, share what they observe, and work together.


Today, you can follow in Franklin's footsteps by joining projects that help researchers study our planet, preserve our history, understand our universe, and strengthen our communities.


SciStarter is proud to be an official America Gives partner supporting the America250 volunteer initiative, making it easy for anyone to contribute to research that benefits us all.


Follow in Franklin's Footsteps


He observed storms and ocean currents. Today, you can help researchers study wildlife, Earth, history, galaxies, and the places we call home.


Whether you spend five minutes or an afternoon, every observation, photo, transcription, or classification helps researchers answer questions they couldn't tackle alone.


Curiosity is global—and so is citizen science! Many of these projects welcome participants from anywhere in the world.


Happy 250th Birthday, America!

Track America's Wildlife

More than 200 years after Lewis and Clark documented wildlife along their expedition route, the Smithsonian is returning to the same landscapes with camera traps. Review photos, identify species, and count animals to help researchers understand how wildlife has changed over time.


Location: Online

Help NASA Understand Earth

Turn your phone into a tool for NASA with GLOBE Observer: Land Cover.


Photograph the landscape around you—from city streets to forests—and record what you see. Your observations help researchers connect satellite imagery with what's happening on the ground.


Bonus! Join the worldwide GLOBE Cup Challenge through July 19 and represent your region in a friendly competition. Then, take your participation to the next level during a NASA-supported scientist's Meet Up and Do Science Saturdays.


Location: Global

Preserve America's Story

The National Archives safeguards America's story—from the Declaration of Independence to military records and presidential papers. Millions of these documents have been digitized, but aren't yet searchable because computers struggle to read historic handwriting. Help transcribe and tag these records with the Citizen Archivist project, so they're easier for researchers, educators, families, and future generations to explore.


Location: Online

Explore the Universe

A galaxy's spiral arms reveal clues about how it formed. Volunteers have traced the spiral arms in more than 20,000 galaxy images, and now an algorithm is sorting those tracings into individual arms.


Review this work to help the NASA-funded team behind Spiral Graph: Cluster Buster build smarter tools for studying galaxies.


This project is featured on Zooniverse, a platform that JUST passed ONE BILLION classifications!


Location: Online

Improve Your Community

Could your community be easier for everyone to navigate? Using Google Street View, identify missing curb ramps, broken sidewalks, and other accessibility issues in featured cities from around the world. Your participation in Project Sidewalk creates open data that helps local governments and residents improve accessibility for everyone.


Location: Online

Not sure where to start? Citizen Science 101 for beginners.

Try SciStarter’s free Foundations of Citizen Science online tutorial and learn how citizen science works, why it matters, and how to find projects that match your interests.



Complete the self-paced tutorial and earn a digital badge you can share on LinkedIn.


Join more than 91,000 participants who have already completed the training.


July offers something for everyone.

Click here to explore and print the calendar.


New projects & events featured on SciStarter


...and thousands more featured on the project finder and the event finder! Find an online or local project or event near you.

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