Bonus: Looking for something to do this week? Citizen Science Projects need you!

Hello AP Biology Friends!

I hope your summer reading is going well.  Continue to update the blog or email me your responses.
Today's assignment is a bonus assignment, and I think you'll also find it quite interesting.  Did you know that right now, as this very moment, there are scientists who want your help?  The concept is called Citizen Science - meaning that people of all ages and backgrounds can participate in scientific research projects from their house.  For example, scientists at the Horowitz Cognition Lab in New York City are studying human-dog interactions.  It's important that the dogs are in their natural environment just playing with their owners.  So, citizen scientists (like you!) can take a video playing with their dogs and send it into the lab.

Do you like watching videos of animals?  Then scientists at the NEPTUNE Canada Observatory need your help to analyze footage of underwater reefs.

Scientists are studying the DNA of dead cockroaches.. they need your help!

Are you interested?  Here's the good news - these projects (and hundreds more) are free and waiting for your help this summer.  Just log on to http://scistarter.com/ and find a project that interests you.  And, if you write about your experience in the comment section, I'll even give you credit for a bonus assignment.

Have fun doing science this summer!  Don't forget to share your cool stories with us... :)