Montana State Offers Free Citizen Science Kits to Youth Organizations

BOZEMAN — The Science Math Resource Center at Montana State University, a STEM outreach center housed in the Department of Education, is offering free citizen science kits to 10 Montana programs that serve middle school students. Applications are due Friday, June 23, and kits will be sent to successful applicants immediately afterward. Programs are asked to use the materials by Sept. 30 and fill out a short post-program survey.

Each kit includes a video tutorial, instructor's guide and physical materials to complete two citizen science projects from instructions online: one on Alzheimer's disease and another on relationships between the eye and the brain. Programs may keep all the supplies for future use. No prior experience teaching STEM content is necessary.

Citizen science is the practice of people of any age volunteering to contribute data and observations that help professional scientists solve real-world challenges. The activities in the kit are connected to two national online citizen science projects: StallCatchers, which helps accelerate Alzheimer’s research, and Eyewire, which is helping scientists create a detailed map of neurons in the brain.

The kits are supported by the MSU Outreach and Engagement Council as part of its seed grant program to promote engagement with external partners, improve quality of life and benefit the public. MSU student Chloe Moreland, a senior from Snoqualmie, Washington pursuing degrees in cell biology and neuroscience and English, created the kits.

To apply, visit http://www.montana.edu/smrc/citizenscience.html