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A growing network of libraries and other community-based organizations dedicated to becoming community hubs for citizen science supported by SciStarter, Arizona State University, and The National Girls Collaborative Project.

scistarter.org/library-network

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What do these four animals have in common?

They are all pollinators!

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Pollinator Palooza

Tools and Resources to Plan Your Pollinator Event

April 19, 2023

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A global movement that enables people from all walks of life to collaborate with scientists by participating in real scientific research.��It’s how people can make an impact on issues they care about!

What is citizen science?�

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SciStarter is a globally acclaimed, online citizen science hub where more than 3,000 projects from all over the internet have been organized and made searchable!

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Benefits to Science & Society

Empowers Communities

Broadens the scope of who participants in science.

Brings communities together around issues they care about.

Increases STEM Literacy

Enables people to learn about the nature of science.

Allows people to engage in collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data.

Enhances & Accelerates Research

Increases diversity and scope of data.

Enables investigations that would not be possible without the power of public participation.

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Online Training Tutorials

SciStarter.org/training

SciStarter.org/library-training

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Why are pollinator events important?

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Cahit Ozturk, Ph.D.

( Bee Lab manager)

  • Research technologist and associate researcher at Arizona State University in Mesa, Arizona.
  • Master’s in Royal Jelly production
  • Ph.D. in Bee Genetics and Breeding
  • Current focus at ASU
    • Honey bee breeding and management
    • Honey bee behaviors
    • In vitro bee rearing,
    • Helps design projects focused on honey bee learning and behavior.

Photo by Meghan Finnerty/ASU.

ASU News April 6, 2023

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ASU Bee Lab

ASU began its honey bee research in earnest in 2004 when Dr.Page left his post as chair of the entomology department at the University of California, Davis to become founding director of the ASU School of Life Sciences.

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The Xerces Society recognizes communities and universities that implement sustainable environmental practices and promote the benefits of pollinators as “Bee Cities'' and “Bee Campuses.” ASU’s Polytechnic campus is home to the Bee Annex Lab, one of the largest bee laboratories in the United States.

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Social Insect Research Group

  • Why and how does sociality evolve?
  • What genes and mechanisms explain diversity in social animals, within and across species?
  • How does self-organization contribute to social evolution?
  • How does the central nervous system develop and change with experience?

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Bee Lab Apiary

  • Around 100 honey bee colonies
  • Two subspecies of Italian and Carniolan bees
  • Shade structures
  • Flight cages
  • Pollination garden
  • Misting system
  • Native trees for nectar and pollen sources and also to use their shade for bee colonies

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Bee Lab Activities

  • Small field labs
  • A wet lab for sample collection and process
  • Offices with basic lab equipments
  • Multipurpose room for meetings and beekeeping courses for the public
  • Observation hives for display and experiments
  • Conducting experiments for graduate and undergraduate students
  • Collaborating with other universities and institutions

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Pollinator Focused Citizen Science Projects

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Help identify where pollinators are declining and how we can help improve their habitats. We need pollinators. They help produce more than one-third of our food!

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In other words… Pollinators are responsible for every third bite of food!

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Explore and share your observations of the natural world.

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  • Record your findings

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  • Share with fellow naturalists

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  • Discuss your findings

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ZomBee Watch

Are honey bees in your community infected by the Zombie fly? Build a trap, hang it at night attached to a light to see if bees are attracted. Observe bees in trap.

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Report your findings to ZomBee Watch

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Programming Ideas

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Invite a Speaker

  • Expand your idea of a subject-matter expert.
  • Find speakers on SciStarter.org/people-finder, FabFems,
  • Invite a master gardener or beekeeper. Contact your state’s university extension office, Master Gardener Directory, and American Beekeeping Federation. who could attend in person or virtually.
  • Have citizen science kits on display that your audience can borrow.
  • Have computers ready for your audience to sign-up for SciStarter and participate in projects.

Invite subject-matter experts to inspire and inform your audience!

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Seed Catalog

Photo Credit:

Port Macquarie Library, Australia

  • Start or use an existing seed catalog
  • Work with a Master Gardener from your County Extension office or the local gardening club
  • Offer seeds that attract pollinators
  • Offer seeds that are native plants for your region
  • Check with your local nursery or online seed suppliers
  • Have appropriate books from the gardening & plant area on hand

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Photo Credit:

Mesa Public Library

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Citizen Science Storytimes for Children and Adult Book Clubs or Meet Ups!

  • Introduce youth to pollinators
  • Offer teen and adult meet ups that focus on pollinators and gardening
  • Discuss a book that relates to plants or pollinators

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Host an Introduction to a Pollinator Project

  • Download the slide deck and speaker notes
  • Customize to fit your library’s program
  • Ask the audience to complete the Foundations of Citizen Science online course for deeper understanding
  • Use the program as a segue to citizen science projects and kits
  • Help with setting up apps or uploading data
  • Pull related field guides to help with pollinator and plant identification

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Individual Kit Building Guides

SciStarter.org/library-build-a-kit

Build Citizen Science Kits

Build Kits for Users to Checkout

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Multi-week STEM Programming for Families

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Programming Framework

Set the Stage

Engage in STEM Learning

Take Action

Read a story

Share a video

Take a nature walk

Do an activity or experiment

Take a nature walk

Collect and analyse data together

Make an impact

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Set the Stage

  1. Build curiosity
  2. Tap into prior knowledge
  3. Make it relevant

What do you know about pollinators? Why do we care about pollinators?

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Engage in STEM Learning

What makes a good plant for pollinators?

  • Encourage critical thinking
  • Enable experimentation
  • Practice STEM skills like close observation.

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Take Action

Key Materials:

Stopwatch

Binoculars

Data sheet and clipboard

Optional:

Bee observer cards

Bee identification page

The Bees in Your Backyard book

Lemon Queen sunflower seeds

Community Field Book Guide to local flowering plants

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Pollinator Week

June 19-24, 2023

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Add & Promote Your Event

SciStarter.org/events

Help people learn about your event

Help us measure collective impact

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Take-away Message

  • Introduce the who what where and why of citizen science to your community
  • Bring in subject specialists on a topic your community cares about
  • Offer an event that supports a citizen science project
  • Remove barriers that prevent community populations from participation
  • Consider multi-week programs
  • Promote your event using our turkey materials

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https://links.asu.edu/CSM-Participant-Survey-92

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Completed surveys are automatically entered for a chance to win a copy of

Survey

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Questions?

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Type your questions in the chat!

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Thank you!

librarynetwork@scistarter.org