Citizen Science & Health

About Community and Citizen Science

Community and Citizen Science (CCS) connects scientists and everyday people to help accelerate research and discovery.

As we face global challenges, there are local ways for us to be engaged in issues affecting our community health, environmental health, human genetics, technology and innovation. CCS is a collaboration between scientists and those of us who are just curious or concerned and motivated to make a difference. CCS is an opportunity for everyone to participate in fun and real science—following protocols for data collection, analysis and reporting.

NNLM promotes CCS by providing free resources to support these outreach efforts in your community.

Community and Citizen Science Programming and Resources

Citizen Science Month

Global Citizen Science Month is an annual April event that celebrates and promotes all things citizen science: amazing discoveries, incredible volunteers, hardworking practitioners, inspiring projects, and anything else citizen science-related. It encompasses online events and opportunities to contribute to projects from home, making citizen science programming accessible to all.

Thanks to support from the National Library of Medicine and the All of Us Research Program, SciStarter has partnered up with the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University to present Citizen Science Month.

Learn more about SciStarter's & NNLM's programs for Citizen Science Month.

  • Foundations of Citizen Science

    Foundations of Citizen Science

    Start with the self-guided Foundations of Citizen Science Training and badge, a prerequisite for follow-on trainings. Learn the basics, participate in projects, and make the most of SciStarter. After doing the Foundations of Citizen Science training module you can select any follow-on training.

    Get Started
  • Building Data Literacy Through Community and Citizen Science

    Building Data Literacy Through Community and Citizen Science

    The Building Data Literacy Through Community and Citizen Science program equips learners with knowledge and skills to contribute and interpret data through community and citizen science projects and discover how data literacy can be applied in everyday situations. Learners will have the option to use free resources to introduce data literacy concepts to others.

    Get Started
  • Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science

    Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science

    This training module, made possible with support from the National Library of Medicine, will help you discover best practices and identify resources to engage library users in citizen science and life-long learning. The "Libraries as Community Hubs for Citizen Science" badge is awarded to librarians and library staff who have demonstrated a commitment to citizen science and the requisite skills necessary for advancing scientific research through community-centered library programming and services. 

    Get Started
  • Teaching in Higher Education with Citizen Science

    Teaching in Higher Education with Citizen Science

    Teaching in Higher Education with Citizen Science is an online, self-guided module that will provide you with information on some of the benefits of including citizen science in your undergraduate courses, practical strategies for doing so, and opportunities for networking and professional development. Upon completion of this module and related activities, you will receive details on how to claim your badge.

    Get Started
  • Data Ethics for Practitioners

    Data Ethics for Practitioners

    The "Data Ethics" tutorial and badge are designed for practitioners and leaders of participatory science projects, including citizen science and community science projects. The tutorial will help you “think like an ethicist” by identifying relevant ethical obligations, tensions, and issues that may arise in your project, and use them to make decisions. The tutorial is intended to help you understand the unique obligations for collecting, stewarding, and disseminating project data in ways that foster trust between practitioners, participants, and partners.

    Get Started

Test the Waters Family Exploration Kit

In collaboration with Cornerstones of Science, NNLM is offering a new resource to support community and citizen science outreach efforts in local communities through a fun, accessible and loanable kit for families. The Test the Waters Family Exploration Kit is currently accepting applications.

Test the Waters Kit Safety and Hygiene Collage

NNLM Reading Club: Environmental Science​

The NNLM Environmental Health Reading Club Kit addresses the impact our environment has on our health. All kits include a selection of book titles and free, downloadable materials designed to help libraries engage with their communities around the topic of environmental health.

Our Partners

SciStarter​

SciStarter is a globally acclaimed, online citizen science hub with more than 3,000 projects, events and tools. SciStarter has partnered with NNLM to curate a selection of health-related citizen science resources. Learn more about these citizen science resources at SciStarter.org/nlm.

​Cornerstones of Science

Cornerstones of Science works with libraries to spark passion and curiosity about the world around us by offering “experiences of science.” Cornerstones is creating an interactive online database of expert scientific presenters that libraries can access and use in their own science programming. Learn more about Cornerstones of Science.

Funding Statement

The citizen science programs and resources are made available with funds from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the NIH All of Us Research Program.

This page was last updated on: 10/05/22 20:12