Citizen Science Campus

Want to know more? Check out our website at citizenscience.ncsu.edu

What is the vision of a Citizen Science Campus?

  • To offer every NC State undergraduate an authentic experience with scientific research.
  • To help NC State researchers grow the scope and power of their projects.
  • To create knowledge for communities across North Carolina.

Want to know more about citizen science and its contributions? Check out cluster member Caren Cooper’s TEDx talk “Citizen Science, Everybody Counts,” for a vision of the power ordinary people contribute to science and solving community problems.

Sign up here–>NC State SciStarter

NC State is a citizen Citizen Science Campus which means undergraduate students will encounter citizen science opportunities in many aspects of campus life. We use SciStarter Higher Ed to help you tailor your citizen science experiences to fit your interests. Below are some of the ways students can use their NCSU-SciStarter membership to become involved in the citizen science community at NC State.


Photo Credit: Lauren Nichols

Citizen Science Club at NC State

Be a part of the first citizen science student organization by joining Citizen Science Club at NC State on SciStarter. This club is based around the idea that “Science is for Everyone” and by truly stressing that science is an interdisciplinary endeavor. Members are not only citizen scientists but champions of community action, diversity in STEM, and science as a tool for empowerment. Although Citizen Science Club at NC State is an undergraduate student organization, meetings are open to graduate students, faculty, and members of the surrounding NC State and Raleigh community.

Email the club!

Find them online:
Citizen Science Club on Twitter
Citizen Science Club on Get Involved at NC State
Citizen Science Club on Facebook


Photo Credit: Lauren Nichols

Course Assignments

The Citizen Science Campus enables learning through participating in citizen science projects as part of coursework. SciStarter provides professors with an easy-to-follow and interactive platform for assigning students projects while keeping track of their progress. This isn’t limited to STEM classes either – English classes on campus are already participating in citizen science projects on SciStarter.


Photo Credit: Lauren Nichols

Wolfpack Citizen Science Challenge

Each spring, the NCSU Libraries partners with the NC State Leadership in Public Science cluster to host the Wolfpack Citizen Science Challenge. The challenge features a project led by NC State faculty, allowing for both students and community members to engage in ongoing research and to better understand the campus community. You can view your progress in the Wolfpack Citizen Science Challenge through your account on SciStarter.


Coming Soon:

Photo Credit: Lauren Nichols

Community Service

Since citizen science is about community engagement, the Citizen Science Campus seeks to provide students community service opportunities involving citizen science projects. We plan on doing so by connecting with Residential Villages and student organizations on campus. Projects can be accessed on SciStarter, where hours can be easily tracked.


Photo Credit: Lauren Nichols

Kits and Hotspots

Citizen science resources should be available to everyone, and this is a goal of the Citizen Science Campus. We expect to have citizen science kits and project resources available at NC State libraries and aim to have several hotspots on campus where students can actively engage in citizen science. There is even potential for on-campus vending machines that hold citizen science kits!


Photo Credit: Lauren Nichols

Undergraduate Research

One objective of the citizen science campus is to link undergraduate students with opportunities to participate in undergraduate research. After all, citizen science IS research! Since participation in research can be tracked on SciStarter, students could receive credit towards advisor approved independent research courses. Furthermore, the citizen science campus aims to use SciStarter as a way to create faculty-student research connections.