A dark sky citizen science kit pictured on Wednesday, April 5, 2023, at Montana State University in Bozeman. The kit contains an instruction sheet, sky quality meter, night sky field guide, planisphere, red flashlight, log book, pencil and citizen science stickers. MSU photo by Colter Peterson

BOZEMAN — Montana State University is offering a new way for citizens to help scientists and contribute to national science projects.

The MSU Science Math Resource Center is partnering with the MSU Library to provide four citizen science kits that all MSU Library users, including community borrowers, may use for free. A citizen science kit holds everything needed to gather data for a specific citizen science project. Each kit was field-tested by librarians and patrons and includes a printed activity guide, helpful tips, and any specialized tools or materials needed to complete the project, as well as information about student researchers in Montana. The kits are all linked to national citizen science projects and focus on light pollution, pollinators, biodiversity and water.

Citizen scientists help scientists with their research by making observations, collecting data or documenting changes in nature. Anyone, regardless of their age, education or profession, can be a citizen scientist, according to Suzi Taylor, director of the MSU Science Math Resource Center, which created the kits. The kits are part of the outreach efforts of the National Science Foundation’s EPSCoR program, which supports water quality research across Montana.

“Citizen science is for everyone,” Taylor said. “We really hope people will check these kits out and do them.

“We chose projects that are pretty user-friendly regardless of people’s age, and we really do hope that kids use them, or schoolteachers could check them out,” Taylor added. “They would also be great for retired people.”

"Libraries across the country are circulating the kits, hosting events and collaborating with their communities to enable participation in citizen science," said Kris Johnson, head of MSU Library's Learning and Research Services, which circulates the kits. "When Suzi approached us about this possible partnership, I said we’d love to test out checking out the kits as part of our technology lending program."

One kit focused on the night sky invites citizen scientists to take part in an international citizen project that involves the public in measuring and collecting night sky brightness observations to help scientists understand the impact of intrusive artificial light known as light pollution. Information included with the kit notes that too much light pollution can wash out starlight in the night sky, interfere with astronomical research, disrupt ecosystems, have adverse health effects and waste energy.

The kit includes a sky quality meter to measure light pollution, a field guide to the night sky, a night-sky map known as a planisphere, a red flashlight to help with night vision, a log book, a pencil and citizen science stickers (borrowers are invited to keep a sticker). It also includes instructions for contributing observations online through a national database, SciStarter.

Taylor noted that citizen science results can be trusted due to scale.

“When you’re getting a thousand measurements, they may not be made with the precision you would have with a $4,000 instrument, but through the sheer volume of the measurements, you can still see patterns and collect observations that you wouldn’t typically get.”

And, Taylor said, individuals who complete observations as citizen scientists really do help the professional scientific community.

“When you observe, for example, birds or water or clouds, there are scientists who rely on having those observations,” she said. “There’s no way they could have the human power to get all that data themselves. It’s pretty cool to actually be contributing to true research.”

It’s also fun, she said.

“It’s great to combine citizen science with the activities you already do, like hiking or camping or birdwatching,” Taylor said.

Finally, citizen science can help spark an interest in and understanding of science, Taylor noted.

“Any time we can get people doing real science – even from the very youngest age – we may help build more future scientists,” Taylor said. “Citizen science helps people understand how scientific data is collected and what kinds of information scientists like to get. It also enables individuals to connect with professional scientists and other people all around the world.”

The kits were launched for Citizen Science Month, which is in April every year. More information about the four kits, titled “Dark Skies: Measuring Light in the Night,” “Observing Pollinators,” “Exploring Biodiversity” and “Water Wonders: EarthEcho Water Challenge and Crowd the Tap,” is available on the MSU Library technology checkout page at lib.montana.edu/request/tech-checkouts/#citizenscience. Questions may be directed to the Science Math Resource Center in the College of Education, Health and Human Development at smrc@montana.edu.