Encyclopedia of Life is Online

The Encyclopedia of Life, intended to become an online catalog of all species on Earth, began its alpha test of 30,000 pages yesterday. There are placeholders for 1 million species. (FYI, there are estimated to be 1.8 million known species on Earth, and of course more that have yet to be identified.)

This project is notable not just on its face as a remarkable collection of information, contributed by top scientists. It is also remarkable because it opens vast new amounts of information to everyone in an easily accessed way. It also shows the power of collaboration. This is not exactly citizen science, since the contributions will come from experts. However, it will take a large community of experts to make the Encyclopedia a reality. As the site grows, it should give readers a view of the inner workings of science, since there will certainly be disagreements about what species goes where, what the implications of certain connections are, etc. E.O. Wilson, the eminent Harvard biologist who inspired the site and has led its development, observes, "This great effort promises to lay out new directions for research in every branch of biology."

By making this valuable information accessible to everyone, the EOL project should inspire many years of learning opportunities at all levels.

Link to Encyclopedia of Life
Link to Tree of Life (A related site that is also great)

Astronomy Students Helping Protect Our Planet?

I couldn't help but post this story about a team of undergraduate students at the University of Washington. They have identified more than 1,300 previously undetected asteroids! That number represents 1 out of 250 known objects in the Solar System. Talk about citizen science!

Link to Space.com story

Citizen Science: Count the Stars

"Citizen science" is a great way to engage students in real science in an out-of-school setting. There are many projects in which everyday citizens help scientists by observing the world around them and sharing the data.

One project that starts soon is "Count the Stars," managed by the folks at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (a member of the Coalition). From Oct. 1-15, everyone is invited count the stars that they can see and complete a simple form online. This will help scientists better understand light pollution around the world.

Other citizen science projects that are widely used in after-school programs include the Cornell University Urban Bird Studies projects (Consumers Guide review) and the very large and effective GLOBE program.