I think we’re all eager for a bit of variation in our day-to-day, as self-isolation and social distancing ramp up. I’ve been spending time on zooniverse.org, and would definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn’t used it before!
It’s a website that lets you participate in real research projects from all over the world, from the comfort of your own computer in your own home. There are a range of disciplines to choose from, including arts research projects, where you can transcribe military records from the Civil War or documents from artists. There is also a medicine section, where you can do things like help identify white blood cells and mitochondria from medical images.
As someone with a background in ecology, I’ve spent a lot more time in the nature category helping identify species on trail camera footage. You can do as much or as little work as you’d like on Zooniverse, and it’s a great feeling to be contributing to someone else’s research while learning about interesting projects from all over.
There are even chat room features, so you can ask people for help if you’re struggling with a project… or, you can just commiserate with people about how this whole COVID-19 thing has brought some crazy changes to the world… and then celebrate because, hey, you’re helping ID chimpanzees for the Chimp & See project with your new chatroom friends from across the ocean, and that’s pretty cool.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Smith
Glenmaggie, Australia
