Take a moment to picture a scientist who has made a groundbreaking discovery. What does that person look like
Perhaps it’s a person in a white coat standing in a lab with microscopes and test tubes, or a distinguished professor accepting an award on stage.
What if we told you that you could have pictured yourself?
In citizen science projects, community members like you utilize their curiosity, enthusiasm, and talents alongside professional scientists in real-world research projects. They act as the eyes, ears, or an extra set of hands for scientists, helping to extend the spatial reach of a study or adding important perspectives that scientists cannot provide themselves.
That’s precisely what Lake Tahoe locals, and League to Save Lake Tahoe volunteers, did this summer to help DRI scientists identify microplastic pollution in the Lake for the first time ever.