Science is a dirty business. Well, at least it is for paleontologists who sort through the dirt found around a fossils. Paleontologists call this material found around fossilized remains the fossil matrix, and it gives clues about the environment the creature lived in.
While at the World Maker Faire my daughter had a chance to sort through the matrix from a mastodon found in upstate New York. The project was part of the booth being run by Science for Citizens, a website that lets people volunteer to help scientists collect and analyze data on different projects across multiple disciplines. Looking for an outdoor project in your area? The websites has a search that lets you choose from a number of criteria including whether the project is suitable for children. In The Mastodon Matrix Project volunteers sift through 1-kilogram bags of fossil matrix and separate out shells, bone and other materials. This is a great project for kids and can be done at the kitchen table, or even for a class project with the whole class being citizen paleontologists. Like the class pictured above that found 11,500 year old mastodon hair while playing in the dirt.
Some of the projects require as little as taking a picture of a piece of paper to collect data on how much of the sun’s energy is being reflected by the earth, known as albedo. The Albedo Project was held on September 10, 2011, and citizen scientists around the world contributed photos for analysis. You can get notified of future albedo measurements at The Albedo Project Page.
Science for Citizens is doing a great job of tapping into the vast network of people who are interested in science and craving more participation than just reading about it. I for one will be watching out for the that comes to my area.