Citizen Science Projects You Can Get Involved In – Even If You’re Not a Scientist!

I was reading Citizen Science: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction by Mary Ellen Hannibal, and it got me thinking…many people are staying at home right now due to the coronavirus and the holidays, so why not spread the word about citizen science? Many citizen science projects do not require physical interaction with others, so now would be the perfect time for people to get involved!

As someone who majored in Environmental Science but opted to pursue a career in Computer Science, I aspire to continue volunteering for conservation projects whenever I can, and citizen science is the perfect way to do that! Citizen science is a great way to connect the community to the science community. Sadly, science is something that has been politicized and disregarded when it comes to certain environmental issues, so it’s more important than ever for people outside of the field to be involved with science.

Lemur Adventures

If you’ve been keeping up with my blog/life, you might remember me mentioning that I’ve been volunteering at a local fossil center. I mainly volunteer once a week for around three hours, so it doesn’t take up much of my time. Since the fossil division has more projects than employees, I help them out with smaller, more meticulous tasks. Like cutting out foam, housing fossils, and taking pictures for 3D modeling. It might not sound like the funnest way to spend my free time, but I personally find it interesting! Plus, it helps out the lemur center and any researchers who want to use the fossils.

Last weekend, the lemur center even offered tours for volunteers. Naturally, I said yes and immediately signed up for a time slot. Who wouldn’t want to spend their afternoon hanging out and taking pictures of lemurs?!

Favorite Sustainability Videos

I wanted to write more sustainability and environmental conservation posts for my blog this year, so I am going to start off with some of my favorite videos that bring awareness to environmental issues! I think that when videos and films are done well, they can leave an inspirational message with their viewers. Especially since nature is so beautiful and the destruction can be so horrible to see, I believe videos can certainly help bring awareness to environmental concerns. I personally enjoy watching them and feel more inspired than ever to spread awareness and help the issue myself.

While there’s plenty of videos and documentaries out there, this post features five of my favorite videos. I feel like these motivate me to research these topics further and look for lifestyles changes that can help the environment. In the future, I’ll probably make a post similar to this one but with my favorite documentaries. Since documentaries are longer, they’re normally more informational and focus more on one topic.

Gift Ideas for Pets

As the proud owner of both a cat and dog, I wanted to share gift ideas for pets!

I treat my pets like people and love to wrap up a few gifts for them to open for Christmas. When I showed my cat, Tigger, how to open her gifts, she quickly learned to tear through the wrapping paper to find her present inside. This year will be my dog’s first Christmas with me, and I’m planning on wrapping up his gifts as well. He’s such an excitable dog, so I think Scooby will be excited about it (as long as he doesn’t get spooked by the crinkling noise wrapping paper makes)!

Should You Get A Pet?

I, like many other people, wanted a dog when I was a young child (okay, and maybe a pony and a guinea pig and a couple more dogs as well). My parents, like many other parents, didn’t immediately get me one. Why? Because having a pet is a huge responsibility.

While I’m all about people rescuing poor animals from animal shelters and rescue organizations, it’s also important to consider if getting a pet is right for you. It’s not going to be beneficial for you or the animal if you’re going to neglect him/her. I’m not trying to dissuade anyone from getting a pet (if you’re ready, you definitely should because they’re the best!); I’m just saying that you need to think about it beforehand. I’ll even help you with some questions to consider!