‘We can all be scientists’: Here’s how

At its heart, so much about the scientific discoveries that have moved human civilization forward comes down to one thing: data.

For hundreds of years, this paradigm has ruled the scientific process – scientist collects data, scientist analyzes data, scientist comes to conclusion based on that data. But many of today’s scientists are turning to an invaluable tool for gathering data sets that are orders of magnitude larger than what they could collect by themselves or with their research team: ordinary folks, non-scientists who are willing to do the legwork because they simply want to be involved.

A trio of Western Washington University professors are working on projects that involve citizen science. And given that April 15 is National Citizen Science Day, maybe this is the perfect time for you to get involved in science that means something to you.