- Created: Friday, February 10 2012 09:12
Science is a community endeavor. In some cases the community is reflected in long author lists on papers. In other cases it is reflected in the conversations in the hallway and in letters (emails) where scientists question and challenge one another, and in the lecture hall seminars where we learn together about what is new in our understanding of the universe. While scientists at academic and research centers can readily participate in this community of science, it is a bit harder for amateur astronomers and citizen scientists who are working from their drive ways and desktops to get engaged. The new project CosmoQuest seeks to change that by providing an online community for those who are interested in both learning and doing astronomy. Within this new website (http://cosmoquest.org), community members can attend lectures, participate in NASA mission science projects, enjoy start parties, and engage in question and answer sessions with professional scientists.
The CosmoQuest Community is being developed by the same teams of people who bring you Astronomy Cast, 365 Days of Astronomy, and Universe Today. These folks, including Pamela Gay and Fraser Cain, are dedicated to promoting astronomy for everyone, and want to create a research environment that allows every day people to contribute in meaningful ways to science. The first citizen science project they've launched, "MoonMappers," invites you to become part of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Science Team by helping scientists correct the output of crater funding algorithms and by marking craters for yourself. This project is just the first of many they have planned. New projects related to the Moon, Mercury, Vesta, and other solar system objects will be launching roughly every six to eight weeks. In addition to these online projects, they are also working with groups like AWB to promote observing projects and other real-world events.
To find out about each week's planned events and opportunities, tune into their blog each Friday for their Upcoming Events post, or just follow them on twitter @CosmoQuestX. Get involved today by signing up to help with science, or volunteer your time to help in one of their open source computing projects. However you get involved, you'll be part of a community of science designed to be open to all.
