This is a great step forward for Science. Here is the Google Plus post where I found out about this great initiative:
Citizen Science junkies: Check out this Universe Today article about a new citizen science portal, led by +Pamela Gay. Also involved are +Philip Plait ( Bad Astronomy Blog ) and +Fraser Cain ( Universe Today )
Aside from the focus on citizen science, one thing that hooked me was something I think +Pamela Gay said in a Google+ hangout yesterday. “Open science, open source”.
I’m pretty stoked about CosmoQuest and can’t wait to start taking part in the project, as it combines two things I’m very passionate about – citizen science and open-source software! #FunFriday
From the CosmoQuest website:
Our goal is to create a community of people bent on together advancing our understanding of the universe; a community of people who are participating in doing science, who can explain why what they do matters, and what questions they are helping to answer. We want to create a community, and here is where we invite all of you to be a part of what we’re doing.
There are lots of ways to get involved: You can contribute to science, take a class, join a conversation, or just help us spread the word by sharing about us on social media sites.
Like every community, we are constantly changing to reflect our members. This website will constantly be growing and adding new features. Overtime, we’re going to bring together all the components of a research learning environment (aka grad school), from content in the form of classes, resources, and a blog, to research in the form of citizen science, to social engagement through a forum, social media, and real world activities.
LRO data is used in Moon Mappers
The science you have the chance to help with is being developed by scientists all over the world. We are partnering directly with NASA missions to develop citizen science projects that help expand what science they can accomplish. We’re working with Mercury MESSENGER, the Dawn Mission, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, New Horizons, and the Space Telescope Science Institute to build a series of projects that map the surfaces of rocky worlds and explore the atmospheres of planets and small bodies the solar system over.
You don’t have to be a genius with a PhD to do science. We provide tutorials with every project that should make it possible for anyone to contribute. We also offer a variety of educational programs so that you can learn as much as you want about the science you’re aiding. We also want teachers and amateurs doing EPO to receive the professional development they need to use CosmoQuest to teach astronomy to students and the public. To help us reach these goals, we’re partnering with the Galileo Teacher Training Program and Astronomers without Borders – one of our goals is to reach out to amateurs and get them the materials and training needed to use CosmoQuest in their outreach.
Take us with you
CosmoQuest is a place to do, to learn, and to collaborate.
Where would you like to explore today?
Join us in the forums, and share your ideas for our future.
Link: http://cosmoquest.org
Filed under: Planets, Space Fotos Tagged: bad astronomy, Citizen Science, CosmoQuest, Google Plus, Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite(LCROSS), Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mercury MESSENGER, NASA, New Horizons, Open Science, open source software, philip plait, public citizen, ray sanders, science portal, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), the Dawn Mission
This post first appeared on Space Photos | Your Window To The Universe, please read the originial post: here
