April 2025

April is Citizen Science Month!

This April, engage in the many local, national, and global citizen science opportunities available! Look through this e-newsletter for a primer of what you can engage in with some specific events and opportunities at Montana State University and in Montana at large. If you have an item to share, an idea for building the network, or a question, please contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.

SAVE THE DATE: May 10th

Plants and Pollinators Palooza!

Citizen Science Day Celebrating 75 Years of the NSF

April is Citizen Science Month, but anyone can be a citizen scientist year-round! Join us on May 10th for Plants and Pollinators Palooza at the Bozeman Public Library, hosted by the Science Math Resource Center and Montana NSF EPSCoR. Explore Citizen Science projects focused on bumblebees and native plants.

This event is part of NSF STEM Day, celebrating 75 years of groundbreaking research, innovation, and public engagement in STEM. As proud partners of SciStarter and Science Near Me, we’re empowering people to connect with hands-on science projects that spark curiosity and fuel discovery.

Learn More and Register

The Montana Native Plant Society

The Montana Native Plant Society has developed a Citizen Botany program involving citizen scientists.

The point is to gather information to update Montana’s aging dataset about where rare plants were known to occur, but have not been visited for 20 to 50 years. There are well over 400 such plant species in Montana. MNPS members are being recruited and trained to go find them! It’s a treasure hunt!

Visit the Website

The Bee Atlas is a citizen science project gathering the data needed to track and conserve bumble bees. Get involved by coming to the Plants and Pollinators Palooza or attending an online training.

Visit the Website

Stay Tuned for the Registration to be posted on Science Near Me!

Youth Forest Monitoring Program

The Youth Forest Monitoring Program is seeking to fill 12 citizen science positions for students entering grades 9-12 this summer. This crew of students meets in Helena, Mondays – Thursdays from June 23^rd – July 31^st to monitor stream, soil, wildlife, and vegetation health on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.

One team of students will also collaborate with Montana State Historic Preservation Office to complete archaeology stewardship mapping at various sites on state and federal land. The end of the program is highlighted by a student presentation sharing observations and recommendations to the Forest and the public. Students receive a $1,200 stipend and a fantastic summer experience for their efforts. Apply by Friday April 18th

Learn More Here

National Audubon Society's Curlew Survey

Since 2014, citizens have helped document hundreds of curlew sightings in and around Montana’s intermountain valleys. Help the Montana Audubon Society monitor this beautiful bird between April 8th and May 31st.

Based on curlew presence, threats, and opportunities, we’ve determined the Mission Valley, Helena Valley, Blackfoot Valley, and nearby grasslands are an ideal focal area for our partnership.

Visit the Website

Play Video Games for Citizen Science Month!

Stall Catchers is an online game that anyone can play - no experience necessary. In the game, you look at movies from the brains of mice and try to identify vessels as flowing or stalled. This helps to speed up Alzheimer's Disease research at Cornell University

Visit the Website

Eyewire is a game to map the brain. Anyone can play and you need no scientific background — hundreds of thousands of people from around the world already do. Together we are mapping the 3D structure of neurons and advancing our quest to understand ourselves.

Visit the Website

Earth Day Citizen Science Table

The Montana State University Library, MSU Science Math Resource Center, and Montana NSF EPSCoR project will be hosting a tabling event in the Renne Library on April 22nd from 10 am to 2 pm to highlight the library's citizen science opportunities, from kits to educational support. If you are on campus, please swing by to talk to us about citizen science!

Explore: Science Near Me

Scistarter has launched a website to help Citizen Scientists find initiatives near them!

Science Near Me is a free resource to help you quickly find opportunities to engage in all types of science, technology, engineering, math, (STEM) events, projects, and programs near you, in person and online. Enter your search preferences and Science Near Me will scan our partners’ opportunities and present a list of options for you in seconds. Search by location, topic, audience, and more to find the experience that is right for you.

Visit the Website

Want to start a citizen science student club at MSU-Bozeman?

If you know any students at MSU who might be interested in starting a Citizen Science Club, please encourage them to contact the Science Math Resource Center at smrc@montana.edu

We have some ideas, and would love to support them!

Check out more on our MSU Citizen Science Network page

This newsletter is brought to you by the MSU Science Math Resource Center with support from the NASA AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network (AREN) and Montana NSF EPSCoR