Be a Citizen Scientist! The USGS sponsors or has partnerships with many citizen science programs that are appropriate for classroom projects, for individual students, or for interested citizens. USGS Hazards Did You Feel It? People who experience an earthquake are encouraged to go online and share information about its effects to help create a map of shaking intensities and damage. These “Community Internet Intensity Maps” contribute greatly toward the quick assessment of the scope of an earthquake emergency and provide valuable data for earthquake research. [Read More]

Collecting Real World Data Activity Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Adapted with permission. Scientists collect data to understand Earth and how it changes. Quantitative data involves taking measurements, while qualitative data are observations and descriptions of phenomena. When it comes to climate, scientists try to collect as much and as many types of data as possible to be able to analyze how climate is changing and what effects it is having. [Read More]

Enliven Data With Art Activity Source: Science Friday, Adapted with permission. There are many reasons people look to art for expression. Art is a means to express emotion, document events, and convey information. In this exercise, you will select a scientific graph that addresses an important real-world issue, create an illustrated graph from that original, and craft an effective artist’s statement that connects the two. Once you’re done, keep an eye out for other ways you can merge science with art. [Read More]