citizen science , the collaboration between professional scientists and the public , provides a unique opportunity for innovation in science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ( stem ) education . the goals of citizen science are to enable new scientific research , broaden participation in scientific studies , and increase national awareness surrounding topics in science ( 1 , 46 , 10 , 14 ) . participating in citizen science increases epistemological beliefs about science and the ability to think in a scientific manner ( 6 , 14 ) . citizen science provides unique , hands - on opportunities to engage students in the process of scientific discovery , to make scientific contributions , and it is aligned with research - supported educational practices ( 2 , 7 , 9 , 11 ) . in this paper , we show two examples that demonstrate the use of citizen science to support the transformation of curricula . citizen science can engage students from various backgrounds to increase their scientific literacy and appreciation for science . through citizen science , faculty can emphasize how students work can be used for real , practical science progress . activities can be integrated in a variety of ways , from projects forming the backbone of a course to individual homework assignments . citizen science projects with minimal ( or no ) costs to implement are readily available . moreover , students can continue to participate in these projects long after the semester s end . in introductory astronomy , students can use citizen science projects to explore our solar system , even participating in discoveries with current space missions . during the spring 2015 course , students explored asteroids and the geologic history of our solar system in class , in labs , and through the textbook , while new data from the national aeronautics and space administration s ( nasa s ) dawn mission were highlighted in the media . as volunteers can reliably reproduce experts crater identifications , the students were able to identify and mark craters on images sent back to earth by the dawn mission ( 8) , helping them appreciate their importance in models of geologic history ( 15 ) . the citizen science project asteroid mappers provided students with the opportunity to analyze data from the dawn mission and was incorporated into the curriculum through a brief introduction during lecture , a homework assignment , and a follow - up in - class reflection ( appendix 1 ) . next , a graded homework assignment asked students to read about the dawn mission , articulate its scientific purpose , and through participation in the asteroid mappers project , identify craters on actual images ( appendix 2 ) . by participating in this activity , students learned how to recognize craters and had the opportunity to contribute to an ongoing scientific research endeavor advancing the science they were learning about in the course . a brief ungraded entry exercise and discussion allowed students to share their experience with others and to connect their work to the larger science goals of the citizen science project . the informal class discussion revealed that many students found the activity engaging and demonstrated that they were making connections between the space images and a previous lab where they created model craters . similar assignments are easily integrated into existing curricula and they have the potential to make a large impact on students understanding of science as a way of thinking rather than a static body of knowledge . in this course , citizen science provided students with the opportunity to investigate interdisciplinary perspectives on key environmental issues , examining interactions between humans and natural systems through a project monitoring the health of a local river ( appendix 3 ) . the project involved biological monitoring with benthic macroinvertebrates in a local tributary of the charles river , part of the larger field - science program run by the charles river watershed association ( crwa ) . this project replaced traditional reading , lecture , and lab book  based activities to provide real - world examples for understanding the following learning goals : 1 ) understand local , regional , and global environmental systems and processes , 2 ) understand urban impacts in watersheds , 3 ) gain experience in formulating and testing hypotheses , and 4 ) interpret results of these tests . most importantly , students were able to learn from and collaborate with a scientist who was specifically managing the project they participated in . students became engaged in their project and came to understand that their data would help the individual scientist achieve his goals , as well as the organization s goals for understanding and managing the watershed . training sessions lead by crwa scientists and the course instructor were held to discuss habitat types , quality , factors that impact habitat quality ( urbanization , historic and current sources of pollution , abiotic conditions ) , and how these factors influence assemblages of organisms found in an area . training also included safe sampling techniques to collect , preserve , and identify the benthic macroinvertebrates . working in groups , students assessed the habitat for their section of the river using the environmental protection agency ( epa ) rapid bioassessment protocol and used kick nets to collect samples of benthic macroinvertebrates . later , students separated the macroinvertebrates , identified them , and sorted them into classes used to determine a water quality score . samples from other river sections differing in habitat quality and macroinvertebrate assemblages were available for comparison . in a written lab report , students analyzed their data , drawing conclusions about the environmental status of the river ( appendix 4 ) . student ability to integrate knowledge gained in understanding the impacts of urbanization on aquatic systems and derived ecosystem benefits in terms of general food webs , geochemical cycles , and climate change was assessed in a midterm ( appendix 5 ) . this activity engaged students in understanding their local watershed and how human activities impact it , while at the same time contributing data to crwa for management decisions regarding habitat and water quality within the charles river watershed . in introductory astronomy , students can use citizen science projects to explore our solar system , even participating in discoveries with current space missions . during the spring 2015 course , students explored asteroids and the geologic history of our solar system in class , in labs , and through the textbook , while new data from the national aeronautics and space administration s ( nasa s ) dawn mission were highlighted in the media . as volunteers can reliably reproduce experts crater identifications , the students were able to identify and mark craters on images sent back to earth by the dawn mission ( 8) , helping them appreciate their importance in models of geologic history ( 15 ) . the citizen science project asteroid mappers provided students with the opportunity to analyze data from the dawn mission and was incorporated into the curriculum through a brief introduction during lecture , a homework assignment , and a follow - up in - class reflection ( appendix 1 ) . next , a graded homework assignment asked students to read about the dawn mission , articulate its scientific purpose , and through participation in the asteroid mappers project , identify craters on actual images ( appendix 2 ) . by participating in this activity , students learned how to recognize craters and had the opportunity to contribute to an ongoing scientific research endeavor advancing the science they were learning about in the course . a brief ungraded entry exercise and discussion allowed students to share their experience with others and to connect their work to the larger science goals of the citizen science project . the informal class discussion revealed that many students found the activity engaging and demonstrated that they were making connections between the space images and a previous lab where they created model craters . similar assignments are easily integrated into existing curricula and they have the potential to make a large impact on students understanding of science as a way of thinking rather than a static body of knowledge . in this course , citizen science provided students with the opportunity to investigate interdisciplinary perspectives on key environmental issues , examining interactions between humans and natural systems through a project monitoring the health of a local river ( appendix 3 ) . the project involved biological monitoring with benthic macroinvertebrates in a local tributary of the charles river , part of the larger field - science program run by the charles river watershed association ( crwa ) . this project replaced traditional reading , lecture , and lab book  based activities to provide real - world examples for understanding the following learning goals : 1 ) understand local , regional , and global environmental systems and processes , 2 ) understand urban impacts in watersheds , 3 ) gain experience in formulating and testing hypotheses , and 4 ) interpret results of these tests . most importantly , students were able to learn from and collaborate with a scientist who was specifically managing the project they participated in . students became engaged in their project and came to understand that their data would help the individual scientist achieve his goals , as well as the organization s goals for understanding and managing the watershed . training sessions lead by crwa scientists and the course instructor were held to discuss habitat types , quality , factors that impact habitat quality ( urbanization , historic and current sources of pollution , abiotic conditions ) , and how these factors influence assemblages of organisms found in an area . training also included safe sampling techniques to collect , preserve , and identify the benthic macroinvertebrates . working in groups , students assessed the habitat for their section of the river using the environmental protection agency ( epa ) rapid bioassessment protocol and used kick nets to collect samples of benthic macroinvertebrates . later , students separated the macroinvertebrates , identified them , and sorted them into classes used to determine a water quality score . samples from other river sections differing in habitat quality and macroinvertebrate assemblages were available for comparison . in a written lab report , students analyzed their data , drawing conclusions about the environmental status of the river ( appendix 4 ) . student ability to integrate knowledge gained in understanding the impacts of urbanization on aquatic systems and derived ecosystem benefits in terms of general food webs , geochemical cycles , and climate change was assessed in a midterm ( appendix 5 ) . this activity engaged students in understanding their local watershed and how human activities impact it , while at the same time contributing data to crwa for management decisions regarding habitat and water quality within the charles river watershed . citizen science activities , such as the two presented here , support research - based educational practices associated with increased student learning , persistence , and retention in the sciences ( 2 , 3 , 7 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 14 , 16 ) . resources for faculty interested in incorporating citizen science into curricula are presented in appendix 6 . projects require minimal background knowledge , allowing students in introductory science classes to participate in research early in their college careers , an intervention shown to have a positive effect on the persistence of women and minorities in science ( 9 , 12 , 16 ) . students directly engage with data and analysis , allowing them to put new knowledge of the subject matter directly into action ( 7 ) . overall benefits include understanding that their work contributes to new discoveries and hearing from scientists about ways in which their contributions are meaningful ( 4 , 13 , 15 ) . moreover , these activities expose students to future job ideas , increase their overall knowledge of scientific concepts , and embed practices ( e.g. , data analysis , logical analysis , creative and critical thinking , independent research , identifying cause and effect relationships ) supporting basic scientific literacy . appendix 1 : description of asteroid mappers activity in introductory solar system appendix 2 : homework assignment for asteroid mappers activity appendix 3 : description of biomonitoring field project in introduction to environmental challenges appendix 4 : lab report checklist for biomonitoring field project appendix 5 : example of midterm incorporating biomonitoring field project appendix 6 : resources for faculty incorporating citizen science into undergraduate curricula
we present two examples of citizen science learning activities , with discussion of how these activities align with teaching strategies shown to increase retention of under - represented minorities and improve learning for all students in science . for introductory science students from diverse backgrounds , 
 citizen science provides a unique hands - on opportunity to engage students in the process of scientific discovery and to contribute to real science through their curriculum . 
 these tools also increase engagement of science majors and address the current national priority of increasing student retention in science , technology , engineering , and mathematics ( stem ) fields .