Citizen science has the potential to promote an understanding of science and to represent science in school authentically. Still, its implementation into formal education encounters tensions between scientific and educational goals. Factors for success and hindrances of the implementation of citizen science projects in the classroom can be…

For millennia, the awe and wonder of the night sky has captivated and inspired humans to explore some of the most fundamental mysteries of the Cosmos through different perspectives and disciplines. Astronomy as a field of inquiry exemplifies a synergy of disciplines, a synergy that is more often tacit. Over the years, education and educational…

High school science fairs provide an exceptional opportunity for students to gain experience with scientific research, and participation has positive outcomes with respect to chosen careers in the sciences. However, it can be challenging to engage high school students in university-level research outside of formal internship programs. Here, we…

Waste, a byproduct of human activity, can cause environmental pollution if released without proper processing. It can accumulate in piles, disturbing natural beauty and emitting unpleasant odors. The aim of this research is to from the students to care about the environment by learning with the Bubble Wrap Recycling Project, Used Plastic and…

Purpose: Hands-on training in tissue engineering is often associated with specialized labs and expensive equipment, such as CO[subscript 2] incubators. To minimize the use of costly commercial incubators and provide a more vivid engineering experience in a biology lab, we present a hands-on project that introduces medium to large groups of…

This paper is a search for common ground between two natural scientists, two childhood studies and education scholars and two human-animal studies or critical animal studies scholars all working within a shared citizen science project. The search takes the form of a thematic mapping of existing literature on ecological citizen science, with two…

The chirality of chemicals is a well-known concept among undergraduates. The examples of chiral molecules in daily life are introduced to high school students as well. However, the chirality of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) remains unpopular in these groups. In this paper, a simple visualization of SWCNTs was first performed via paper…

The forming of microplastics in the environment continues be a global problem with damaging risks to ecosystems and human health. Currently, most microplastic studies concentrate on water and air, while research focus on terrestrial samples such as soil still lags behind. This project reports the first results of our effort to develop and…

The past two decades have seen a rise in citizen science projects and tools available for formal and informal learning; however, research has indicated there is a dearth of professional development for educators regarding understanding, adapting, and applying these resources in their learning environments. To address this gap, we created the…

The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of science teachers who are pursuing postgraduate studies on their experiences in preparing a research project and to explore the effects of this experience on the participants. In this context, a qualitative research method was employed using an action research design. Seven science…

Engaging youth in citizen science projects has multiple benefits. Yet, numerous challenges, such as lack of alignment between project goal and youth interest, hinder youth wider engagement. In this paper, we suggest a model for engaging volunteers in facilitator roles, warranting positive outcomes for youth engagement in citizen science projects.…

Although there is a push to provide more student agency in science classrooms, teachers and students may become frustrated when inquiry activities and equipment do not work as planned--teachers because of the time crunch to "cover" topics and students because of the perceived lack of value in activities that are "off task." In…

Values and how values are created in science education are an under-researched field, which is problematic given the importance of epistemic values to the nature of science. From a sociological perspective, values are experienced as emotionally infused ideas with the power to influence choices and actions in everyday situations such as learning…

Through the Sediment, Ice, & Learning on the Tanana (SILT) project, a team of university scientists engaged two middle school student groups in testing innovative environmental research technologies to measure sediment flowing underneath river ice. The culturally responsive, place-based pilot program tests these technologies as a strategy to…

Citizen science's (CS) deployment and benefit over the last ten years have been remarkably substantial in their contributions to the massification of citizen participation in tech-based CS projects. Insights into how CS projects influence community changes through proposals of actions and public policies are essential to understanding how they…